There’s an old but great Joni Mitchell song from 1966 called “Both Sides Now,” about looking at the same thing from two entirely different angles and still not being sure you understand it. It’s a fitting soundtrack for so much of what we grapple with in Canberra.

Behind my house is a stretch of empty land running up to the nearby nature reserve. It means no rear neighbours, a great view, and a lovely spot to walk the dog or let the kids kick a footy around. I’d hate to see it built on. But I also know that when a community needs a facility, it has to go somewhere.

Recently, we saw this type of issue play out with the proposed relocation of Arcadia House, a residential drug and alcohol facility currently in Bruce, near the hospital. When plans emerged to move it to Cook, local residents campaigned against it, citing its proximity to playgrounds, a childcare centre, and licensed premises. The government has now shelved those plans and is looking for a new site.

I’m not disagreeing with the opposition of the local residents and their reasoning. What I want to highlight is a broader trend in the ACT: opposition to development, almost regardless of what it is. When I was Shadow Minister for Planning, I heard a version of the same line constantly: I’m not opposed to this facility itself, just not in this location.

It’s worth remembering who these facilities serve. Chances are, some of the people who most need a place like Arcadia House are already somebody’s neighbour — people fighting addiction, which is never an easy or straightforward fight. I’ve seen firsthand, through someone in my own family, how hard it can be to get a person into treatment quickly. Waiting lists are long, and families end up spending significant money sending loved ones interstate simply because a bed is available now, not in six months.

NIMBYism is common in Canberra, and it’s not hard to see why. We have a well-educated, well-resourced population, and that means we also have residents with the skills and standing to mount effective campaigns against developments in their own street or suburb.

Local MLAs, understandably, listen to those residents and often act on their behalf. But members of the Assembly also carry a broader responsibility to the ACT as a whole, not only to the electorate that returns them. Most are elected on a promise to make Canberra better. It’s worth asking whether we’re doing that when local objections consistently outweigh territory-wide need. The trouble is, re-election happens locally, not territory-wide.

So how do we build the facilities Canberra genuinely needs, while keeping local residents onside? I don’t have a tidy answer. Like Joni Mitchell, the more I look at this from both sides, the less certain I am that I’ve got it fully worked out.

You can listen to my musings on this subject on the Bite-sized politics podcast on Spotify.