ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja says a re-elected Morrison government would release a large portion of CSIRO land in Ginninderra to provide more affordable housing for Canberra.

The land in question is The Ginninderra Experiment Station, a 701-hectare area located between Belconnen and the Barton Highway.

Mr Seselja said CSIRO has identified 243 hectares of the land that are surplus to its needs and which would be put on the market before the end of 2022 should the Liberals retain government in next month’s federal election.

Based on average block size in Canberra, the area could provide an additional 2000 homes to Canberrans.

“Canberrans are facing a housing crisis caused by the ACT Labor Greens Government’s deliberate strategy to limit supply of new land for housing and to predominantly favour apartments over family blocks,” said Mr Seselja.

“This land release alone doesn’t fully fix the crisis created by the ACT Labor Greens government, but it will offer relief by significantly increasing immediate supply for Canberra families.”

Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee welcomed the announcement, saying Canberrans want genuine choice when it comes to housing options and the ACT government is “not giving them that option.”

But ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr last month rejected the opposition’s claims, saying their land release program represents less than two per cent of the total market and that ACT government decisions therefore have little impact on Canberra house prices.