Bill Stefaniak – convenor of the Belco Party, former Canberra Liberals MLA, minister, and leader of the opposition, and Canberra Weekly columnist – will re-enter the political fray: he announced today he would stand as a Belco Party candidate for Ginninderra in October.
“Initially, I had no intention to stand in this election, and would not have done so if my late wife Shirley was still alive, as she had put up with me being a member of the Assembly from 1989 (the original assembly) to 1992, and then from 1994 to late 2008,” Mr Stefaniak said.
“My colleagues in the Belco Party have over the last few months convinced me to stand once again, and as I’m semi-retired now and a widower, I’m able to do so.”
Mr Stefaniak was a solicitor and Crown Prosecutor before being elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1989. In his nearly two decades as an MLA, he held several portfolios, including Minister for Education and Training; Children, Youth and Family Services; Housing; Sport, Recreation and Racing; Police and Emergency Services; Attorney-General; and later Leader of the Opposition.
“Politics is a tough gig, but I’ve done it before, and I believe I’m the only person standing who has experience in both government and opposition, not to mention a wealth of corporate knowledge,” Mr Stefaniak said. “Accordingly, I believe I’ve got something to offer.
“I’m proud of my achievements in the Assembly, especially things like paving the streets of Hall, introducing literacy and numeracy tests in schools, and introducing compulsory physical education from kindergarten to year 10, as well as introducing mandatory reporting of child abuse,” Mr Stefaniak said.
“I also made it easier for police to arrest criminals, and we dropped the burglary rate by 50 per cent in six months by introducing tough new bail laws to lock up repeat offenders. This measure has almost certainly saved innocent victims’ lives.”
The Belco Party “wants to change the way things are done in Canberra”, and “look after the interests of the outer, more neglected areas”. It was founded at the 2020 election by a group of people frustrated at how Canberra was being led, with a mission of “keeping the bastards honest”, and won 9.4 per cent of the vote in Ginninderra then.
“The Belco Party stands for ensuring the ACT government is accountable and does the basic things right – like looking after our roads, ovals, footpaths, as well as adequately funding our health and police services,” Mr Stefaniak said.
“The Belco Party is not just a party for the neglected outer suburbs in the North of Canberra, although that’s where we originated. The Belco Party is a grassroots party that seeks to ensure that the ordinary citizens and battlers of our community are not forgotten, and we want to ensure that our elected members provide basic, sensible, non-ideological representation for Canberrans.
“We believe the $4 to $10 billion being spent on the tram would be better spent on fixing up our health system and hiring the 250-plus extra police we need to keep our community safe.
“The Belco Party has already promised to ensure a future ACT government hires the extra 250 police we need; conducts a review of the ACT justice system, especially the criminal system; halts stage 2B of the light rail from Civic to Woden; and spends the $4 to 10 billion saved on our essential services such as our badly neglected health and education systems, as well as fixing up the roads and pathways of our neglected suburbs.
“We will build the Chic Henry Canberra International Motor Sport and driver training facility, and we will also ensure the new government conducts a properly independent inquiry into the disastrous kangaroo cull, strengthens animal cruelty laws, and fast-tracks a new shelter for the RSPCA. Further policies will be announced over the next two months, including an exciting housing policy that has been developed on the back of our recent housing seminar.”
The Belco Party is running two candidates in Yerrabi and three in Ginninderra. Former policeman Detective-Sergeant Jason Taylor is standing in Yerrabi. He is, Mr Stefaniak said, the only candidate running for these Assembly elections who has almost been killed defending his community: he was severely injured while responding to a domestic violence incident in Gungahlin.
Alan Tutt, a Hawker shop owner and AFL player, stood in the 2020 election and will run again for Ginninderra. Mr Stefaniak says Mr Tutt was instrumental in saving the Belconnen recycling centre from closing in 2020/21. They will be joined soon by several other candidates.
“I look forward to campaigning with my already announced colleagues and good friends, former Detective Sergeant Jason Taylor (Yerrabi) and local business owner and sportsman Alan Tutt (Ginninderra),” Mr Stefaniak said.
Mr Stefaniak says the Belco Party will support the Canberra Liberals into government – “but will ensure they are held accountable, and will keep them honest and up to the task”.
“The current government has been in for 23 years; that’s too long even if they were any good, which they’ve demonstrated time and again that they aren’t!
“Enough is enough; Labor needs time on the bench to refresh and recuperate. Their coalition partners, the Greens, are not an environmental party anymore, and have some dangerous policies, some of which have already hurt the community.”
