News

The ACT Government has made an official pitch to the Commonwealth about a public service department or flexible work hub setting up in the Gungahlin Town Centre. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has sent a prospectus to Public Service Minister Ben Morton and a copy to Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, selling the Town Centre as great place for the Australian Public...

Transport and urban development will be more tightly linked under a new plan to build an integrated network that will guide the ACT Government for the next 30 years. Transport Canberra and City Services has contracted consultant SMEC Australia to develop a Multimodal Network Plan so it can implement the 2020 Transport Strategy which aims to develop a sustainable system with...

The historic Gold Creek homestead 'Deasland' has been demolished due to the presence of Mr Fluffy asbestos, despite years of resistance from those looking to preserve the building. The new owners of the Barton Highway property said they didn't want to demolish Deasland, but it was out of their control. Research historian at the Hall School Museum and Heritage Centre...

Batteries will play an increasingly important role in backing up rooftop solar as the Territory prepares to transition away from gas by 2045, according to the ACT Government. The current grid would be unlikely to support a complete diversion from gas and the associated increase in demand, Minister for Energy and Emissions Reductions Shane Rattenbury acknowledged. "We're in the middle...

There are more dark sides to Canberra's notably wet summer on their way. A plague of pests are now looking for a new home and yours is looking mighty tempting. Last year, there were literal mountains of rodents and paddocks of cobwebs across Australia and the bad news is that as winter sets in, many of them are coming back....

Exactly two years ago today, the ACT recorded its first case of COVID-19. Nobody knew what would come next, nor that 731 days later, daily case numbers would still be reported. Since then, 37 Canberrans have lost their lives with the virus. There have been other losses, too. Jobs, weddings, events, businesses, schooling. Funerals have gone ahead with few mourners allowed to...

The ACT Government has launched a real-time prescription monitoring system to reduce overuse and misuse of prescription medicines. The newly-enforced system, Canberra Script, will allow medical practitioners to examine patients' drug history prior to prescribing and dispensing their medication. ACT Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she wanted to enforce harm minimisation wherever possible and reduce the burden of drugs on...

Petrol prices in Canberra have hit a record high, with the average price for unleaded fuel heading towards $2 per litre, causing mounting concern over what it means for those already struggling to make ends meet. The average price of unleaded petrol in the ACT began the year at $1.68 per litre. As of today, 8 March, it has risen...

Wet weather has delayed construction and pushed back the opening of the $85 million high school in the developing suburb of Kenny in Gungahlin. ACT Education Directorate officials confirmed in an annual reports hearing the school would no longer be ready to accept students at the start of the 2023 school year as initially intended. Multiple school construction projects have...

After a string of burglaries targeting e-scooter and bike retailers across the Territory, ACT Policing has reported an arrest, but it might be too little too late for Jack Southall, the owner of Canberra Electric Bikes in Phillip and Cookies Cycles in Franklin, who is pondering the future of his stores in Canberra. According to police, at approximately 2:30 am this...

About 300 Defence Housing Australia staff will begin moving into their new offices in Gungahlin next month. It marks the culmination of years of campaigning to bring a large government agency to a Town Centre in need of jobs. Staff at DHA's ageing head office in Barton and ACT regional office in Fyshwick will relocate to the Gungahlin Town Centre....

Canberrans will be riding on electric buses by the end of the year after the ACT Government announced a leasing arrangement for 12 of the zero-emission vehicles. Transport Minister Chris Steel also announced that the government has gone to market to acquire a further 90 electric buses, which should start arriving in 2023 and hopefully all be delivered by the...

From 6 pm tonight (25 February), the ACT's indoor mask mandate will be lifted with masks only required in a few select, high-risk settings. But despite the legal, enforceable requirement to wear a mask coming to an end, health authorities are encouraging Canberrans to continue wearing them, so don't throw them away just yet. Here's what you need to know....

If anyone knows how difficult it is to operate a community service in Gungahlin, it’s Barnardos Inner North/Gungahlin network coordinator Shaun Hodson. He's been hunting for a permanent, suitable space for his team since a need was first identified in the area seven years ago. Mr Hodson said it was high time the government recognised the fact suitable spaces were...

Overgrown grass is a problem across the ACT, but Crace locals say areas of their suburb have been neglected for years and are posing increased health and safety risks. An extra rainy season in late 2021 saw grass growing wild across Canberra, as ACT Government city services struggled to keep up. Local sports grounds were put out of action and...

New cat containment and registration laws will come into effect in July. Thanks to changes to the legislation, felines living in containment suburbs will now be allowed to be taken for walks on leads. The news has been welcomed by the RSPCA and Conservation Council, although the latter believes the containment zone should be expanded sooner and applied to more...