More than $1 billion of Federal Government investment in the Budget will get projects moving across Canberra this year, said Liberal Senator for the ACT Zed Seselja said.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr disagreed, arguing that the ACT had only received 0.28 per cent of the Commonwealth’s infrastructure spending – “the lowest of any state or Territory, again, by some margin”.
In this year’s Budget, the ACT received $51 million, mostly for roadworks, Mr Barr stated. The ACT received nearly $500 less than the next lowest on the list – the Northern Territory received $538 million, and Tasmania $662 million. Queensland topped the list with $3.9 billion, followed by NSW and Victoria with $3.3 billion each, South Australia with $2.8 billion, and Western Australia with $2.1 billion.
“The Federal Liberals have ignored Canberra again, significantly shortchanging the Territory on major infrastructure investment,” Mr Barr said. “This means the ACT Government will, once again, do the heavy lifting on job-creating infrastructure investments.”
Senator Seselja, however, said that infrastructure projects across Canberra throughout 2022-23 represent over $1 billion in federal government investment, including the Australian War Memorial, the Monaro Highway, William Hovell Drive, Beltana Road, Molonglo Bridge, and Gundaroo Drive. In the last week, Senator Seselja announced $46.7 million for the Athllon Drive duplication, while the Government will provide another $38.5 to upgrade Scrivener Dam.
“We are continuing to build on the largest infrastructure investment in our city in a generation – over $2.2 billion since 2018,” Senator Seselja said.
But Mr Barr said the Commonwealth had “failed” to invest in the AIS precinct, especially the reopening of the AIS Arena.
“The precinct faces an uncertain future,” Mr Barr said. “This is an urgent priority for the ACT in the Federal election, and we will continue to advocate for a renewal partnership with the Commonwealth after the election.”
Independent ACT Senate candidate David Pocock said it was disappointing to see overall funding for the ACT would decline by 3 per cent next year, and blamed Senator Seselja, whose seat he hopes to win.
“Anyone hoping for a budget night surprise in our city’s favour would have been sorely disappointed,” Mr Pocock said.
“What this budget plainly shows once again is that the ACT is not being well-served by its current representative in government. It appears that Senator Seselja could not even get funding for comparatively minor investments like an AIS Arena upgrade to make it safe for events, or his proposed upgrade to Viking Park.”
For more Budget news:
- Plans to move APS agencies out of ACT concerning: Andrew Barr
- The Federal Budget: Easing the cost of living?
- Budget a missed opportunity for climate action, says Andrew Barr
- The Budget: a plan for a stronger future or an election campaign?
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