Cross-party support for Tuggeranong site of new ice sports facility

25 February 2026

Sponsor of the ACT Ice Sports Federation's petition calling on the ACT Government to urgently progress the twin-sheet ice sports facility project in Greenway (Tuggeranong), Brindabella Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly, Taimus Werner-Gibbings told the Assembly the 889 signatures supporting the document represented citizens who cared deeply about the future of ice sports in Canberra.

"They are participants, parents, friends and supporters of ice sports, as well as Tuggeranong locals keen to see a state-of-the-art facility in their backyard," he said. "The effort behind this petition (to secure) 889 signatures is no small feat: 889 members of our community that we represent, standing up with ambitions for the place that they live in, is very motivating.

"It shows just how important this issue is. It shows that citizens are paying attention and that they are willing to speak up for what they want to see in Tuggeranong," Mr Werner-Gibbings added.

Here is the transcript of the 25 February Assembly debate including contributions from Taimus Werner-Gibbings MLA, Caitlin Tough MLA, Deborah Morris MLA, and Fiona Carrick MLA.

Tuggeranong—ice sports facilities—petitions 80-25 and 21-26

TAIMUS WERNER-GIBBINGS (Brindabella): I am very pleased this morning to have presented a petition calling on the ACT government and its private partners, Pelligra Holdings and Cruachan Investments, to build an ice sports facility in Tuggeranong. This petition has been signed electronically by 750 people and in person with a real pen by 139 people. These 889 signatures represent citizens who care deeply about the future of ice sports in Canberra. They are participants, parents, friends and supporters of ice sports, as well as Tuggeranong locals keen to see a state-of-the-art facility in their backyard.  This petition asks the ACT government to deliver an ice sports venue in Tuggeranong as quickly as possible, along with giving regular updates to the community. This is not an unreasonable request. Canberra currently lacks sufficient ice sports infrastructure. The existing facility in Phillip is outdated, it is unable to meet demand, and it is nearing the end of its operational life.  I acknowledge and am grateful that the ACT government has committed $16.2 million towards the facility, which, when committed and announced, was the largest investment by any state or federal government in Australia for a facility of this kind. But the delays to the project, which extended well beyond anyone’s initial expectations, have been deeply disappointing for Canberra’s ice sports community and Tuggeranong’s residents.  We have not received substantial updates for some time, and this is not a surprise, because the government remains in negotiations with the private partners. But I want again to put on the record the depth of interest in our community in this project. The interest is not only from the ACT ice sports community, but from within Tuggeranong.  This petition was initiated by Sandi Logan. Sandi is the President of the ACT Ice Sports Federation and joins us in the gallery this morning. Sandi, on behalf of the Assembly, I express my deepest condolences about the result in the men’s ice hockey on the weekend. French Alps 2030 is only four years away, and revenge will have to be served cold.  Sandi has assured me many times that the federation is firmly behind this project, not only because it will support professional sports training and possibly teams like the Canberra Brave, but also because of the many Canberrans who participate in the existing ACT ice sports of ice hockey, figure skating and broomball. The facility would also open opportunities for the further development of ice sports in Canberra, like curling, speed skating, sledge hockey and blind hockey.  I have long held the view that Tuggeranong needs a destinational centre of gravity that brings people in. The critical and major investment in Tuggeranong will make our community the destination for every ice sports enthusiast in the capital region and interstate. It will provide a permanent, state-of-the-art facility for the ACT’s ice sports community, as well as generating significant, ongoing energy in our local community and for our local businesses, bringing considerable economic and social benefits.  I have heard criticism that some consider Tuggeranong an isolated location. To that I say: no, it is not. Nowhere in Canberra is far away. Canberra’s only permanent and ageing ice rink in Phillip will close in the coming years. I can assure members that Tuggeranong will be a lot closer than the next closest ice sports venue, which, for the benefit of the Assembly, is 270 kilometres away, just under three hours’ drive. It is in Hoxton Park, or Macquarie Park in Sydney. Tuggeranong is the right place at the right time.  Finally, I want to acknowledge the effort behind this petition. 889 signatures is no small feat. 889 members of our community that we represent, standing up with ambitions for the place that they live in, is very motivating. It shows just how important this issue is. It shows that citizens are paying attention and that they are willing to speak up for what they want to see in Tuggeranong. We must continue to explore every option to get this project underway and delivered as soon as possible.  I commend the petition to the Assembly because it demonstrates the level of interest in the project and that the project could and can be delivered without further delay. 

DEBORAH MORRIS (Brindabella): Tuggeranong has been waiting for this government to deliver an ice rink for 10 years. It is a commitment that Labor have taken to three elections—in 2016, 2020 and 2024; a three-time running, broken election commitment by this government in a community that seems to be little more than an afterthought to the Labor Party. It has been 10 years since Labor first promised an ice rink in Tuggeranong, and all they have to show for it is a dysfunctional relationship with their development partners. I want to thank Mr Sandi Logan, the principal petitioner, and I also want to thank Mr Werner-Gibbings for presenting this petition today. You are a brave man, Mr Werner-Gibbings—a brave man. It is very brave of him to do this, because it brings attention to ACT Labor’s diabolical handling of this significant, decade-old commitment.  This petition lays bare the extraordinary breakdown in relationship between the ACT government and its development partners. The government has publicly vilified its development partners in the media, blaming them for dragging the chain, when the truth all along was that it was the government who was dragging the chain. The government had not even handed them a contract. In fact, the contract was only handed to the developer in July last year, after I moved a motion with my colleague the shadow minister for sports, James Milligan, in this Assembly, forcing them to do so. At that time, the government had not even provided a value for the land yet. Has it done so now? I do not know, but I suspect the answer is probably no. If the land is not viable, as has been widely reported, then why has the government offered them unviable land and what is the government doing to make this project viable? There seems to be, after 10 years, an extraordinary lack of will in the Labor government to get this done in Tuggeranong.  I want to thank every signatory to this petition. I know how frustrated the community is. I know how frustrated you are at always being left behind by this government. Ten years is a very long time to wait for the government to deliver a project that has gotten nowhere. It should not be this way, and yet somehow it always is under ACT Labor.

