That was the week that was, from treasury transparency, light rail costs, Woden Community Centre, Brindabella Christian College and more:

Treasury transparency

The ACT Treasurer will henceforth be required to notify the Legislative Assembly within five days — not five months, as before — of any major spending from the Treasurer’s Advance or Capital Reform Fund.

Shadow treasurer Ed Cocks MLA said his Financial Management Amendment Bill, the first opposition or crossbench bill passed this term, was a significant win for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds, making it easier for the Assembly to track how taxpayer dollars were spent and act as a check on the government.

“This is a simple but important reform that will ensure near real-time oversight of extraordinary government spending. … At a time when the ACT is facing record debt and repeated budget blowouts, Canberrans deserve timely information about how their money is being used, not news delivered months after the fact.”

The reform does not limit the Treasurer’s powers or add approval hurdles.

“This legislation doesn’t block funding or add red tape, it just ensures decisions involving public funds don’t happen in the dark,” Mr Cocks said. “In an era of growing fiscal pressure, oversight and transparency matter more than ever. I’m pleased the Assembly agreed this was a necessary step.”

The Treasurer, Chris Steel MLA, said the bill was “an appropriate measure to support continuing strong accountability, open government, and transparency in managing the ACT’s budget”. He noted that the government also provides information on expenditure through the budget, budget review papers, financial reports, and Treasury publications.

Light rail costs

ACT taxpayers will soon learn how much light rail will cost Canberrans, opposition leader Leanne Castley MLA says.

Independent Legal arbiter Keith Mason AC KC has ordered the ACT Government to release previously withheld documents on light rail costs and health expenditure. The documents include early business cases for the City to Woden light rail extension and public health spending briefings during last year’s election caretaker period.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr had argued the documents were “cabinet in confidence”.

Mr Barr said: “Legislative Assembly Standing order 213A requires the Chief Minister to make claims of privilege on behalf of the Government, and the public service, to protect the deliberations of cabinet, to not disclose commercial in confidence information and other matters. It is not open to anyone else to make a claim.  Appropriately, I acted on considered advice from the public service in making the claims of privilege on a handful of the thousands of documents released.”

Ms Castley asked Mr Mason to make a ruling; he found no valid grounds for Mr Barr’s claims, stating that the documents contained important fiscal and planning information, but did not reveal internal cabinet deliberations or pose any risk to future tender processes.

Ms Castley said Mr Mason’s decision was a win for public transparency.

“For over twenty years, ACT Labor have ignored, declined, and generally dismissed demands for greater transparency over their decision making,” Ms Castley said. “Now, with a minority government, the power of the elected Legislative Assembly has the power to force the government to hand overimportant documents for public scrutiny.”

Woden Community Centre

The long-promised Woden Community Centre is now likely to face delays, with no confirmed start date for construction, according to independent MLA Fiona Carrick.

Infrastructure minister Rachel Stephen-Smith told her in the Assembly this week that a tender for design services came in over budget and was cancelled. She could not provide a revised timeline.

Ms Carrick criticised the lack of progress, noting that the project was first announced in 2018 and that construction had been expected to begin next year.

“It now seems that this date may not be achievable, leaving the community to wait even longer for this much-needed facility,” Ms Carrick said.

“The Government is considering the best approach to progress this project,” a spokesperson said. “There is significant activity underway or planned in this part of the Town Centre largely as a result of the Government’s substantial investments in Woden. The Government hopes to provide more information later this year.”

Fix my Street

An inquiry will be held into the effectiveness of Fix My Street, the online tool Canberrans use to report local issues to the ACT Government’s City Services directorate.

The Assembly unanimously supported a motion by James Milligan MLA, shadow minister for city services, which called for a committee to assess how the platform could be improved and possibly turned into a mobile phone app.

Around a thousand cases are lodged each week, but Canberrans complain they need a digital account to do so, or else call Access Canberra, which restricts the government’s ability to act; that there are no live updates; and that follow-up on reported issues is inconsistent.

