ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has slammed Andrew Barr’s economic credentials after Treasury has confirmed the Canberra Liberals’ business payroll tax policy will cost the budget just over $48 million next term well short of the $500 million put forward by Andrew Barr.

Ms Lee said this once again goes to highlight that Andrew Barr has either deliberately misled the public or is so incompetent he does not understand his own budget papers.

“For Andrew Barr to put those figures out last week was desperate, disingenuous and Canberrans should expect better from someone who has controlled the budget for over a decade,” Ms Lee said.

“Treasury has confirmed that the policy put forward by the Canberra Liberals, that has remained the same since it was announced would cost a fraction of what Andrew Barr very publicly stated it would.

“If Andrew Barr had bothered to do a simple fact check before going out so public with his outrageous figures, he could have saved himself the embarrassment.

“Instead of having a genuine debate on policy and a vision for Canberra, Andrew Barr has continually run a fear campaign, and he has once again been found to be misleading the public.”

Ms Lee also highlighted that despite it being one of Labor’s first major policy announcements, Andrew Barr has not submitted costings to Treasury for 800 new health workers.

“The announcement of 800 new health workers is a centrepiece for Labor’s campaign and Andrew Barr has missed the deadline to submit the policy to Treasury for costing.

“Theoretically 800 new health workers could cost the territory over $200 million a year and Andrew Barr needs to tell Canberrans why he has failed to submit the policy to Treasury for costings before the deadline and how much it will cost,” Ms Lee concluded.