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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

Want to help us make Canberra a better city? Join us! ➡️ greatercanberra.org/join

Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

There is still more work to do, but today Canberra has decided to take a bold step in the right direction to solve our housing crisis and build a more liveable, sustainable and affordable city. Our full media release ➡️ greatercanberra.org/blog/media-r...

greatercanberra.org

Media Release: Missing Middle approval a turning point for Canberra

Today’s decision by the Planning Minister, Chris Steel MLA, to approve the Missing Middle Housing Reforms marks a turning point for Canberra.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

Once these reforms commence, we’ll be watching to see how they work in practice. Further tweaks should be expected as we gain practical experience with Missing Middle developments. The Government must also review other policy settings, including the Lease Variation Charge.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

We also urge the Assembly to pass the Planning (Missing Middle Housing) Amendment Bill 2026, which will cut unnecessary red tape and make Missing Middle housing easier to deliver. This bill is currently before the Environment and Planning Committee, and should be passed quickly.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

The final amendment will now be presented to the Assembly, where a motion to reject may be brought within five sitting days. As the Environment and Planning Committee unanimously recommended approval, we urge all MLAs to support these reforms so they can commence ASAP.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

These reforms were made possible by the support of our Missing Middle Canberra partnership, backed by advocates from across the community and industry. Their support, advice and input over the past three years has been invaluable.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

As Canberra grows, these reforms give us the choice to live closer to jobs, shops, schools, parks and public transport. Allowing more homes to be built closer to opportunity and infrastructure is a win-win-win for our environment, our economy and our social wellbeing.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

For decades, it's been impossible to build the homes we need to provide diversity and choice. Solving our housing challenges requires large-scale reforms. We commend Minister Steel for delivering on the Government’s election promises to allow more homes across all of Canberra.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 22/05/2026

Today’s decision by the Planning Minister to approve the Missing Middle Housing Reforms marks a turning point for Canberra.

Planning (Missing Middle Housing Reform) Major Plan Amendment 2026 approval notice

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Greater Brisbane 🏗️ @greaterbrisbane.org · 10/05/2026

Our national @abundanthousing.org.au network kicked off three years ago with a campaign to get the federal government to pay states to fix their outdated planning laws. Today we won.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

The Commonwealth has a special role to play in Canberra. We're pleased that the NCA has been putting forward significant proposals to deliver more housing in Designated Areas. We want to see better coordination of NCA and ACT Government planning and infrastructure delivery.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

While we expect a significant portion of the fund to go to works enabling greenfields development, including road infrastructure, the Commonwealth must ensure infrastructure funding is available for urban infill, active transport and public transport.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

We look forward to seeing the details of the local infrastructure funding plan, and we call on the Commonwealth to work with the ACT Government to ensure Canberra gets the funding it deserves. The ACT should be rewarded for pursuing large-scale, universal zoning reforms.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

Our current pipeline of planning reforms sets us up well to benefit from this fund. This announcement underscores the importance of getting Missing Middle done right, and being ambitious in planning for housing around Light Rail Stage 2B and the Southern Gateway.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

States and territories are on notice that they won’t get funding for infrastructure if they’re not allowing homes in the places that already have the infrastructure and create the highest social returns on investment.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

We called for the establishment of a federal infrastructure fund in @abundanthousing.org.au's 2025 election policy statement, the Brick Book (buff.ly/gWE5KeR).

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 10/05/2026

We welcome this weekend’s Federal Budget announcement of a $2 billion local infrastructure fund to unlock more homes across the country. As one of Australia’s fastest-growing cities over the last couple of decades, Canberra must get its fair share of this huge federal investment.

The Commonwealth has made clear that this funding is tied to upzoning in well-located areas and fixing planning system bottlenecks. States and territories are on notice that they won’t get funding for infrastructure if they’re not allowing homes in the places that already have the infrastructure and create the highest social returns on investment.

Our current pipeline of planning reforms sets us up well to benefit from this fund. This announcement underscores the importance of getting our Missing Middle Housing Reforms done right, and being ambitious rather than timid in planning for housing around Light Rail Stage 2B and the Southern Gateway.

We look forward to seeing the details of the local infrastructure funding plan, and we call on the Commonwealth to work with the ACT Government to ensure Canberra gets the funding it deserves. The ACT should be rewarded for pursuing large-scale, universal zoning reforms, not short-changed due to the progress we are already making towards enabling housing supply.

