This petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws the attention of the Assembly that:
. In 2002 through the Variation to the Territory Plan No. 182, Block 1329 Canberra Central was moved from Nature Reserve to Special Purpose Reserve, Horse Paddock;
. Part of Block 1329 situated northeast of the Hackett reservoir and south of Casuarina trail contains nationally listed critically endangered White box-yellow box-Blakely's red gum grassy woodland, has been inhabited by bird species listed endangered nationally and in the ACT, has trees of high habitat value with nesting sites for declining woodland birds and is unsuitable for horse grazing;
. Since 2003 the parkCare group Friends of Mt Majura lobbied Government to reverse the change of land use of this parcel of land;
. In 2009, based on recommendation by the Conservator for Flora and Fauna, the Planning Authority ACTPLA prepared a Variation to the Territory Plan to this effect;
. In May 2013 the Minister for TAMS informed community representatives that this process has been stopped.
Your petitioners request the Assembly to immediately re-open the process with the aim of returning the land into Mt Majura Nature Reserve to protect critically endangered grassy woodland, important habitat for endangered and declining species and to acknowledge thousands of hours of community work to improve the environmental condition of the land.