2025 Annual General Meeting

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Thursday, 13 November 2025 - 6:00 PM

ZOOM: AGM, Meeting ID: 776 4812 6097, Passcode: vV6ERg.

Agenda

Apologies
Minutes of the last meeting (See 2024 AGM)
Presidents Annual Report
Treasurers report
Election of office bearers for 2025-26
Summary of committee work

Minutes
Presidents report
Treasurers report

Minutes

Presidents report

In October 2024, the Ginninderra Falls property was offered for sale by the owner John Hyles. Initially only the falls section of the property was offered, presumably because Hyles wanted to continue operating the quarry.

To do this, a development application was required to subdivide the property. This application, when submitted to Yass Council, necessitated a number of reports from various government departments. Ultimately, the owner entered into a joint venture to develop the entire property (DP801234), and the application was withdrawn. Nothing more is yet known about the development.

No new development application has yet been received by the council for the property. Since significant land zoned residential is included, we expect that there will be an application soon. Any development will be facilitated by the NSW Government’s plan to streamline development approvals and remove environmental assessments.

In November 2024, a variation to the Ginninderry EPBC approval conditions was approved by the minister. There will no longer be a 5-yearly Program Review Report. Clause 3 of the approval, requiring the Ginninderry Conservation Reserve to contain all the area specified in the original program report (i.e. 550 ha, including Ginninderra Falls), has been removed. But section 3.6 of the program report still refers to the original area (550 ha) And the new clause 3 simply refers to compliance with MNES conditions (Matters of National Environmental Significance). “West Belconnen Conservation Corridor” is still defined as shown in fig. 2 of the Program Report (i.e. including Ginninderra Falls). Clause 5A:b: Development of the NSW part of Ginninderry must not commence until the Minister has approved a revision of the Reserve Management Plan that includes the land within the NSW portion of the Corridor Construction of the Ginninderra Drive extension must not begin until the Golden Sunmoth offset reserve is established. Approval conditions only apply until 2067, so conservation cannot be regarded as permanent.

So it appears that construction in NSW cannot commence until the reserve includes Ginninderra Falls.

Currently, the only developments or applications in the Wallaroo Rd area are for the Wallaroo Solar Farm and an adjoining environmental offset area required by the Ginninderry Development for a proposed extension of Ginninderra Drive.

The offset area, Lot 2, DP1144979, is the area west of the ACT border and enclosed by a loop in Gooromon Ponds. Although proposed as zone C3 for environmental management, the 86 ha area contains a 19 ha area at its centre for the possible relocation of the existing Transgrid electrical substation, with road access from Dunlop. Together with the existing HV powerline along the border, these developments will result in the fragmentation of conservation land west of Dunlop.

Two petitions for the falls were organized by Zara Plummer with the help of Jo Clay. The Change.org petition has collected 2235 signatures, and the ACT Assembly petition has collected 374 signatures as presented to the Assembly on 28th October.

Dave Kelly
President.