While we expect a significant portion of the fund to go to works enabling greenfields development, including necessary suburban road infrastructure, the Commonwealth must also ensure this funding is available for infrastructure supporting urban infill, including active and public transport investments.

We also welcome the announcement of a number of other housing productivity measures, including free access to Australian Standards that are mandatory for construction. Cutting these unnecessary costs will make Missing Middle housing projects more viable, particularly for smaller-scale developers and contractors.

In the nation’s capital, the Commonwealth has a special role to play in housing policy as both a landowner and a regulator. We are pleased that recently the National Capital Authority has been putting forward significant proposals to deliver more housing in NCA Designated Areas. The NCA should work as closely as possible with the ACT Government to ensure that planning reforms and infrastructure delivery are coordinated across both territory and federal jurisdiction. We also call on the Commonwealth to finalise the negotiations on the CSIRO Ginninderra site as soon as possible.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

We look forward to seeing these amendments approved. Thanks to our Missing Middle Canberra partners for joining our coalition for change and making this happen.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

Infill development also has a significantly lower environmental and emissions impact than greenfields developments on the edge of our city.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

Canberra needs more homes. These reforms are critical to delivering more homes for Canberrans, including public, community and affordable housing, giving more Canberrans the choice to live closer to jobs, shops, schools, parks and public transport.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

The universality of upzoning must be upheld. There should not be one rule for Curtin and one for Charnwood. The Government should not provide special treatment to Canberra’s wealthiest suburbs. Local character rules must not be an excuse to prevent people from having a home.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

The Missing Middle Housing Reforms will be the largest reforms to Canberra’s planning system this century, and we won’t get everything right immediately. The Government now needs to focus on other practical barriers to Missing Middle feasibility, including Lease Variation Charge.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

The challenge is now to ensure that we actually get Missing Middle homes. A rulebook that says yes in principle but no in practice will not help renters, young families, downsizers or anyone else looking for more housing options.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

These reforms will legalise townhouses, terraces, low rise apartments and other forms of medium density housing throughout Canberra. We can’t afford to delay or water down these changes. The Government must finalise this amendment as quickly as possible.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 30/04/2026

The Legislative Assembly’s Environment and Planning Committee has recommended that the Missing Middle reforms be approved, recognising the need for bold, comprehensive zoning reform to deliver a sustainable and affordable Canberra. Our media release ➡️ greatercanberra.org/blog/media-r...

greatercanberra.org

Media Release: Assembly backs Missing Middle reform

Every member of the Legislative Assembly's Environment and Planning Committee has endorsed the Missing Middle Housing Reforms.

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 09/02/2026

I'll be at the Assembly tomorrow to help make the case for Missing Middle in front of the Environment and Planning Committee (chaired by @joclaygreens.bsky.social and featuring Peter Cain, Caitlin Tough and Fiona Carrick). Let's get this done!

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 09/02/2026

In our written submission, we strongly support approving these reforms, but we've recommended some further changes that will make Missing Middle projects easier to approve and address some concerns we've identified. Read our submission ➡️ buff.ly/xhywFvd

buff.ly

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 09/02/2026

The Committee's inquiry is one of the final stages before the Missing Middle Housing Reforms can be finalised.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 09/02/2026

Tomorrow, we'll be at the Assembly for the Environment and Planning Committee's hearing into Missing Middle! We'll be up from 1:20-1:50pm. Watch us in-person in the Prince Edward Island Room, or stream online ➡️ buff.ly/2HWs3ai

Inquiry into DPA-04 Missing Middle Housing Reforms

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 09/02/2026

We're thrilled to announce that Alain Bertaud, author of Order without Design and former Principal Planner for the World Bank, will be coming to Canberra on March 5th, in collaboration with our friends at @yimby.melbourne. Get your tickets ➡️ buff.ly/M3rstZx

YIMBY Melbourne and Greater Canberra present Order without Design with Alain Bertaud and Howard Maclean, 6:30pm March 5, Verity Lane Market

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 04/11/2025

If we truly want to maintain Canberra's status as "the bush capital", then we need reforms that enable us to build housing in those areas already occupied, not enable further sprawl that will undermine the bush capital.

Canberra Times letter from Darcy Murphy, Harrison, on 3 November 2025, arguing that Missing Middle reforms enable housing to be built in a way that protects the bush character of the capital through building in areas already occupied rather than further sprawl, there has been extensive consultation, and that these reforms will help restore Canberra's affordability.

