ACT to fall short of housing target

The ACT will miss its National Housing Accord target of 21,000 new homes by 2029–30, falling short by 1,751 homes, according to the latest Master Builders Australia Building and Construction Industry Forecasts (12 April).

The outlook for the ACT was one of the worst in the nation, MBA ACT CEO Anna Neelagama said. Productivity had gone backwards; population growth outpaced gains in GDP; and productivity in the building and construction industry had declined by 16.4 per cent over the past decade. Home approvals for 2023–24 were at their lowest in more than a decade: fewer than 2,300 new homes were approved in the year to February 2025. If this trend continued, the ACT could face a deficit of 11,200 homes.

“The 2024-25 full year forecast for the ACT is the worst in Australia and is a reflection of what those in the ACT residential construction already know: that red tape and regulation has strangled our industry,” Ms Neelagama said.

Although residential construction is lagging, the ACT’s non-residential and infrastructure sectors are expected to grow by 9.6 per cent over the next five years; and the average annual value of engineering construction work to be 28.4 per cent higher.

The value of transport infrastructure construction work is expected to more than double (+125.9 per cent), due to the Canberra Light Rail project.

Nationally, Australia remains 160,000 homes short of the National Housing Accord target, MBA Australia CEO Denita Wawn said.

“Governments at all levels must remove barriers and back policies that unlock supply, investment and skilled workers. The next Federal Government must prioritise fast-tracking planning reforms via the National Planning Reform Blueprint to get us back on track.”

The ACT Government was asked for comment.

Labor commits to keep Interchange Health Co-op going

The Interchange Health Co-op (IHCO) in Tuggeranong was placed into voluntary administration and closed its doors last week. A new service provider will run the service, which will remain 100 per cent bulk-billing.

Labor has committed $3.8 million to keep the clinic open, Senator Katy Gallagher and David Smith MP announced this week. The funding would help the provider (yet to be revealed) attract and retain GPs, and to renovate the facility. Senator Gallagher said the service’s continuing did not depend on the election commitment, but it would secure the co-op’s long-term future.

Senator Gallagher said the funding commitment was the Albanese Labor Government’s latest step to strengthen Medicare and deliver better healthcare for Canberrans; others were a new Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Woden and the ACT’s share of the $8.5 billion of national funding to increase bulk billing rates.

“Canberrans deserve access to free, high-quality healthcare close to home, and I wanted to work hard to deliver a solution that meant there was minimal interruption for local patients,” Senator Gallagher said.

“The solution we have struck will ensure the Interchange will keep its doors open now and into the future and continue to bulk bill their services.”

The ACT Government has supported Interchange since its inception in 2018, with more than $1.4 million in funding to support its establishment, business sustainability and other projects, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said.

The federal and ACT Governments had provided extra financial assistance in the past year, while initiatives like tripling the bulk-billing rate and a practice payment for bulk-billed practices would also assist, Senator Gallagher said.

Independent Senator David Pocock said: “This will be a huge relief to the almost 5,000 Canberrans who rely on Interchange for their healthcare in an already poorly serviced south. It is so good to see the government responding to the community’s calls and stepping in to save this service.”

Senator Pocock wrote to both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader asking for funding for Interchange last week.

Nevertheless, Senator Pocock thought the investment highlighted a deeper problem in the ACT.

“We can’t have just one or two fully bulk billed practices in the ACT taking on very complex patients. We’ve seen what happens when this is the case — they become financially unviable and need government intervention. What we need — and what I’ve been calling for — is a plan that works for the ACT, that allows more practices to take on complex patients and to bulk bill.”

Greens candidate Isabel Mudford said: “The closure of the Interchange Health Co-op in Tuggeranong is a devastating blow to the Canberra community, particularly for thousands of vulnerable patients who relied on its fully bulk-billed, community-based care — including opioid treatment and long-term support.

“When a not-for-profit clinic providing fully bulk-billed care to thousands of patients collapses, the problem isn’t the model — it’s the lack of political will and public funding to support it, and the deep flaws in Australia’s primary healthcare system. What has failed is the political will to fund primary healthcare properly.

“The Greens welcome Labor’s emergency funding commitment but believe this must be the start — not the end — of systemic change. Bulk billing is not a failed idea. Bulk billing can work, but only with serious investment and reform.

“If we want a health system that genuinely works for everyone, governments at all levels must step up and invest in long-term, community-based solutions.

“That’s why the Greens are committed to tripling the bulk billing incentive and increasing the rebate for long appointments. We will also establish 1,000 free, multidisciplinary clinics across the country and build a strong, supported healthcare workforce that puts people before profit.”

However, opposition leader Leanne Castley MLA said: “This is now another example of federal Labor bailing out ACT Labor because of their failure to manage the ACT Budget. ACT Labor have overspent and mismanaged taxpayers’ money for years, and now the reality is coming home to roost.

“This is now the second time Federal Labor have funded ACT responsibilities in this election campaign, and I am sure there’s more to come. The reality is that ACT Labor are responsible for the worst Budget with record debt and deficits, and this has a consequence for Canberra families: worse health, worse education and worse transport.”

Phillip Pool

The ACT Audit Office will audit the changes to the requirements for the Phillip Pool site in the Territory Plan.

Developer Geocon bought the pool site at the end of 2022, and announced in November that the 50-metre eight-lane swimming pool, closed since 2020, would be replaced by a public indoor 25-metre lap pool inside an apartment complex — as locals had feared.

