The ACT is eager to finalise a deal to unlock a large former research farm in Canberra's north-west for new housing, calling on the federal government to wrap up negotiations for the 701-hectare site.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry have written to Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Science Minister Ed Husic, urging the federal government to finalise an agreement to transfer the CSIRO's Ginninderra experiment station to the territory.
"CSIRO and the Suburban Land Agency (SLA) have worked collaboratively to resolve many of the issues relating to the potential acquisition and future development of the site," the pair wrote on March 15.
"However, we understand that current negotiations have reached a point where some matters remain outstanding. We have asked the SLA to work with CSIRO to bring this process to a conclusion that suits both parties within the coming weeks."
The land - between Belconnen and the Barton Highway - is owned by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, which found a decade ago the property was under-utilised.
Mr Barr and Ms Berry wrote that the ACT had identified "thousands of new dwellings" at the site as being a key contributor to the territory's plans to meet housing targets under the national housing accord.
"A built-in feature of our planning assessments is the value placed on consideration of environmental and heritage protections, particularly for any assets that are assessed as high value, and this will of course be incorporated into the development planning," the pair's letter, seen by The Canberra Times, said.
The Canberra Times asked Senator Gallagher's office whether the ACT Labor senator would direct officials to speed up negotiations, when the deal was expected to be finalised and whether the Commonwealth was considering alternative sale arrangements.
A Finance Department spokesperson said in response the CSIRO was continuing to prepare for a proposed future disposal of the Ginninderra site.
"This includes undertaking necessary due diligence and liaising with relevant Commonwealth and Territory government departments," the spokesperson said.
"Once CSIRO has finalised its disposal plans, the Minister for Science will need to seek the approval of the Minister for Finance for the disposal, consistent with the Commonwealth Property Disposal Policy which requires the sale of land suitable for housing to be approved by the Finance Minister, and that the proposal should include affordable housing initiatives."
Senator Gallagher in 2015 called for collaboration between the federal government and the ACT on the future of the site.
"Whatever happens, we have to make sure they are doing it in co-ordination with the ACT government," Senator Gallagher said at the time.
Mr Barr and Ms Berry's letter said the ACT wanted to play an active role in supporting a Commonwealth target of building 1.2 million new homes in the five years from 2024.
"We acknowledge that there have been productive discussions about the transfer of this land to the ACT Government for housing purposes," the jointly signed letter said.
"Recognising the current urgency for the construction of more homes, I ask that we collectively work to resolve and finalise negotiations to reach an outcome agreeable to both governments that will facilitate the delivery of housing Canberrans will need in the future."
Senator Gallagher would, as finance minister, need to approve a direct transfer or sale of land to the ACT.
Transferring the land to the ACT would likely avoid implications of the Commonwealth's lease variation charges, which could threaten the financial viability of housing development.
Opening up the land for housing has long been mooted, with the CSIRO originally eager to bring a developer onto the land in order to boost its own finances. The land was rezoned as "urban" under a National Capital Authority process in 2016, a decision criticised at the time by Mr Barr.
A report by the Commonwealth Auditor-General in 2020 revealed the CSIRO's development plans were stymied in late 2016, when the Department of Finance received legal advice saying the CSIRO might not have the power to enter a land joint venture.
The CSIRO has occupied the site since 1958, but much of its agricultural research has since moved to a new 290-hectare experiment station at Boorowa.
Discussions between the ACT government and the CSIRO to form a joint venture to develop the site fell apart in 2016, and the Commonwealth Auditor-General in 2020 revealed an unsolicited offer for the site fell through in December 2019.
Former ACT senator Zed Seselja committed before the 2022 federal election that a re-elected Coalition government would have sold the land to a private developer, bypassing the ACT government.
A spokeswoman for the CSIRO said at the time the organisation was still eager to inform the development of the land.
"Our aspirations for Ginninderra East are for it to become an example of how to create a sustainable urban community with the help of innovative science and technology," the spokeswoman said.
The CSIRO and the ACT confirmed they were in talks over the sale of the land in November 2022, six months after Labor defeated the Coalition in the election.
