A Canberra Liberals Government will lower car registration costs, deliver better parking and shorter commutes to reduce pressures on families to ensure they have more time for the things that matter.   

The Canberra Liberals want to make Canberra the best place to live, work and raise a family. We know many stressed Canberra families rely on their cars for work and family responsibilities. That’s why we have a plan to make the daily commute less stressful and more affordable for all ACT drivers.  

In addition to our plan to save an average Canberra family up to $200 per year in lower car registration fees, the Canberra Liberals will make parking across Canberra free after 5:30pm for six months. Labor introduced night time paid parking in the City in 2015. A Canberra Liberals Government will also create green carparks, and deliver more parking bays at local shops and town centres. 

With our new $50 million Local Parking Fund, a Canberra Liberals Government will deliver an estimated 2,500 new parking spaces to address inadequate parking in many areas of Canberra, particularly local shops and town centres.   

The Canberra Liberals will also ensure shorter commutes so stressed families can have more time at home and less time on the road. We will trial new technologies to improve traffic flows and introduce real-time monitoring to alert drivers to road construction works, helping drivers plan their daily travel around traffic deadlocks. We will also allow cars with three or more passengers to drive in commuter lanes to improve traffic flows and help people get to where they need to be sooner.     

The Leader of the Canberra Liberals Alistair Coe said he wanted to make Canberra an easy and affordable place to live for everyone. 

“This is all about making Canberra an affordable and attractive place to live, work and raise a family,” Mr Coe said.  

“At a time when our hospitality venues are doing it very tough, the further inconvenience of paid parking could hurt their recovery.   

“By delivering lower taxes and better services, we’ll reduce pressures on stressed families and local businesses and help more Canberrans get ahead,” Mr Coe said.   

The Shadow Minister for Urban Services Nicole Lawder said green upgrades to carparks will improve the environmental sustainability and aesthetic appeal of carparks with green upgrades.   

“Our upgrades for green carparks will include more green grass, vegetation and trees. This will help reduce the urban heat island effect while still providing the community with reliable amenities. Where possible, we will implement a tree planting program in carparks as part of our plan to plant and care for one million trees,” Ms Lawder said.  

The Shadow Minister for Transport Candice Burch said the Liberals’ plan to reduce car rego, deliver better parking and shorter commutes will help take the stress out of the daily commute.   

“These are fully funded, reasonable measures to save families time and money so they can spend more time at home,” Miss Burch said.  

“Hundreds and thousands of Canberrans rely on their car as their primary form of transport and that’s why it’s so important that we reduce cost pressures and improve the ease and conveniency of travel on our roads,” Miss Burch said.  

“By making Canberra more affordable, and stopping the stem of people moving across the border, a Canberra Liberals Government can afford to deliver lower taxes and better services at the same time,” Mr Coe concluded. 

Our Plan to lower car rego fees, deliver better parking and shorter commutes:  

• We’ll reduce the cost of private car registration by up to $98.90 from January 1  
• We’ll make parking in ACT Government parking lots free after 5:30pm to boost the ACT’s night time economy  
• We’ll create 2,500 new parking spaces with our $50 million Local Parking Fund 
• We’ll conduct a trial of City-wide parking to enable motorists to use a single parking ticket at any ACT Government parking lot 
• We’ll improve the sustainability and aesthetics of carparks with green upgrades to incorporate grass, vegetation and more trees   
• We’ll ensure shorter commutes with new traffic management technology, T3 passenger commuting in bus lanes and real time monitoring of traffic construction works