The below statement is attributable to Howard Maclean, Convenor, Greater Canberra.

The ACT Legislative Assembly’s Inquiry into Housing and Rental Affordability handed down its report earlier today, unanimously recommending that the ACT Government support a greater diversity of medium and high density housing throughout the ACT.

We welcome the Committee’s endorsement of our call for urgent zoning reform to unlock more homes for Canberrans. In addition to our evidence, the Committee received submissions from several other organisations and prominent Canberrans calling for planning changes to enable more homes in good locations, including affordable and social housing.

Upzoning RZ1 and RZ2 land in all suburbs will allow more housing to be built in the places where Canberrans want to live. It will enable a greater diversity of housing options, providing more choices for Canberran families.

Zoning changes around commercial centres to allow mixed-use developments and higher density will ensure that small businesses remain viable. This will mean a stable local customer base for small business and prevent local shop fronts sitting empty and derelict.

Since the inquiry’s hearings concluded, we launched Missing Middle Canberra, a coalition of 15 organisations, calling for vital planning reforms as part of the Government’s Planning System Review. This report’s recommendations come off the back of the recent Inquiry into Cost of Living Pressures in the ACT, which considered the Missing Middle Canberra campaign and called on the ACT Government to investigate medium density reforms.

It is clear that Canberrans understand the necessity of zoning reform to immediately enable more housing. The ball is now squarely in the Government’s court to enact bold reforms as part of the new Territory Plan which will be handed down in the near future. Canberrans cannot afford to wait any longer for the Government to address our housing crisis.

Greater Canberra’s submission to the Inquiry can be found on the Assembly website.

About Greater Canberra

Greater Canberra is a community advocacy group committed to affordable and high-quality housing in Canberra. We believe in a future where housing is abundant, and where everyone can enjoy a more sustainable and liveable city. For more information, see https://greatercanberra.org.