Woden Library $3.1m Access Canberra fit-out draws petition
Infrastructure Canberra has tendered a $3.1 million Woden Library fit-out for Access Canberra, and a petition now calls for the works to pause.
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A petition to pause a $3.1 million fit-out of Woden Library (Woden) became active on the ACT Legislative Assembly website after Region Canberra reported on 31 October that residents were objecting to the plan. The works would turn the library’s upper levels into an Access Canberra service centre.
Why it matters
Infrastructure Canberra issued a design-and-construct tender in late September for moving Woden’s Access Canberra site into the library. The tender includes installing 12 Access Canberra counters on the top floor, according to Region Canberra.
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Friends of ACT Libraries launched the petition. It asks the ACT Government to pause the works and release the business case and supporting information. The group also wants to be consulted on the final plan, and says the question put to the community should be whether library space is repurposed at all, not only how the new shopfront looks.
Region Canberra reports that Greens MLA Andrew Braddock, who sponsored the petition, said consultation was being run after the decision had been made. Independent MLA Fiona Carrick asked the Minister for City and Government Services, Tara Cheyne, why none of the tender documentation had been made public, putting it that the documents were available only under a deed of confidentiality.
The minister said she was aware of the tender and that it was publicly advertised. She said public access to tender information is not always guaranteed, and that the government intends to consult. In her words: “It is not one or the other.”
The numbers
Region Canberra reports the planned works come on top of a $2.2 million refurbishment the library received in December 2021. The new fit-out is $3.1 million, and the tender covers 12 counters.
For contractors, the point is process. Carrick argued the project scope was developed enough for a design-and-construct tender to be released while the underlying documentation remains confidential and community views on the detailed design are still to be gathered. Ms Cheyne said tender information usually requires a supplier account.
What’s next
The petition is open on the Legislative Assembly website. Region Canberra did not report a tender close date, a contractor or a start date. No decision to pause the works has been reported.
Region Canberra also notes the minister took on notice what information her office had received about the tender. Answers to that question, and any release of the business case, are the next things to watch. Carrick noted Infrastructure Canberra has said community views will inform the detailed design, and questioned how that can work given the scope is already set.
Related: Woden David Jones store closure.
Sources: Region Canberra, 31 October 2026.
Quick answers
What are the key numbers in this story?
fit-out cost: $3.1 million; service counters: 12; 2021 refurbishment: $2.2 million.
Where does this information come from?
This story cites Region Canberra. Every source is linked on the page.
Sources
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