Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his Labor-Greens have failed to adequately address the cost-of-living crisis, following the release of the ACT Council of Social Services 2024 ACT Cost of Living Report, says Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee. 

In a motion that will be moved in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Lee calls on the ACT government to undertake a comprehensive review of the 2012 ACT Targeted Assistance Strategy.

“The 2012 ACT Targeted Assistance Strategy is now over a decade old and over that period economic conditions in the ACT have significantly changed,” Ms Lee says.

“The ACTCOSS report found that over the past five years, Canberra has experienced above-inflation increases in the prices of many essential goods and services such as education, housing, medical, transport and childcare all of which have increased by over 20 per cent.

“Despite the worsening cost of living crisis, Andrew Barr has in the recent ACT budget, imposed even more pain on Canberrans by:

• Increasing household rates by between 4.5 and 9 per cent
• increasing vehicle registration fees by 4 per cent
• increasing drivers licence fees by 4 per cent
• increasing public transport fees by 3 per cent
• increasing the Safer Families and the Police, Fire and Emergency Services Levy.

“This comes on the back of electricity costs increasing by 12.75 per cent and water and sewerage charges increasing by 7 per cent.

“As a result of the worsening cost of living crisis under Labor and the Greens, our community sector organisations are continuing to see increased demand for their services, including from people in employment who are struggling to make ends meet.

Ms Lee says the Canberra Liberals have already announced policies aimed at addressing the cost-of-living crisis, including a $65 million cost-of-living relief package, a fairer more transparent rates system and will abolish the GP payroll tax.