Canberra Liberals MLA Ed Cocks believes Mawson needs “a new vision”. To that end, the Murrumbidgee member has launched a community campaign to advocate for “desperately needed and overdue” upgrades to the Mawson Group Centre.

In 2015, the ACT Government released the 2015 Mawson Group Centre Master Plan, centred on the Southlands shops. Its vision was “an attractive, accessible, convenient centre offering a diverse range of goods, services and transport and housing options. It will be a centre that is able to evolve in the future as the community’s needs and demands change.”

“In 2015, the government’s master plan said the area was tired, run down and in need of improvement,” Mr Cocks said. “The master plan, supported by local residents and businesses, called for urgent repairs, a new car park and land for a future additional supermarket…

“This plan envisioned Mawson Place as a shared pedestrian zone with ground level shops and cafes, and offices and residences above. A Lonsdale Street of the South.”

But Mr Cocks is concerned that no progress has been made on the 2015 Mawson Group Centre Master Plan, and that the plan has been removed (“erased,” Mr Cocks says) from the ACT Government planning website.

“The valuable goals of the plan seem to have been forgotten, and Mawson has suffered a further eight years of decay,” Mr Cocks said.

“The ACT Labor-Greens government seems to have abandoned this plan in favour of another eight years of decay and broken promises.”

His petition, A New Vision for Mawson, aims to deliver tangible improvements for the electorate.

“The campaign’s aim is to deliver a new vision for Mawson, recognising its importance as a hub of the South, with enough car parks for the population, a wide range of shopping options, and improved pedestrian and cyclist connections,” Mr Cocks said.

“The ACT Labor-Greens Government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars repeatedly asking what needs to change at Mawson, but has failed to actually fix the problems.

“The community has told the government that a new car park, an additional supermarket, upgraded facilities, better public transport, and improved pedestrian connections are all needed, Labor and the Greens just seem unwilling to make it happen.

“People in Woden deserve something like a Lonsdale Street of the South. Why should our facilities and infrastructure lag behind other areas?”

ACT Government response

Chris Steel, ACT Labor member for Murrumbidgee and Minister for Planning, said the ACT Government was making substantial investments around the Mawson Group Centre to realise the outcomes in the new Woden Valley District Strategy.

The government just finished major placemaking and stormwater improvements, improved paths and landscaping, and upgraded carparking at Mawson shops to support the growing business and residential precinct, Mr Steel said.

In partnership with the Australian Government, they created new raised pedestrian crossings, speed humps, and dedicated turning lanes to improve road and pedestrian safety on Mawson Drive next to the shops.

They also upgraded the Mawson playing fields, with a female friendly pavilion and new LED lighting and paths.

Mr Steel launched a survey in September on improving the Mawson Southlands shops.

“I’ve been out recently consulting with businesses and residents to see what other improvements they’d like to see at Mawson Place and other parts of the shops, including pedestrian crossings, shared zones and public toilets,” Mr Steel said.

“It’s bizarre for the Liberals to say outcomes from the previous masterplan have not been realised, given that they oppose key parts of the plan and now district strategy for Woden.

“A key element in delivering this component of the plan is a future light rail connection, which is being considered as part of further work of Stage 2b to Woden.

“We all know the Liberals would never build light rail, so they’d never deliver the masterplan or revitalisation of the shops.

“Perhaps what’s more concerning, is they haven’t realised that a majority of action proposed in the original master plans have been implemented through changes to the Territory plan over time, and the new Woden District Strategy, following our landmark planning reforms consulted on and introduced this year.

“In particular Variation 345 to the Territory Plan which commenced in May 2019, implemented a number of actions of the Mawson master plan. “The more recent district strategies also outline proposed directions for a range of centres. Future planning directions for Mawson are included in the Woden District Strategy.”