Canberrans are proud of their “bush capital”, but that bushland is gradually disappearing, so what better way to limit urban sprawl than to dance to “Nutbush City Limits”.

That is the fun campaign strategy of the ACT Conservation Council, inviting Canberrans to channel their inner Tina Turner outside the ACT Legislative Assembly to demand development limits.

Campaign manager Aoibhinn Crimmins said it was a good pun but a serious matter.

“Canberra can’t sprawl forever,” Ms Crimmins said. “It’s bad for our bush, bad for our climate and bad for keeping our community together.”

More than 2,100 Canberrans have already signed a petition calling on the ACT Government to deliver on their promise to set city limits.

“After 17 months of waiting, the pubic are still wondering where that line will be drawn,” Ms Crimmins said. “So we’re drawing the line ourselves – with our dancing shoes.”

In April last year, the ACT Government passed a motion to establish a formal Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) by June 2027, to set a hard limit on Canberra’s urban sprawl, protect sensitive natural and agricultural lands, and shift focus toward urban infill.

Public consultation has yet to be carried out.

An ACT Government spokesperson said that a range of preliminary investigations had been completed, which required further assessment – including environmental studies currently underway. 

“The Government has not made a decision to develop the Western Edge Investigation Area but has begun to develop a landscape plan for the ACT, which will include proactive protection of areas of environmental value in the Western Edge,” the spokesperson said.

The ACT Conservation Council’s “Biggest Nutbush” will be its largest mobilisation for the Save Our Western Edge campaign.

“That western line on the map, that’s our red line,” Ms Crimmins said.

Bushland most at risk includes critically-endangered ecosystems.

“It’s a 10,000 hectare area that stretches all the way down from Belconnen up the top to Canberra and includes some really pristine examples of box gum grassy woodland,” Ms Crimmins said.

“There’s only 3% left in the whole country and Canberra’s lucky to be home to some of the best remaining examples of this ecosystem.”

The ACT Conservation Council is hoping to assemble more than 350 people (with a couple of drag queens and Tina Turner lookalikes to lead the choreography) in Civic Square, outside the Legislative Assembly.

A previous record of 350 people was set in Canberra two years ago.

“If we can get over 350 people to show up on a Saturday morning for what is an environmental protest, that’ll put pressure on the government to get on their bike and make this decision in consultation with the community,” Ms Crimmins said. “If we weren’t doing this campaign, there’d be crickets, honestly.”

Canberra’s Biggest Nutbush is at Civic Square on Saturday 19 September, 11am. Info: events.humanitix.com/canberra-biggest-nutbush-line-up-for-our-city-limits