Revisions to the 2023 Territory Plan require the Phillip Pool, if redeveloped, to include a 25-metre pool and other aquatic facilities. (Geocon would incorporate a splash pool, learn-to-swim area, leisure swimming zones, stem and sauna room, and program pool with relaxation area.)

The audit will assess whether ACT Government agencies were transparent in how they planned and changed the Territory Plan requirements, Auditor-General Michael Harris said.

Independent MLA Fiona Carrick, former president of the Woden Valley Community Council, welcomed the audit. In her opinion, the government’s decision-making was “opaque and appears to have been based on cherry-picked data that did not consider the current and future needs of the Woden Valley and Weston Creek communities that are served by Phillip Pool”.

Nearly 1,650 people have signed Ms Carrick’s e-petition to save the pool, which closes in June.

“It remains unclear how the operations of the new pool will be managed, how the interests of the community will be represented in its management, and whether the proposed pool will be financially viable as a public facility in the medium to long term,” Ms Carrick said.

Both the Canberra Liberals and the ACT Greens also welcomed the audit.

Opposition leader Leanne Castley MLA said: “For too long, Canberrans have been suffering under the ACT Labor government that prefers to look after the big end of town than protecting community assets. Our community has a right to know how planning decisions are made and who influences those decisions.”

Laura Nuttall MLA, ACT Greens spokesperson for sports and recreation, said: “It’s been clear from the groundswell of community support that Woden really values having a public, accessible and well-loved pool close by, and we’ve heard substantial frustrations from the community that there was not adequate consultation when it came to a proposal that would limit access to aquatic facilities in the Woden Town Centre.”

Because aquatic facilities are good for the community’s health, pools must be done in careful consultation with them. “The priority must always be providing good quality public facilities, and not the profits of private developers.”

The audit will not consider the redevelopment of Phillip Pool or planning for an ice-sports facility in the ACT. However, the Liberals believe that the scope of the review should be widened to look into broader planning issues associated with the site.

A Labor spokeswoman said the government welcomed the Auditor-General’s inquiry, and noted that the Legislative Assembly considered and voted on the Territory Plan. At the time, the Greens considered the Plan a “missed opportunity” to address housing and environmental crises.

The audit will be tabled by September.

Although he considers this a matter for the ACT Government, Senator Pocock said he welcomed the audit, and promised to keep pushing for more federal government investment in the community infrastructure the ACT needs, including swimming pools, “especially in Canberra’s often overlooked South”. Between 2017 and 2022, the ACT received no funding from the Commonwealth’s $316.5 million investment in aquatic facilities across Australia, Senator Pocock said. The ACT was also the only state or territory not to receive a City Deal under the Coalition Government, missing out on a share of nearly $10 billion in federal funding. Senator Pocock said that pressure from him on the federal government, including through his A Vision for Canberra, had already helped to drive more investment in aquatic facilities.

Woden Bus Interchange

The electric bus dépôt, the largest in Australia, has opened in Woden, part of the ACT Government’s plan to achieve a fully zero-emissions bus fleet by 2040.

The dépôt can house and charge up to 100 electric buses, and will support solar charging. It includes 12 service bays, a panel shop, a tyre-changing bay, and specialist bus maintenance facilities.

Full operations will begin at the end of the month.

“This is a significant moment for public transport in Canberra, and the people working on the project, that have ensured that Canberra leads the nation in the transition to zero emissions transport,” transport minister Chris Steel MLA said.

A new bus timetable will start on Monday 28 April, adding 94 weekday services, Mr Steel said. These include more peak-hour Rapid route services (2, 4, 10), more weekday and Saturday services to Molonglo region, and better school connections. For more information, visit Transport Canberra.

Claire Miles calls for urgent overhaul of GP system

Independent candidate for Canberra Claire Miles called for an urgent overhaul of Australia’s healthcare system, placing general practitioners (GPs) at the centre of reform.

Ms Miles argues that GPs, the backbone of the healthcare system, are under-resourced, overworked, and undervalued, and that strengthening general practice is essential for reform.

Ms Miles’s plan includes increasing funding for GP clinics; doubling the Medicare patient rebate for GP visits; reworking medical degree requirements to make general practice an attractive career choice; recognising GPs as medical specialists; and redirecting resources into frontline services.

“Too often, we see millions of taxpayer money wasted on bureaucratic programs or consulting reports, while patients struggle to get a GP appointment,” Ms Miles said. “It’s time to stop funding systems and start funding actual patient care.”

Ms Miles said that artificial quotas restrict the number of specialty training positions for doctors each year. As a result, Canberra residents face unacceptable waiting periods for specialist appointments. She warned that without intervention, these delays would worsen.

“This fundamental issue transcends political divisions and speaks to core values of integrity, accountability and common sense – the same principles I will bring to Parliament as Canberra’s independent voice,” Ms Miles said.

Belconnen Oval Wetland

The Belconnen Oval Wetland is now open. The wetland, part of the ACT Healthy Waterways program, filters stormwater from the Emu Bank catchment, removing 30 per cent of harmful nutrients and solids that can cause toxic blue-green algae in Lake Ginninderra.

It is the first stormwater wetland where water flows underground through plant roots, cleaning the stormwater and nourishing the plants.

Visitors should walk only on the footpaths to avoid damaging plants, reeds, and grasses.