As we build up to the 2024 ACT election in October, Marisa Paterson MLA and Jeremy Hanson CSC, MLA will write a column each week covering different topics. This is the second instalment.

Jeremy Hanson

I was part of the election in 2012 where the Canberra Liberals first alerted the public to the drastic rates changes being proposed by Andrew Barr.

By digging through Treasury papers, we discovered the plan to “triple your rates”. This was denied vehemently by the government at the time.

Today, we know the truth.

It was always the plan to triple rates, and it is what the government has now done. That is why suburbs in Canberra pay higher rates than suburbs near Sydney Harbour.

Even more concerning was the recent report by the independent assessor of the ACT Budget, Pegasus Economics. It bluntly stated that “rates in the ACT are not rising fast enough to replace the revenue lost from stamp duty”, and that “the reduction in revenue from residential and commercial stamp duty will far exceed the increase in general rates”.

It said the government was “not being transparent” about the next stage.

Hmm. Rates rises and “not being transparent”. Where have I heard that before?

The fact is, this government has already inflicted significant cost increases across the board, and they have absolutely no intention of stopping.

That’s why the Canberra Liberals will introduce a 2.2 per cent cap on rates based on the 10-year average of the Wage Price Index (WPI).

This means not only will you not get any rates shocks, but Canberrans will be almost $2,000 better off in the first term of a Canberra Liberals government.

This is on top of the $65 million cost of living package we have promised, which will include things like free public school transport and a $100 rebate on car registration.

This is another area where the government has consistently misled the public in the lead-up to elections, then consistently backflipped afterwards, causing more and more pain to Canberrans, but particularly families in the suburbs.

People in the streets tell me they are sick of the endless rates increases and the endless false promises from this government. I am too.

We were right about the government’s rates then, and we are right about them now.

For lower rates, vote Canberra Liberals.

• Jeremy Hanson CSC, MLA, Canberra Liberals Member for Murrumbidgee

Marisa Paterson

Debates on housing supply have dominated the national discourse over the past couple of years, and our community has not been immune. I hear regularly from young people struggling to find affordable homes, and from older people having difficulty finding suitable housing to downsize. We have done significant work this term to reform the planning system to an outcomes-based system, ensuring improved design, wellbeing, and accessibility of our future housing and community more broadly.  At this election, ACT Labor is presenting Canberrans with a practical plan to see real housing choice with a view to making our growing city more affordable, liveable, and sustainable into the future.

ACT Labor is committed to enabling 30,000 new homes by the end of 2030. This will include working with the Commonwealth to develop the CSIRO Ginninderra site, and new developments in North Lyneham at Thoroughbred Park. Molonglo Valley alone will see more than 11,000 homes built, and North Curtin will see the development of more than 1,300 new homes built alongside high-quality and sustainable public spaces.  ACT Labor is also committed to encouraging large-scale build-to-rent projects in our town centres.  These projects will have affordable housing allocations.

A key gap in our housing options in the ACT is ‘missing middle’ housing. A re-elected Labor government will work with the community to develop a missing middle design guide to support the construction of low-rise, medium density buildings in existing suburban areas, such as townhouses, row houses and duplexes. This design guide will provide a range of high-quality, affordable housing options that are sustainable, and designed to Canberra’s conditions.

Our local shops are at the heart of many suburbs and provide key community hubs. ACT Labor recognises the importance of renewal of our local shops, which is key to our housing plan. Increasing medium density housing supply around local shops will support more investment in the local businesses and services that we all want to see, closer to home.

As more people choose to call our city home, ACT Labor will continue to deliver the housing and infrastructure Canberrans need.

• Dr Marisa Paterson MLA, Australian Labor Party, Member for Murrumbidgee