The ACT Greens and Canberra Liberals say the commissioning of a new report into the Big Splash water park is a delaying tactic by the government to avoid terminating the Crown lease on the site.
Greens leader Jo Clay said she wanted to see whatever legal advice was holding back the government from cancelling the lease on the now derelict park as Canberrans were facing the third consecutive summer without Big Splash.
"There must surely be a course for government to terminate the lease when the lease is repeatedly in breach," Ms Clay said.
The leaseholders and then mortgagees of the water park have been given several chances by the government to reopen the site to the public, which was all but abandoned by its private owner in December 2024.
Most recently, Access Canberra, acting as the delegate of the Territory Planning Authority, in April 2026 decided not to terminate the Crown lease based on the operator's apparent efforts to reopen the site as an aquatic centre by November 1, 2026.
At the time, Planning Minister Chris Steel said if the November 1 deadline was not met, Access Canberra could take further action, with various milestones needing to be met by the lessee along the way.
On Tuesday, Mr Steel said he now conceded the November 1 deadline was unlikely to be met.
Mr Steel said even though Big Splash was a private business, the government would fund a report to "provide further information to potential buyers, the government and the current leaseholder on how to best support the reopening of the site as an aquatic facility".
"Importantly, this report will provide a way for the community to have their voice heard in the future plans for Big Splash," Mr Steel said.
Ms Clay said the community had been having their say on Big Splash since the private owner suddenly shut the doors, disconnected the phones and all but abandoned the site in December 2024.
She said the report "does seem like a bit of a delaying tactic".
"The community doesn't need another glossy brochure," Ms Clay said.
"The government should know by now what the community wants. The community wants a pool and a water park and a recreational facility. It's really, really clear.
"It's so obvious that Big Splash is not going to re-open on November 1 and everyone wants to know what the government will do on November 2. Will you take back the lease?"
Save Big Splash spokesman Greg Kimball said he hoped the government's report would lead to a positive outcome for Big Splash, returning it as a water park for Canberra.
"We hope this activity is not just another way to kick the can down the road," Mr Kimball said.
"But we do support it and it will be worthwhile if it actually moves us towards a solution.
"We don't need another process to tell us what people want. We've made it clear and it's just about getting on with it and doing the practical work to get it operating again."
Mr Kimball said little had been achieved at the Big Splash site since it was closed to the public nearly two years ago.
"There's clearly no work that's been done," he said. "Parts of the fence are broken down and there's been no change in the status of the site whatsoever."
Canberra Liberals member for Ginninderra Peter Cain said terminating the lease over the Big Splash site should remain an option.
"Enough reports. Enough threats. Take the lease back and secure Big Splash for Belconnen," he said.
Ms Clay said the forecast was for a hot summer for Canberra and Big Splash would have been a refuge from the heat.
"It's going to be a brutal summer. That's why people need the pool and the green space that goes with it," she said.
Translink Management Group bought the lease to Big Splash in 2021.
The water park closed to the public in December 2024, and has remained all but abandoned since, susceptible to vandals. Even a new fence around the site did not stop a suspicious fire from being lit inside the park on September 5.
The water park business was repossessed in January 2026 and the mortgagees put it up for sale in June 2026, with no takers.
