Dickson shopfront to close as part of redevelopment of Northbourne Ave


Released 10/08/2017

The Access Canberra Dickson shopfront will close on 8 September 2017 as the building it is in is demolished.

The closure of the shopfront follows the relocation of the motor vehicle inspection station in May this year.  A new state-of-the-art Motor Vehicle Inspection Station has opened in Hume and is checking between 350-380 vehicles each week.

Access Canberra Director of Customer Coordination Josh Rynehart said that the convenience of services located throughout the ACT, the introduction of online driver licence renewal and more than 250 existing digital transactions means Canberrans are well supported.

“For a jurisdiction our size we provide a high level of service offerings as well as options for our community to do business with government,” Mr Rynehart said.

“When the Dickson shopfront closes Canberrans will still live within 12 kilometres of an Access Canberra service centre or shopfront. The Belconnen service centre is 8km from Dickson shopfront and the new revamped service centre at Gungahlin is 9km.

“Over the last few years we have seen a real shift in the way that customers interact with us. Last year we answered around 500,000 phone calls and close to 600,000 people came to the service centres. At the same time we completed 1.75 million transactions online through www.act.gov.au/accessCBR.

“We know that over 60 percent of Canberrans prefer to deal with digitally and this number continues to grow.

“With the announcement earlier this week of online driver licence renewal being introduced from next month there is less and less need for the community to visit us face to face at a service centre, saving them time and making transactions easier and simpler.”

Mr Rynehart said accessibility of services for the community was the key consideration for Access Canberra.

“However this doesn’t always been through a service centre or shopfront model. We are currently exploring some exciting options with community service partners to ensure that people need support to access our services will receive it,” he said.

Mr Rynehart said that the number of people attending the Dickson shopfront has decreased by nearly 30% over the last 3 years, dropping from 136,351 in 2013-14 to 100,305 last year.

“While many in the community will have fond memories of getting their licences or taking driver tests at this location over the last 50 years and we will seek to recognise this prior to the closure, it is possible do all of these transactions at our other locations which are often closer to work or home.

“As part of our ongoing service transformations continue to monitor how our community is seeking to transact with us so we can continue to meet their needs now and into the future.”

An Access Canberra presence is slated when the new Northside Government Building opens in Dickson in 2020.

Key details:

  • Access Canberra Dickson shopfront will close on 8 September 2017
  • Once closed, the community can:
    • do more than 250 services online (www.act.gov.au/accessCBR)
    • visit a service centre at Belconnen – Gungahlin – Tuggeranong – Woden
    • phone 13 22 81
  • No jobs will be lost through this service change with officers to work from other shopfronts, service centres or areas within Access Canberra.

- Statement ends -

Access Canberra | Media Releases

Media Contacts

Name Phone Mobile Email

Emily Springett

(02) 6205 9093   

0413 169 029

emily.springett@act.gov.au


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