Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee has slammed the ACT Labor-Greens government, following several Productivity Commission Reports released in the last couple of weeks that highlights the ACT is lagging the rest of the country in most areas.

Ms Lee said the reports on government services from the Productivity Commission on housing, policing, justice and health highlight what the Canberra Liberals have been saying for some time now; that the Barr-Rattenbury government is out of touch and not focussed on the right priorities for Canberrans.

“Canberra is the nation’s capital, and what these reports show is that we are failing on almost every metric, and it simply is not acceptable,” Ms Lee said.

“This data clearly shows the ACT has:

• less public housing dwellings than a decade ago

• highest rates of long-term homelessness in the country

• less police than we had a decade ago

• Lowest police numbers per capita in the country

• lowest conviction and clearance rates in the country,

• highest indigenous incarceration rates in the country

• a failing health system including longest emergency department wait times in the country.

“How can anyone look at this data and say the Barr-Rattenbury government is performing as it should, and our rates are being spent on critical government services to serve the community?

“What is clear is that the ACT is failing badly across these areas and more because of decisions made by this government including siphoning money from housing, health and critical government services to pay for the tram.

“Without substantial investment in these services, the ACT will continue to fall behind and the Canberra Liberals are committed to ensuring that does not happen.

“This is one of the reasons why this week I will be calling on the ACT Legislative Assembly to establish a Select Committee on cost of living that is impacting so many Canberrans.

“The Barr-Rattenbury government must show Canberrans they care about what is impacting Canberrans the most and agree to this select committee that will inquire and report on the cost-of-living pressures facing Canberrans and the drivers of these pressures.

“Canberrans deserve much better than what they are getting from this government and more times than not it is vulnerable Canberrans; the ones who can least afford it; who are being left behind,” Ms Lee concluded.