Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee will today outline her vision for Canberra in the lead-up to the 2024 ACT election.
In a speech at the National Press Club, she will outline her priority areas: investing in frontline workers (the Liberals believes the government cannot retain frontline workers); creating a world class health system (the Liberals sought a Royal Commission into the health system earlier this year); developing a nation-leading education system (the Liberals are concerned literacy is declining, and called two years ago for a new education strategy); providing genuine opportunities for home ownership (the Liberals believe Canberra needs a larger and more diverse supply of housing); making Canberra safer; supporting small business, innovation, and investment; bringing the world’s best events to our capital; a practical transport system (not the tram); looking after the environment and wildlife; and getting the basics right.
“In one year, Canberrans will have a choice between a fresh, energetic Liberal team that I lead, and an arrogant, out of touch Labor-Greens government,” Ms Lee said.
“Canberra deserves a government that does not take the community for granted, and a government that will genuinely listen and govern in the best interests of the people that it serves.”
Ms Lee will announce a $100 million policy to upgrade Canberra’s neglected suburbs. Under this policy, every suburb in Canberra would be eligible for additional funding for community projects that would directly benefit local residents, neighbourhood areas, and the environment.
“his is not business as usual, it is about investing Canberrans’ hard-earned rates directly back into their suburb,” Ms Lee said.
“This funding will be aimed at much needed community facilities that have for too long been neglected under this Labor-Greens government.
In the Legislative Assembly last week, Ms Lee said that basic maintenance of suburbs had steadily declined over the last decade, despite the government collecting a record amount of taxes. She had called on the government to return more of taxpayers’ money to their neighbourhoods.
“Our suburbs and neighbourhoods are the bedrock of our city. They are the places where we live, where we bring up our children, where we socialise with friends and family, go to school, and where we come together as a community.
“It is in our suburbs, the heart of our community, where I start building my vision for a better Canberra.”
Ms Lee’s Putting Your Suburb First policy would allocate funding based on the number of households in each suburb. the bigger, older suburbs would receive a larger amount. Residents would be able to make a case for funding for their local neighbourhoods based on what they need.
“This policy recognises that each Canberra suburb is unique, and it’s the people who live there that know what their community needs,” Ms Lee said. “This policy will put the choice firmly in the hands of the community on what they want to see in their own suburb.
“The ACT Labor-Greens government has neglected our suburbs for far too long, and their own Better Suburbs program has been more smoke and mirrors, as highlighted by the current sorry state of many of our suburbs.”
Ms Lee concluded: “Today is just the beginning, and I look forward to making further announcements as we head towards the election in October next year.”
