Independent challenge threatens Labor-Green supremacy in ACT election
An independent challenger to ACT chief minister Andrew Barr’s grip on power at the next Territory election has left the door open to working with both sides of politics to form government.
An independent challenger to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s grip on power at the next Territory election has left the door open to working with both sides of politics to form government, declaring his intention to boost the crossbench and provide an alternative to voters.
Thomas Emerson, an adviser to ACT senator David Pocock, has emerged as the first candidate to run for election under a new party, Independents for Canberra, which he said would provide an option to voters who feel it’s “time for a change” after two decades of Labor government.
Canberra barrister Clare Carnell, the daughter of former ACT chief minister Kate Carnell, established the party to offer a viable alternative and is calling for “dynamic” candidates to put up their hands.
Mr Emerson, the son of former federal Labor minister Craig Emerson, said the party was not striving to “give the government a fright” but to “change the composition of the Legislative Assembly”.
“We’ve seen the positive impact of community independents at the federal level and we’ve taken inspiration from that, and seeing what those people have been able to achieve not just federally but also in giving their communities a sense of really being heard and represented,” he said.
Mr Emerson maintained the party would be open to supporting either the Labor-Greens alliance or the Canberra Liberals if its members felt one side would offer a better option to residents.
Mr Barr said the ACT’s Hare-Clark system of counting votes made it more difficult to win a majority. “Of course we will seek to negotiate with whoever sits on the crossbench, there’s been a cross bench in every assembly.”
Chalmers’ $230bn Future Funnel for favoured projects
Jim Chalmers is overhauling the investment mandate of the Future Fund to drive capital into Labor’s agenda, in a major shift in the role of the sovereign wealth fund established by the Howard government.
Treasurer eyes a once-in-a-century pot of taxpayer gold
Jim Chalmers’ fundamental change to the Future Fund provides investment ‘priorities’ where there were none – priorities that align with Labor’s political and ideological agenda.