Canberra Now: Crash victims mourned; Geocon's China pitch
Good morning Canberra,
Here's hoping you made the most of the inaugural Reconciliation Day and are ready and rejuvenated for the rest of the week. We could be up for a shower or two today, with a top of 17 degrees.
Here are today's headlines:
Geocon’s pitch to Chinese investors
Property giant Geocon is wooing Chinese buyers with foreign investment exemptions and an ambitious vision to transform Canberra into “the face of the Southern Hemisphere”.
In the next 10 years Geocon is planning to radically ramp-up construction in the capital, with more than 3200 units worth a combined $1.7 billion slated for completion between 2019 and 2028.
Geocon’s pitch to Chinese investors has been written in Mandarin and published on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
Crash victims mourned, girl remains in coma
The two women killed in a head-on crash last week have been identified as Pam Valencia, 36, and Sheena Katrina Garcia Landagan, 34.
The women - originally from the Philippines - were both recent migrants to Australia and were friends who met through the El Shaddai church in Canberra.
Nationals respond to Barnaby Joyce’s decentralisation spray
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has defended the Coalition's commitment to moving government agencies into the bush, after his predecessor Barnaby Joyce blasted its approach to the project he championed.
Mr McCormack said his party was still focused on decentralisation, despite federal budget papers this month revealing the government said it was pursuing the policy by sending some jobs to Adelaide and Parramatta, a commercial centre in Sydney.
Doug Dingwall has more.
More drama at Canberra Airport as Qantas addresses Kenyan comment row
The drama between Canberra Airport and Qantas continues to unfold.
An international freight plane flying for Qantas was stuck with a $67,000 bill after making an unexpected landing at Canberra Airport.
Invoices showed the freight company had to pay the bill by credit card in three instalments because it was so large, before the plane could continue to Sydney.
Search for Canberra’s best potato scallop: Little Theo’s in Kambah
Lifestyle editor Bree Winchester is on the hunt for the ACT's best potato scallop (they will always be potato cakes to me, though).
Using social media, she crowdsourced the city's top four scallops and over the next couple of weeks she will be putting Charnwood Regal Charcoal Chicken, Hughes Takeaway, Little Theo and Snapper on the Lake underneath the yacht club to the test.