“Gone is the ultra-conservatism of the Canberra Liberals as Elizabeth Lee stepped right into Labor’s political territory,” writes political columnist MICHAEL MOORE. 

TRADITIONAL political wisdom would have the first Budget after an election as the time for stridency; a chance to make big cuts or to announce a new tax. 

The further away from an election, the better. Not the wet-lettuce 2020-21 ACT Budget. It’s Budget time, but it’s weird times.

Postponed from before the election, this is a Clayton’s first Budget. Instead of four Budgets, the Barr Government has five. This might help explain why it seems others have suggested “it is so boring”.

Finding little of substance within the Budget, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee used the opportunity to slam Labor’s 20-year record. 

She identified “broken promises”, “declining services” and “more of the same”. Although modifying her approach later, she commenced her budget-in-reply speech in full election mode.

Her assertions that the Budget “embeds 20 years of under-resourcing the health system”, that it embeds the years of neglect of our tired and hazardous school infrastructure” and that it “embeds the same old thinking from this government of charging Canberrans more and delivering less” carries some weight.

However, to add confusion, the Budget is much more a left-over pre-election Budget than a new start.

Gone is the ultra-conservatism of the Canberra Liberals as Ms Lee stepped right into Labor’s political territory. 

“The Canberra of today is a city which sees a real risk of becoming a two-tiered society with some of our most vulnerable being left behind and forgotten. And it is clear from the Treasurer’s Budget this week that there is no appetite, no leadership and no vision from this government to do anything about it”.

Her focus was those who are most in need. “Levels of poverty, homelessness and the working poor have skyrocketed. After 20 years in office, obviously your approach is not working. Let us deal with this once and for all. Let us deal with this together”. 

And then the offer of an olive branch, “let’s make the Poverty Taskforce a tri-partisan reality”.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s initial focus was on unemployment, infrastructure funding, tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and setting a goal of reducing net emissions by 100 per cent. 

“Taking the next steps,” he told the Legislative Assembly, “after meeting the 2020 renewable energy goals. The next steps include supporting home solar power and $20 million per year over the next five years for Canberra’s ‘big battery’.”

There are flashes of a renewed government attempting to move forward. The big winner in the capital works program is Transport Services which swallows 36 per cent of the Budget with an allocation of $931 million. Education takes 16 per cent and $410 million. Health has just 5 per cent ($141 million) while Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development has just 1 per cent ($29 million).

The Chief Minister has predicted that the ACT fiscal position is set to improve by $500 million over the next few years after a $300 million improvement in this financial year alone. Good news. But what about rates? No relief here. Rates will continue to grow by 3.75 per cent each year over the next five years.

The COVID-19 context of this election was identified by both the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. 

From Andrew Barr’s perspective: “The COVID-19 pandemic has posed the greatest economic and health challenge to the ACT since self-government. 

“Within weeks of the start of the pandemic in Australia, over 10,000 jobs were lost in the ACT. The impact of this crisis has not been evenly distributed, with the effects being felt more intensely across hospitality, tourism, and higher education.”

From Elizabeth Lee’s perspective: “The pandemic has shown the power of working together and I acknowledge the Chief Minister’s willingness to work with the Canberra Liberals, and with the federal Liberal government in the best interests of Canberrans”. 

This acknowledgement was followed by a plea to the Chief Minister to “continue to work with us in the same vein to protect the lives and livelihoods of all Canberrans”.

What are the chances that the current Assembly will actually deliver less partisanship and focus on benefiting the community? Weird times!

Michael Moore is a former member of the ACT Legislative Assembly and an independent minister for health. He has been a political columnist with “CityNews” since 2006.