2016-02-14
Today, the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Ms Yvette Berry, presented the Government’s official response to the Auditor-General’s damning report on four of the Land Development Agency (LDA)’s acquisitions of Glebe Park land and Acton businesses relating to the City to the Lake developments in West Basin.
In response to the report’s findings, the Government has agreed to all of the Auditor General’s recommendations and plans to set up a review of policies, procedures and legislation relating to land acquisitions.
“While the ACT Greens welcome the Government’s response, serious questions remain over other Land Development Agency land acquisitions in the past several years,” Ms Le Couteur said.
“Without a broader inquiry, there’s no way to know whether other land acquisitions were also plagued by the same breaches of policy and procedure and improper expenditure of taxpayer money,” Ms Le Couteur added.
“Several members of our community have already raised these concerns with me directly. I remain concerned that the community has little indication as to whether the stated ‘lack of transparency, accountability and rigour’ found in LDA processes is confined to these four acquisitions.”
“Until there is a broader audit into LDA activities, the community cannot have any confidence in the rigour of other past LDA acquisitions,” Ms Le Couteur said.