Canberra Liberals Leader Elizabeth Lee has slammed Andrew Barr and his Labor-Greens government for failing to adequately address the cost-of-living crisis, following the release of the ACT Council of Social Services 2024 ACT Cost of Living Report last week.

In a motion that will be moved in the Legislative Assembly today, Ms Lee will highlight that the cost-of-living crisis has worsened under Andrew Barr and will call 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 said.

“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%
• increasing vehicle registration fees by 4%
• increasing drivers licence fees by 4%
• increasing public transport fees by 3%
• 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.

“The fact that our community sector organisations are all experiencing a significant increase in demand for services shows that the assistance the Labor-Greens government does provide is not working.”

Ms Lee said the Canberra Liberals have listened to the concerns of the community and as a direct result have already announced a number of policies aimed at addressing the cost-of-living crisis which includes a $65 million cost-of-living relief package, a fairer more transparent rates system and will abolish the GP payroll tax.

“It is clear that the only party in the ACT that will address the cost-of-living pressures that so many are facing is the Canberra Liberals,” Ms Lee concluded.