Federal public servants working at Tuggeranong will get new digs, with the deal likely to be locked in before the federal election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is looking for new office space for its national office, now located at the corner of Soward Way and Athllon Drive in Greenway.
It is open to the possibility of staying in Tuggeranong or moving to Woden.
A department spokesman said on Wednesday the lease at Tuggeranong Office Park expired in December 2016.
The department is calling for expressions of interest in its move, saying this is an "exceptional leasing opportunity".
It wants around 40,000 square metres of A-grade quality leased office accommodation in either existing buildings or new buildings or a combination of both.
Fit-out would be required no later than October 2016 for staged relocation.
"Preferred site location is to be within close proximity to the Woden or Tuggeranong Town Centre, with good access to public transport and car parking," the department says.
"Preferred lease term of 15 years, with options; prepared to consider alternative terms."
Property developers and owners have until next Wednesday to lodge their expression of interest.
Centrelink also has its huge national office in Greenway, at the corner of Anketell and Reed Streets.
If the Coalition wins the election, Tony Abbott will reduce the national level of the federal public service by 12,000 positions through natural attrition.
He is also promising to abolish the Climate Change Department but it was recently merged with the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.
The Minister for Climate Change, Industry and Innovation Greg Combet has indicated there are no plans to move the 740 staff at Climate Change out of their plush surrounds at the Nishi complex at Acton as their department effectively disappears.
The Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government said in February it saved taxpayers' money by taking a 12-year, $70 million lease on a building in the heart of Canberra.
It said while decisions on the location of departments are not made on price alone, it achieved a 30 per cent saving after looking at six Canberra properties.
The department's central office is in Garema Place in Civic, where it took the lease from last April.
Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said the money to house the department could be used to buy an entire building or a whole block in a city with cheaper real estate, such as Hobart or Toowoomba.
Last September Environment and Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell released a new master plan for the southern district under which almost 8000 new homes and apartments could be built in the centre of Tuggeranong.
The proposal recommends the construction of an extra 7800 homes, which could bring 14,000 new residents to the town centre.
Mr Corbell said at the time it was hoped the planned population growth would boost local businesses and make the area a more vibrant place to live.