CONSTRUCTION of a bulk-billing medical practice has stalled after the ACT government refused to waive late building fees of $254,866 on the block in Conder.
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Yarub Jamiel bought the block in 2006, but a dispute with a business partner led to a long legal battle over the site.
Dr Jamiel approached The Canberra Times after another community development, a pool in Calwell, was shelved when a similar $200,000 fine was imposed.
The ACT Liberals and the local community council have called on the government to waive the pool fees.
The Treasurer has the authority to provide waivers of time-extension fees. But since July last year, commencement and completion fees on commercial properties no longer apply.
Dr Jamiel said that unless the fee was waived, he could not afford to build the medical centre.
But in a letter dated July 2, Treasurer Andrew Barr said he could not waive the fees of the Conder development, as they did not meet the criteria set under section 131 of the Financial Management Act.
A spokesman for Mr Barr said private commercial matters such as staffing or management were common challenges faced by many businesses, and waivers were not generally granted on that basis.
''The Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate is currently reviewing the operation of the extension of the time-fee structure, and will provide a report to the Legislative Assembly by the end of this financial year, '' he said.
However, Liberal Party planning spokesman Alistair Coe said it was a lose-lose situation for Canberrans.
''The government does not collect the fee and the community does not get the benefit of the facility the developers are proposing,'' Mr Coe said.
He said this area of planning was not working and the government acknowledged that the fees were not necessary when it announced that commencement and completion fees on commercial properties no longer apply.
''In this particular instance [a bulk-billing practice] there is a clear and direct benefit in that they are proposing health facilities .. anything that is going to promote economic activity in Canberra at the moment is worth serious consideration,'' Mr Coe said.
Figures from March show the ACT has the lowest bulk-billing rate in Australia, with only 48 per cent of GP appointments fully charged to the federal government, compared with the national rate of 81 per cent. And according to the Productivity Commission, 15 per cent of ACT residents deferred GP appointments in 2010-11 because of cost problems.