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 02/11/2025

Comments on the Northern Gateway Draft Plan Amendment close 5pm Tuesday. The @greatercanberra.org.au take: great that rezoning is *finally* happening, but it's also far from sufficient. Height limits as low as 8.5m *right next to light rail* More info: www.planning.act.gov.au/professional...

Downer/Watson building height map from DPA-09. Shows limits of 8.5, 12, 18 metres right next to Northbourne Ave/Federal Highway

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 02/11/2025

Very proud to see my friend and comrade, @howardfmaclean.bsky.social, named as a finalist for the 2026 ACT Young Australian of the Year, thanks to his work leading @greatercanberra.org.au! australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/h...

Canberra Times front page - "Faces of Inspiration", including Howard Maclean among other ACT nominees for the Australian of the Year awards

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Jonathan O'Brien @jonobri.com · 27/05/2025

One underrated positive change in the new govt structure is the positioning of housing directly within Treasury, rather than Social Services. This makes sense: housing is fundamental economic infrastructure. 🧵

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 25/05/2025

My quality of life would be greatly improved by having as many of my dearest friends as possible living near me, much more so than heritage restrictions that make it impossible to build mixed-use in the best group centre area in the Inner South

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 25/05/2025

"Is it truly the shopfronts that make Kingston special, or is it the sense of community and accessibility that draws people in?"

Screenshot of letter to the editor in the Sunday Canberra Times, 25 May 2025, "Give more of us the option of enjoying lovely Kingston", by Adam Tadmore, in response to an article about the reaction of the Kingston and Barton Residents Group to discussion of the future potential for shop-top housing in the Kingston Shops area

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Travis Jordan @grugstan.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Huge win from the Greater Canberra crew! In just four years, GC’s ragtag bunch of volunteers have completely reshaped Canberra politics, redesigned the entire planning scheme and secured crosspartisan support for the changes.

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YIMBY Melbourne @yimby.melbourne · 20/05/2025

It's fantastic to see @greatercanberra.org.au strong advocacy for zoning reform is paying off! The only way to end this housing shortage is to build our way out.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 19/05/2025

Public consultation is open until 22 July. Find out more on YourSay: yoursayconversations.act.gov.au/missing-midd... Our media release: greatercanberra.org/blog/media-r...

buff.ly

Missing Middle Housing Reforms

Have your say on the design guide for medium density housing and where you think these can be integrated in the existing residential areas.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 19/05/2025

It's early days yet but we are optimistic about what these changes can do to boost density and remove barriers to building sustainable, walkable, well-connected neighbourhoods.

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 19/05/2025

MISSING MIDDLE IS COMING TO CANBERRA! The ACT Government has today released its Missing Middle plan to enable more medium-density housing across Canberra.

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 22/04/2025

It's time for the federal government to step up and lead. We need more medium density housing. We need more social and public housing. We need more assistance for renters. Let's do it!

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 22/04/2025

And now, last but not least, @howardfmaclean.bsky.social, telling us that Australia hasn't built enough housing, and that's why we spend more on housing than we did when we were a much poorer country a century ago.

Howard Maclean, showing a statistical table from 1911 about housing costs in Australia

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Andrew Donnellan @andrew.donnellan.id.au · 22/04/2025

The @davidpocock.bsky.social housing event is kicking off - good to see him pointing out that the major party policy announcements are too focused on first home buyers when we need to care about everyone including renters

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 21/04/2025

TOMORROW NIGHT: Our convenor, @howardfmaclean.bsky.social, will be joining @davidpocock.bsky.social's panel discussion on the Great Housing Debate to make the case for Missing Middle housing! Join us 6:30pm-8pm at Erindale Theatre! Register and submit your questions here: buff.ly/oIL3tZp

The Great Housing Debate - register at davidpocock.com.au

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 16/04/2025

Together with our friends at @sydney.yimby.au, @yimby.melbourne and @greaterbrisbane.org, today we're launching THE BRICK BOOK, our federal policy platform for the 2025 election. ⬇️Read it here!

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Greater Canberra @greatercanberra.org.au · 04/02/2025

MEDIA RELEASE: Stop NIMBY lawfare against public housing We strongly support the Government’s legislation to fast-track planning approvals for public housing and public health facilities by removing the possibility of third-party ACAT appeals. buff.ly/4hp7NTy

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Joseph Mann @josephmann.au · 02/02/2025

made my first planning submission in favour of this

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