Canberrans care deeply about our natural places. We’re proud to live in a city where rare species like the Golden Sun Moth still survive, and we expect our governments and developers to respect and protect the places where they are known to live.
But right now, that trust is being stretched to breaking point.
A decade ago, the ACT Government and its development partner Riverview promised that Jaramlee Nature Reserve would be protected forever as an environmental offset. Later, when Riverview planned to push Ginninderra Drive through that same nature reserve, they promised to make up for the damage by protecting another site across the border: Lot 2 Wallaroo Road. That land was meant to become a permanent conservation reserve for the Golden Sun Moth — a species already pushed to the edge by repeated development.
Instead, Riverview has quietly secured a rezoning that now allows an electricity substation to be built in the middle of Lot 2. The ACT Government owns 60 per cent of Riverview. That means the same government responsible for protecting nature is also enabling development on land it promised would be protected.
This isn’t just a paperwork problem. Golden Sun Moths can barely travel 200 metres. Fragment their habitat and populations collapse. Once they disappear from an area, they almost never return. Offsets only work if they are protected — truly protected — not traded away when they become inconvenient.
And here’s the part that should worry everyone: If offsets like Jaramlee Nature Reserve and Lot 2 can be developed, what does that say about the future of every environmental offset in the ACT?
This moment matters. It’s a test of whether environmental offsets are real commitments or just promises on paper. It’s a test of whether governments will stand up for nature, or for developers —when that developer is themselves!
Canberrans deserve better than unprotected offsets and disappearing species. We deserve a land management system that protects nature because it’s the right thing to do.
If we want offsets to mean anything, we have to draw the line.
You can read our Biodiversity Working Group’s full analysis on Lot 2 Wallaroo Road here.