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1. What was proposedLeanne CastleyLiberal · Opposition
   Read the original wording (350 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes that: (a) the Assembly agreed to a motion on 10 April 2025 to establish an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) following the ACT State of the Environment Report 2023 and a 2024 election policy of the ACT Greens; (b) the stated purpose of the UGB is to protect land of environmental and agricultural value while supporting the Territory’s long-term housing and employment needs; (c) the Government has agreed to formalise the UGB policy through an amendment to the Territory Plan by June 2027; (d) in response to question on notice No 122 of the Select Committee on Estimates 2026-2027, the Minister for Planning and Sustainable Development stated that no alternative policies have been considered by the Government; and (e) the Minister for Planning and Sustainable Development has stated the UGB is being considered through the development of a new planning and transport strategy, with a UGB to be progressed through a future major plan amendment; (2) further notes that: (a) housing affordability is a critically important issue for Canberrans, with research by Building a Better Canberra showing the typical house price rising from 2.5 to 2.9 years of median income in 1981 to 7.3 years today; (b) Reserve Bank of Australia research has identified supply as the key driver of affordability, finding that as a rule of thumb, every 1 percent increase in the number of dwellings, when driven by an increase in supply, lowers the cost of housing by 2.5 percent; and (c) by restricting new residential land release, the UGB has the potential to seriously impact housing supply and affordability in the ACT, which could substantially accelerate housing development and urban sprawl beyond the Territory’s borders; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) commission an independent assessment of the impact of the UGB on land supply and housing affordability over the long term and publish this as a supporting report to the draft planning and transport strategy; and (b) publish the draft planning and transport strategy alongside any future major plan amendment to establish a UGB. Debate ensued.

2. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.