Canberra's lease enforcer admits it needs better transparency
Access Canberra's head says the agency should be more open about lease enforcement decisions.
Community groups told an Assembly inquiry they are frustrated. Leaseholders break the rules and face no real consequences.
The Big Splash water park and Hawker tennis centre have both sat unused while breaching their leases for years. Access Canberra seems unwilling to use its power to end leases.
Instead it gives leaseholders repeated second chances. Josh Rynehart, head of Access Canberra, admitted the agency could explain its choices better to the public.
In the last year, Canberra had 1,046 planning complaints including suspected landbanking. Only 25 faced enforcement action.
Community members want a public list of enforcement orders and clearer rules about when a lease will end.
- Head of Access Canberra
- Josh Rynehart
- 1,046
- Planning complaints last year
- 25
- Cases with enforcement action
Why it mattersLandbanking means holding valuable land unused. This blocks community facilities and housing while landowners hope prices will rise. Clearer enforcement could free up these sites.
AustraliaCanberrans lose access to public venues like water parks and tennis courts while regulators struggle to enforce lease rules, affecting what facilities the community can use.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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