Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury introduced a bill to stop the development of a proposed telecommunications tower on the Ainslie Volcanic grasslands. It relied on a precedent set previously by the Assembly, where a proposal for an incinerator was halted through legislative change because of significant community opposition. 

ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals did not support the bill, arguing it compromised the independence of the planning system, and so the bill failed. Thomas raised concerns with the Government’s habit of cherry picking which approvals it would reconsider. A recent investigation by the Environment and Sustainability Commissioner found that for Block 709 in Majura, the Government had turned a blind eye to the repeated misuse of the site for industrial purposes, when the land was zoned for rural use, and retrospectively varied the lease to allow those commercial uses. The Commissioner noted she had never encountered an instance of the Government prioritising the environment over development. 

Thomas voted in support of Mr Rattenbury’s bill and argued that the Government’s refusal to move the tower was an unfortunate continuation of their failure to prioritise the environment, as well as blatantly disregarding the efforts of volunteers who have - with the support of government grants - been working to preserve and restore the Ainslie Volcanics site for several years. Independent MLA Fiona Carrick also supported the bill.

Thomas saw the outcome as particularly disappointing given that protecting the Ainslie Volcanics Grasslands was a commitment contained in the supply-and-confidence agreement signed between Labor and the Greens.

Thomas supports the construction of a telecommunications tower in the area on a different site, and had previously written to both the Planning Minister and the telecommunications company calling for them to pursue an alternative.