ACT Government: Elizabeth Lee moves no-confidence vote against Andrew Barr

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has moved a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Andrew Barr a day after the 2022-23 Budget was handed down. Find out why.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr will fight to keep his job later this month after ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee moved a motion of no confidence against him.

Following the motion being moved on Wednesday in the ACT Legislative Assembly, August 15 has been set as a date for debating the motion.

No-confidence motions against chief ministers must be made with at least seven days notice of debate.

Ms Lee brought forward the motion following signs of discord between the ACT Greens and ACT Labor about funding in Tuesday’s Budget for the horse racing industry.

In a statement, ACT Attorney-General and Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury said his party was proud to push their government partners to be leaders on “significant issues”.

“Having said that, this is not the exact budget that the Greens would deliver if we were in a Greens‑led government,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“We work in a power-sharing, collaborative government that involves debate and compromise.

“There are some elements of this budget that we do not support, such as the $41 million subsidy from ratepayers to the horse racing industry.”

ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr releases the 2022-23 ACT budget. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Speaking to reporters outside the Legislative Assembly, Ms Lee said Rattenbury’s dissent was proof the government was deeply divided, and said the Greens needed to decide if they were in coalition with Labor or on the cross bench.

“There is no doubt this government is in a shambles,” Ms Lee said.

“Once and for all the Greens need to make a choice, are they members of cabinet?

“If they are they must adhere to the Westminster principles — including cabinet solidarity.

“Or are they a cross bench — and if so then they must give up their cushy ministerial titles.

“You can’t have it both ways.”

Ms Lee said if Mr Rattenbury refused to tow the government line, he should resign or be booted out by Mr Barr.

“If the leader of the Greens does not have a backbone to say ‘I’m going to stick to my guns on this and resign’ it is incumbent on the Chief Minister to kick him out of cabinet,” Ms Lee said.

“That’s what it boils down to.

“These people cannot make up the rules as they go — they have the enormous privilege of being elected to be this place and whether they like it or not, they are not above the law.

“This is showing enormous contempt for parliamentary procedure and for the people of the Australian Capital Territory.”

ACT Opposition leader Elizabeth Lee says the ACT Government is “deeply divided”. Picture: Julia Kanapathippillai

Mr Barr has described Ms Lee’s motion against him as “not a surprise” and said it was “the same old approach from the Canberra Liberals”.

“They haven‘t developed a credible fiscal alternative and they have no policy ideas that they want to bring to the table,” he said.

“All the Canberra Liberals are seeking to do today is distract and play politics.

“I challenged the Opposition Leader to outline her own budget management policy in her Budget Reply on Thursday, given her calls to conduct an independent audit on the ACT Budget and prioritise budget cuts and deficit reduction over everything else.

“We see today that their response is to move a pathetically weak no-confidence motion and avoid having to give a budget reply at all.

“It’s straight from the conservative politics playbook that has dominated the Canberra Liberals for the past two decades.”

Despite his dissent being the impetus for Ms Lee‘s motion Mr Rattenbury said he and the ACT Greens had “full confidence” in Mr Barr.

“We will not support the vote of no confidence,” he said.

“This is a good budget for the Territory.

“While the ACT Greens and the Labor party have a different position on the subsidising of the horse racing industry, it is a one line item in a significant budget that delivers for the Canberra community.

“We will simply seek to amend the budget on the floor of the assembly when the appropriate bill is debated later this year in order to vote on this single line item.

Rather than a sign of division, Mr Rattenbury said his dissent was an example of a constructive working relationship between two parties.

“This is an example of how two parties can work together maturely and constructively on many initiatives and issues and have a difference of position on some issues,” he said.

Ms Lee has previously moved no confidence motions against Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry and Skills Minister Chris Steel.

Both previous no-confidence motions were unsuccessful.