City services minister Tara Cheyne MLA supported the motion. She said that a dedicated response team had been established to triage Fix My Street requests, resulting in faster responses and improved job tracking. The average resolution time for Fix My Street requests has dropped from 99 days in 2023 to 34 days in 2024; nearly half were resolved within 10 days.

Significant technical upgrades have addressed long-standing back-end integration issues between Fix My Street and other government systems, including for streetlight repairs, where real-time updates now flow directly to crews.

Burrangiri

Faced with closure next month, the Burrangiri Aged Care Respite Facility in Rivett has been granted a stay of execution.

Burrangiri provides a day-care program and short-term care for older people, including those with dementia, for up to three weeks, without needing an ACAT assessment.

The ACT Government will support the Salvation Army — which operates Burrangiri with ACT Health funding — to continue running the facility for two more years while it works with the Commonwealth to find more sustainable solutions for respite in the ACT.

The federal government’s $10 million commitment to maintain the number of respite beds in the ACT means new respite options can be considered, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said.

The Salvation Army’s contract was due to expire at the end of June. Independent MLA Fiona Carrick had sponsored a petition to keep the facility open until other respite care could be provided. She said she was “delighted and grateful” for Ms Stephen-Smith’s decision.

However, the Health Directorate advises that the 35-year-old facility needs to be refurbished to be made fit for purpose. Structural and electrical upgrades would cost more than $9,000, and extending the useful life of the facility would cost between $6.5 and $12 million.

Ms Stephen-Smith has asked health and ageing minister Mark Butler MP for the Commonwealth to co-fund the extension and to deliver the election promise to make residential respite beds available as soon as possible.

The ACT Government and Carers ACT are identifying land for a purpose-built respite centre.

Brindabella Christian College

Brindabella Christian College’s Lyneham campus has officially transferred to new ownership under Christian Community Ministries. The transfer ensures the school and Early Learning Centre will continue to operate under the Brindabella name, current staff will be retained, and prepaid student tuition fees honoured.

Brindabella Christian College went into voluntary administration in March due to alleged financial problems, and after the federal and ACT governments, unions and the tax office started court and disciplinary proceedings.

The sale and recapitalisation process was led by administrators Sal Algeri and Sam Marsden of Deloitte.

“Not only is this an excellent outcome for the future of the school, but it also provides a strong outcome for creditors,” Mr Marsden said. “The future of Brindabella Christian College is bright, and we wish both CCM and the school community every success.”

The Charnwood campus was not included in the sale. College operations, temporarily relocated to Lyneham for Term 2, will now be permanently consolidated. The Charnwood ELC will remain open while the administrators search for a new operator.

Breast screening scarves

LGBTIQA+ people who attend breast screening appointments in the ACT will now receive a rainbow scarf as part of a new initiative to encourage health screenings.

Launched ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism, and Transphobia, the Inclusive Rainbow Threads Project is a collaboration between BreastScreen ACT and local Wiradjuri artist LaToya Kennedy.

Health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the project aims to create a welcoming environment for everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

The public can support the program by buying a scarf through the Canberra Hospital Foundation’s Pay It Forward initiative. Some  of the funds will pay for someone in the LGBTQIA+ community who attends a screening.

BreastScreen ACT offers free mammograms to people over 40. People aged 50 to 74 years are encouraged to have mammograms every two years. They only take 20 minutes; no referral is needed.

More information on BreastScreen ACT can be found here: www.canberrahealthservices.act.gov.au/services-and-clinics/services/breastscreen-act 

ACT Police welcomes 24 new officers 

The Australian Federal Police has sworn in 24 new ACT Policing officers who graduated this week.  

Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, welcomed the recruits.  

The ACT Government has committed to recruiting 150 additional staff for ACT Policing staff; approximately 90 new officers are expected to graduate this year amid record application numbers.

ACT Policing is recruiting; for more information, visit the recruitment website.