THE Canberra Liberals are calling on the ACT government to release more land following a budget review which they believe fails to address the capital’s “skyrocketing” house prices.

Opposition leader Elizabeth Lee sad she was “incredibly disappointed” that the budget review “contained nothing” to address the issue, despite ACT Treasury stating that a land supply response is necessary to relieve pressure on prices.

“It is clear there is a significant gap between supply and demand for detached housing in the ACT,” Ms Lee said.

“The Labor-Greens Government’s own budget review even acknowledges that if the demand for land is higher than supply, prices will rise.”

The government’s land release program has been attacked by the opposition in recent weeks, with Liberals planning spokesperson Peter Cain arguing the speed at which the government supplies new land is having an impact on the ACT’s “skyrocketing median house price”.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr has rejected the claims, saying the release program represents less than two per cent of the total market and that ACT government decisions therefore have little impact on Canberra house prices.

While Ms Lee acknowledged the that the release of more land is “not a silver bullet fix”, she said that unlocking more land for the tens of thousands of Canberrans who want the opportunity to own their own home is a good place to start.

“Making Canberra an affordable place to live with genuine housing choices should be a priority in the midst of a housing crisis but labor and the greens are not interested in taking any responsibility or using the policy levers in their control to give Canberrans the dream of owning their own home,” Ms Lee said.