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 related to Canberra. This is the first instalment.

Marisa Paterson

Proven, practical, progressive. Canberrans know these traits to be synonymous with ACT Labor.  A re-elected ACT Labor Government will continue to deliver what really matters to Canberrans. I am proud to be part of an energised, professional, diverse team of candidates representing ACT Labor, who are passionate about ensuring Canberra remains the best city in the country to live.

From guaranteeing accessible public healthcare for all, modernising our transport system, building more public homes and affordable housing, and helping Canberrans with the cost-of-living pressures, we are ready and committed to continue to build Canberra’s future.  

A re-elected Labor Government will make the biggest investment in healthcare in the Territory’s history. An additional 800 healthcare workers will mean that more Canberrans can receive the treatment they need, when and where they need it. These new staff will be needed as the Government is set to open the Canberra Hospital Expansion, build the new Northside Hospital and expand our free walk-in centres. Only Labor can deliver a truly universal healthcare system that Canberrans can rely on when they need it most.

We are a growing city that requires modern transport options, which includes improving our road network, our bus system and expanding light rail to Woden. Building on the significant success of light rail to Gungahlin, ACT Labor will future proof our public transport system by delivering light rail to the south. This will see an easing of traffic congestion on our roads, significant economic growth and opportunities for local businesses, and provide critical housing along the corridor.

The last few years have been tough for some in our community. That’s why ACT Labor is committed to reducing the cost-of-living burden on many Canberra households. With electricity, gas, and water rebates for more than 40,000 households, rebates for pensioners of up to 50 per cent on their rates, $200 payments to apprentices and trainees, and increasing the Future of Education Equity Fund, this ensures Canberra’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable members are supported through this challenging time.

I am a proud member of a fresh, energic, ACT Labor team that is ready to work for you to deliver for our community following the 19 October election.

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

Jeremy Hanson

Why the tram extension is the wrong priority for Canberra.

My opposition to the tram extension is well-known and long-standing, and concerns are raised with me in mobile offices and community meetings regularly.

People are aware of it being extended to Woden, and they are worried. They are worried about the sheer cost and the practicality of the project. This includes facts such as:

• It will cost over $4 billion to get from Civic to Woden.
• The three-stop extension from Civic to Commonwealth Park alone will cost $577 million.
• The Woden leg will not be completed until the late 2030s.
• The tram will take twice as long to travel between Civic and Woden than the current buses.
• It will likely cause direct bus services across Canberra’s south to be cancelled, just as buses were cancelled in Gungahlin.
• It will lead to high-density development along the route, as we now see on Northbourne Avenue.
• There are better, faster and cheaper alternatives available.

The other issue is the ‘opportunity cost’. That is, what else we can’t spend money on so the tram can be built?

We know through budget papers that hundreds of millions of dollars were diverted from the health system to pay for the first stage of the tram.

Productivity Commission reports show that funding for teachers has been reduced over the last decade, and our police now have the smallest frontline workforce per capita of any state or territory. 

In the Federal Budget, $86 million in funding for road projects was diverted to help pay for the tram.

And all of us can see the lack of funding for grass mowing, potholes and general maintenance all across the city.

While Stage 1 is finished, Stage 2B, which is the extension to Woden, has not even started.

That gives Canberrans one last chance to prevent further damage and get back on track.

That is why we will take that choice to the people of Canberra, and why the Canberra Liberals will not build the tram to Woden and will instead invest in health, education, police, and city services across Canberra.

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

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