ACT Liberals’ ‘bread and butter’ pitch to end 23 years of Labor government

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee’s pitch to voters ahead of the Territory election is underpinned by a return to ‘bread and butter’ issues and the promise of a change after 23 years of Labor government.

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee’s pitch to voters ahead of this month’s election is underpinned by a return to “bread and butter” issues, including healthcare, housing and cost-of-living relief, and the prospect of a change after 23 years of Labor government. 

The Canberra Liberals have sought to win back voters by carving out a policy platform distinguished from the Labor-Greens government by its pledge to deliver 125,000 new homes by 2050, a promise to build a 30,000-seat lakeside sport stadium and commitment to scrap plans to extend the light rail to Woden in the city’s south.

If Ms Lee succeeds in sweeping Chief Minister Andrew Barr out of office on October 19, she has also vowed to cap the annual increase of residential rates to 2.2 per cent and wind back the nation’s most liberal drug laws, which decriminalised possession of small quantities of illicit substances.

The road to majority government will be fraught for the Liberals, needing to pick up five seats to reach the 13 required to hold the balance of power in the Legislative Assembly.

To turn their political fortunes around after more than two decades in opposition, the Liberals will also need to contend with Canberra’s unique demographic characterised by relatively high household incomes, a large proportion of public servants and openness to socially progressive policies.

“The Canberra Liberals government that I lead will always support Canberrans at the centre,” Ms Lee told The Australian. “I think that for too long there is this acceptance from a lot of people that this Labor-Greens government has really forgotten about the best interests of Canberrans, who don’t necessarily agree with them, and I think that’s the core difference.

“I’ve got a vision and a plan for Canberra, and I’ve been demonstrating to the Canberra community that I’m the type of leader that’s not afraid to make tough decisions when it’s necessary, and I will always put the community first.”

In his bid to secure a fourth term as the Territory’s chief minister, Mr Barr has pledged to build a new 2000-seat theatre as part of cultural precinct and push ahead with construction of a new hospital in the northern suburbs, after it compulsorily acquired Calvary Hospital last year.

ACT Labor has also promised to double the hours of free preschool for three-year-olds, offer an extra $50 in energy rebates for struggling households and invest $150m to upgrading public schools. It has also vowed to trial free public transport on Friday and bolster stamp duty concessions for properties purchased off-the-plan and by first-home buyers.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

With early voting opening on October 8, the entry of a new political party, Independents for Canberra, which is informally led by former David Pocock staffer Thomas Emerson, has thrown a curve ball into the election race.

Ms Lee acknowledged the hurdles posed by the Hare-Clark system, which requires candidates to reach a quota of votes before they are transferred to others on the ballot paper based on voter preferences, making it “very difficult” to achieve majority government.

She said she would be willing to work with “anybody in the best interests of Canberrans”, but expressed reservations about the Greens, led by ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury.

“The fact is the Greens, who have been in a coalition with Labor since at least 2012, obviously their policy positions and our policy positions on some core issues are significantly different,” she said.

“So I think it would be unrealistic to be able to work with them, and so I think that’s just the reality of them having been in partnership with Labor for 12 years.”

Ms Lee said she was optimistic about the Liberals’ chances, despite recent scandals that engulfed her party, including revelations Ginninderra candidate Darren Roberts made offensive social media posts under a pseudonym. The party also dumped Liberal member Elizabeth Kikkert after footage emerged of her in an apparently heated exchange with a staffer.

“There is definitely a sense from many Canberrans that this long term Labor-Greens government has lost interest in what matters to them,” Ms Lee said.

“The issues that I’m hearing out on the ground have been around cost of living, housing, health, education, community safety and the basic maintenance of our suburbs.

“These are bread and butter issues that I think many Canberrans know this government has really, really forgotten about.”