The announcement by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) that it is to move its headquarters from Barton to Gungahlin has been welcomed by Chief Minister, Andrew Barr.
Federal Minister for Defence Personnel, Darren Chester said DHA was the right-sized Agency, had clients in the region and had leases expiring in the near future.
“DHA offices need to be located in areas where staff can best serve the needs of Defence personnel and their families,” Mr Chester said.
“The relocation will see approximately 290 DHA staff move to offices in the Gungahlin Town Centre, delivering a boost for the local economy and having positive flow-on effects for the wider community.”
Senator for the ACT, Zed Seselja said this was the first major move of a Commonwealth Agency to Gungahlin.
“With more than 22,000 households now in the area and growing strongly, this firm commitment is a vote of confidence in Gungahlin’s economic future,” Senator Seselja said.
“The process will begin by DHA going to market this year to assess potential sites for tenancy.”
Mr Barr said the announcement was a vote of confidence in the ACT Government’s light rail network.
“Local businesses will benefit from the moving of 290 staff from Barton to Gungahlin, with staff able to access the new office via Canberra’s light rail network,” Mr Barr said.
“Gungahlin is a key growth centre for Canberra and the ACT Government has invested significantly in the Gungahlin region over many years.”
The Chief Minister said the Government had also added more than 650 jobs to the area through the opening of the Winyu House office block in 2015.
Mr Barr congratulated Senator Seselja for his work in securing an important employment boost for Gungahlin.
