New Canberra HQ for the Australian Tax Office

Prominent Canberra property owners and developers, Doma and Kenyon Investments have teamed up to secure a new 33,021sqm NLA pre-commitment to the Australian Taxation Office in Barton for an initial 15-year term commencing in mid-2025.

The 1.156ha site, within 500 metres of Parliament House and near several major Commonwealth Government Agencies is known as 15 Sydney Ave on Block 3 Section 22 Barton.

As part of the deal, the developers have secured a fund through arrangement for Charter Hall’s CPOF Barton Trust to fund the design and construction costs and then enter the lease with the ATO on completion as the long-term asset owners.

Charter Hall Group Managing Director & Group CEO, David Harrison commented, “we are delighted to extend our partnership with both DOMA and ATO with this fund through acquisition which will extend the government leased proportion of our $26 billion national Office portfolio to 32%. We look forward to partnering with DOMA after several previous government leased office acquisitions in Canberra and Newcastle.”

Doma’s Managing Director, Jure Domazet said, “We have been actively developing in Barton since 2003 when we purchased and developed the old Macquarie Hostel that is now the Realm Precinct directly across the road. We are very pleased to now join with Kenyon Investments to deliver this new building as part of a greater office and hotel precinct that continues to grow.”

The developers will engage local Canberra builder, Bloc, to deliver the project using local subcontractors and suppliers. “This will be our sixth Commonwealth pre-committed office and our third office for the ATO following the ATO Albury and ATO Gosford projects,” said Doma’s General Manager Development Gavin Edgar.

“We are really excited about finally delivering this project along with a new 5,000sqm NLA cross laminated timber private sector office next door at 23 National Circuit,” said Mr Edgar. “We have another 11,000sqm NLA approved office development at 2 Darling Street in Barton that we also hope will appeal to tenants who also see the benefit of colocation with the ATO and other public and private tenants in Canberra’s premier office location.”

The new six-storey office building for the ATO has been designed by BVN architects around a centrally focused atrium and feature circulation stair and will offer new PCA ‘A’ grade quality accommodation with the Commonwealth’s targeted 4.5 Nabers rating and 5 Greenstar ratings. The building will provide 358 car spaces across two basement levels with floorplates of around 5,600sqm each.

Doma will lodge a Works Approval with the National Capital Authority this week and is hoping to be on site and commencing construction in April 2023.