CAITLIN TOUGH (Brindabella): I too rise to speak on the Tuggeranong ice rink petition, sponsored by my colleague Mr Werner-Gibbings. I want to echo his comments and just add some of my own about the importance of having the ice rink built in Tuggeranong.  My colleague and I were both reflecting this morning before the Assembly sat that neither of us are really built for ice skating or ice sports. We are a bit too clumsy. I suspect that, if I try ice skating again—I have not probably in well over 15 years—I will end up at the Tuggeranong walk-in centre again. But I do know that there are a lot of community benefits that ice skating and ice rinks bring to the community. From athletes in a range of ice sports, like we have recently seen in the US women’s hockey, amazing figure skaters, especially the videographer at the Winter Olympics, our incredible Australian athletes recently at the Winter Olympics or people who have just gotten on board the heated rivalry bandwagon, recently we have seen so much inspiration for the next generation of ice sports athletes. It is important that they have a facility to learn and to practise and to have that community to encourage them to potentially be the future Winter Olympians for Australia. With the Woden facility getting old and going to be closed in the next few years, it is important we have that here in our community—and Tuggeranong is a great place for that to be.  Ice rinks are also a great place for the community to hang out. As a teenager, although I am not an ice skater and much preferred to sit on the sidelines eating lollies, we often hung out at the ice rink at the shopping centre. It is just a really fun place for teenagers to hang out and be together. I hear a lot from the community about how much they want to see the new ice rink built in Tuggeranong. Residents in Lanyon, in particular, bring up the fact that, although Tuggeranong town centre is a bit far away, it is not that far away for a destination to go to, for places for teenagers to hang out, to have fun and to be themselves.  So I am happy to see how much support this petition got. I want to thank every single one of the petitioners for signing it. I want to especially shout out to Mr Sandi Logan, who is here today, and the entire ACT Ice Sports Federation for continuously advocating for this facility to be built in Tuggeranong. I want to again thank the community for signing this petition and thank my colleague Mr Werner-Gibbings for bringing it.

FIONA CARRICK (Murrumbidgee): I also wish to briefly comment on the petition calling for an ice sports venue in Tuggeranong, and I thank Mr Sandi Logan and Mr Taimus Werner-Gibbings for their advocacy. Of course, my preference is to retain the ice facility in Woden. We do not want to lose it. I am not really clear why we need to lose more facilities—but anyway. We could either upgrade the current rink or construct a new one, potentially co-located with the proposed outdoor 50-metre pool. This could enable an efficient heat exchange system similar to what currently operates between the Phillip pool and the ice rink. Regardless of location, continued access to ice sports for Canberrans is essential. The old Woden Valley High School site offers a centrally located option worth investigating, particularly since the developer asked the government about this particular site.

DETAILS OF THE PETITION

Tuggeranong—ice sports facilities—petitions 80-25 and 21-26

By Mr Werner-Gibbings, from 750 and 139 residents

To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory the following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the urgent need for progress on the Canberra Arena project in Greenway, Tuggeranong, first raised by the ACT Ice Sports Federation with the then-ACT Government in 2015:

• Canberra currently lacks sufficient ice sports infrastructure. The existing facility in Phillip is outdated, unable to meet demand, and nearing the end of its operational life.

• Tuggeranong deserves a world-class venue for ice sports (including dedicated curling ice pads and rock climbing).

• Delays to the project, extending well beyond initial expectations, have been deeply disappointing for Canberra’s ice sports community and Tuggeranong’s residents.

• The ACT Government has committed $16.2 million towards the facility – when committed and announced, the largest investment by any state or federal government in Australia for a facility of this kind.

• This venue will bring the interest and investment that Tuggeranong needs and deserves, like job creation, increased visitation, and new opportunities for local businesses.

• Recent media reports suggest private partners may be shifting focus to other ice sports projects, while progress in Tuggeranong remains stalled. This raises serious concerns about their commitment to the Canberra Arena, to growing ice sports participation at a community level, and the future of the Tuggeranong site.

• The Assembly resolved on 26 June 2025 to provide quarterly progress reports on the development of an ice sports facility in Tuggeranong.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government and its private development partners, Cruachan Investments and Pelligra Holdings, to: 

1. Deliver their commitment to build a state-of-the-art ice sports venue, including two Olympic-sized ice rinks, curling lanes, and a rock-climbing centre,

2. Reconfirm Tuggeranong as the location for this landmark project and publicly support the long-term benefits it will bring to the region,

3. Conduct contract negotiations and development decisions transparently, prioritising the interests of the Tuggeranong and Canberra ice sports communities,

4. Work collaboratively to remove unnecessary red tape and ensure that no further delays hinder the progress of this vital community infrastructure, and

5. Provide regular public updates on milestones, timelines, and any changes to delivery, in line with the Assembly’s resolution for quarterly reporting.

Pursuant to standing order 99A, the petition, having at least 500 signatories, was referred to the Standing Committee on Economics, Industry and Recreation. The Clerk having announced that the terms of the petitions would be recorded in Hansard and referred to the appropriate ministers for response pursuant to standing order 100, the petitions were received.