Canberra Weekly asked ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr for his views on the past year and the year to come.
One of the great things about my job is working with many remarkable members of our community and experiencing the full diversity of Canberra.
Our community strives to be the most inclusive in Australia. Canberra is a city that cares for each other, our environment, and our neighbours.
As 2023 draws to a close, I can report on another big year of progress.
The Government has been updating our infrastructure plan. As our city grows to more than half a million people, the Government is planning for the infrastructure that we will need.
As we undertake this work, there is now extra support available from the Commonwealth Government.
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister and I established the National Capital Investment Framework.
The framework outlines the clear intent from the Commonwealth to partner with the Territory on projects and investment in Canberra.
Already, we are seeing the benefits of this, and I look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Commonwealth on the delivery of our shared infrastructure priorities.
2023 was a historic year for the Territory’s long campaign to be treated equally with the States. The introduction of voluntary assisted dying legislation into the Legislative Assembly was the direct result of years of advocacy for equal rights. I thank every Canberran who has supported the campaign for equality.
We also became the first jurisdiction in Australia to make abortions free, because every woman should have the right to choose regardless of their financial means.
We promised to create and protect 250,000 local jobs by 2025, to hire more than 400 nurses and health professionals, deliver free pre-school education to three-year-olds, and deliver a new North Gungahlin School.
And that’s exactly what we have done.
We promised light rail from Gungahlin to the City and we delivered it. Now we are getting on with extending it south to Commonwealth Park and beyond.
We can take a look at what the next 12 months will bring for the ACT.
Next year, Canberrans will be able to access free public health care at the expanded Canberra Hospital, and our nurse-led walk-in centres will be offering even more free health care close to home. Work will also continue on our new network of health centres and the Northside Hospital in Bruce.
And as more and more people vote with their feet and choose to make Canberra home, we are hiring and training hundreds of new nurses, doctors and allied health professionals to provide the care Canberrans need.
The Government is also supporting the construction of more homes using a combination of planning reforms, urban renewal precincts, new suburban land release, build to rent incentives, and stamp duty cuts to increase supply and improve affordability of owner occupier and rental housing in the Territory.
In 2024, work will continue on key projects outlined in the Government’s Infrastructure Plan. There will be progress on the planning, design, or construction of a number of once-in-a-generation projects that will shape our city’s future. This includes the new Woden CIT Campus, the Molonglo Valley Bridge, the city theatre precinct, light rail to Commonwealth Park, a new indoor entertainment facility, and the health, education and sports precinct in Belconnen.
As we deliver our comprehensive health, housing, and infrastructure plans, the Government will continue to support vulnerable Canberrans experiencing cost-of-living pressures. I look forward to working closely with my Cabinet colleagues and the Commonwealth Government to deliver target financial support to households that need it most.
We have been listening to Canberrans, and our focus for next year is clear. The priorities are health services, building more housing, reducing cost of living, and delivering more infrastructure.
