GST the goal as David Pocock gets over the line

Incoming independent ACT senator David Pocock says he will push for the GST negotiating system to be overhauled to ensure the territory receives its ‘fair share’ of revenue.

Incoming independent ACT senator David Pocock at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

Incoming independent ACT senator David Pocock says he will push for the GST negotiating system to be overhauled to ensure the territory receives its “fair share” of revenue, pledging to end the ACT’s decade of “chronic ­underfunding”.

The former Wallaby, who was declared elected as an ACT senator on Tuesday, said he would also seek to increase commonwealth infrastructure investment in the nation’s capital, saying it received $1 for every $240 spent in other states and territories in federal budgets over the past decade.

Mr Pocock said a review of the GST funding arrangement would enable the state government to address issues of housing affordability and increase social housing schemes. “I think it should be renegotiated. It is certainly something that here in the ACT our revenue stream is limited and I’d certainly be pushing for the ACT to get its fair share,” he said.

“We did a lot of work looking at the budgets over the past decade and there has been a chronic under-investment in Canberra as the nation’s capital.

“We can’t host a major convention and we don’t have a convention centre that is fit for purpose.”

Mr Pocock has joined calls from other state and territory leaders who say the sharing ­arrangement unfairly favours West Australia.

Scott Morrison announced sweeping changes to the division of GST revenues in 2018 after repeated complaints from WA, which was receiving a smaller share of funding because it received billions in mining royalties.

The GST push may spark a political headache for Anthony Albanese when parliament resumes, with Labor needing to negotiate with the Greens or members of the Senate crossbench, or the Liberal opposition to pass legislation through the upper house.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister said he had “no intention” of overhauling the GST deal negotiated with the states under the former government.

Mr Pocock’s electoral success makes him the ACT’s first elected senator from outside the major parties, after running a campaign based on climate change and ­integrity in politics.

He unseated former Liberal senator Zed Seselja.

Finance Minister and Labor senator Katy Gallagher easily ­secured the first ACT upper house seat.

Responding to his defeat, Mr Seselja said Mr Pocock’s win was “part of the same playbook” as the wave of teal independents who swept to power on a similar ­platform.

“The backing of Climate 200 was a big part of his resource base and it was a very well resourced, very professional campaign as we saw in other parts of the country,” Mr Seselja told Sky News.