It will be a long year. While the major parties use a cost-of-living debate to argue for their electoral packages, a Labor MLA – the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, no less – shares social media posts by opposition MLAs criticising the ACT Greens (Labor’s supposed partners in government).

Yesterday, backbench MLA Elizabeth Kikkert (Canberra Liberals) posted the following on Facebook:

Ms Kikkert wrote: “At the Legislative Assembly today, Member for Ginninderra Jo Clay ACT Greens said, ‘Cost of living means that not everybody can afford a car. Congestion means that we don’t want everybody to afford a car. Not everybody should be able to drive everywhere they can go in a growing city.’

“If ones [sic] preferred doctor lives on the other side of the city, they should be able to go there. If my kids wants [sic] to go to Tidbinbilla, I should be able to go there. (Photo from FB)”

Labor MLA Joy Burch shared the opposition MLA’s Facebook post this afternoon, commenting:

“The Greens don’t want everyone to own a car or to be able to drive where you want. What they said yesterday….. we (the greens [sic, passim]) do not want everybody to afford a car. Not everybody should be able to drive everywhere they can go in a growing city.

“I say. Shame shame. It seems they are able to afford and own a car. Happily collecting thier [sic] new EV.

“I say. I’m sure families living across Tuggeranong and Lanyon Valley would like to be able to drive where they need to go and not be told by the greens they should own car or be able to drive where they want.”

Ms Burch will retire this year.

Labor, of course, has a track record: Senator Katy Gallagher’s van was parked outside the Greens’ office during the 2022 federal election.