The Northern Road and Canberra’s Dragon – how did we get here?

In 2009, a delegate of then Environment Minister Peter Garrett granted a conditional approval to Canberra Airport Group (CAG) for its Northern Road between Fairbairn and Majura Road, Pialligo.

At the time, the road was approved to go around the habitat for a significant population of grassland earless dragons living on and adjacent to the Airport (the population’s ‘Significant Habitat Area’ is shaded grey in Figure 1).

The condition said, before a final approval would be granted, a strategy was needed to demonstrate the road could be built and operated without increasing the risk of extinction for the Airport population.

During the Black Summer in 2019–20, a fire burned near the southeast corner of the Airport. CAG went to the media saying the road needed to be “sorted out” for the safety of people working in Fairbairn. Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison got involved.

Five months later, in May 2020, a delegate of then Environment Minister Sussan Ley gave the final
go-ahead. A more direct route was approved that bisects the Airport population’s critical habitat (Figure 1).

The strategy that was approved does not account for the increased risk of Dragon mortality due to collisions, additional losses to predators using the road, or the loss of genetic viability of fragmented populations.

On 1 Sep 2022, the Federal Threatened Species Scientific Committee recognised grassland earless dragons are not all the same; that is, they responded to taxonomic advice that there are not one but four species of earless dragons. Canberra Grassland Earless Dragons, Tympanocryptis lineata (Dragon), occupy a small area centred on the Majura and Jerrabomberra valleys. There are just three small populations found on 40 hectares in in the eastern ACT and around Queanbeyan in NSW.

Based on this new information, on 23 Sep 2022, FOG asked Minister Plibersek to suspend CAG’s Northern Road approval. The Minster initiated a review of the case. FOG understand that review is still underway.

In Feb 2025, CAG began constructing the road. After community pressure, CAG quickly announced a halt on construction in areas sensitive to the Dragon population. CAG’s Head of Aviation, Michael Thomson, stated “We are holding off. We are working to develop a nature-positive plan.”

No nature positive plan has been published. The latest works are against the spirit of CAG’s statement.

Dragons are the ‘goldilocks’ indicator species for healthy grasslands. They need enough space between tussocks to hunt insects but also enough grass to hide from predators. This ‘just right’ grass cover is the ideal habitat for a number of endangered animal and wildflower species in natural grasslands.

With so little natural temperate grassland remaining, CAG’s arguments in favour of the road are not strong. Fire safety is just one such argument. Others include the security of dignitaries and the status of Canberra Airport as a slot-free and curfew-free airport making it ideally suited as a regional freight hub.

None of these arguments is compelling. In relation to the fire and security threats, existing dirt roads can be used to access or escape Fairbairn; in the event of any serious fire or security threat, people could move through the airport! The Canberra Airport is not a freight hub.

 

Figure 1: The Northern Road bisects what CAG itself has labelled ‘Significant Habitat’ for Dragons