Page 1963 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
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(4) calls on the ACT Government to work:
(a) collaboratively with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his majority Labor Government to deliver their election commitments in the ACT; and
(b) with all Members of the 47th Parliament of Australia to ensure that the interests of the ACT are well served.
On 21 May this year, a majority Labor government was elected to serve the people of Australia. This is a historic result for the Labor Party and for working people in this country. The real story from this election is the story of the Labor Party’s huge gains in the suburbs, the cities and the regions. These are the Australians that elected a majority Labor government.
The Labor Party now has a strong mandate for government across the country but particularly in the Canberra region. The Labor Party primary vote in Bean has now reached 41.7 per cent, with a 3.6 per cent swing towards David Smith MP. In the electorate of Canberra the swing is even stronger, with Alicia Payne MP gaining 4.3 per cent, to bring her primary vote to 44.8 per cent. The most astonishing result is in my home electorate of Fenner, where Andrew Leigh MP has a primary vote of 48.3 per cent after the swing towards him.
It is clear that Canberrans voted for change, and it is very clear that Canberrans voted for the Labor Party. The issues that Canberrans care about—addressing the housing crisis, doing more to help the environment and ensuring that Canberra gets its fair share of infrastructure spending—were key parts of the Labor Party’s platform. It only makes sense that people’s votes reflected their values. The new majority Labor government made a lot of local election commitments that Canberrans want to see delivered.
I want to see them delivered too. That is why I am calling on the ACT government to work cooperatively with the federal majority Labor government to deliver on their promises. One of those promises that I am very proud of, and one that is already ACT government policy, is $10 million for supported student housing at Woden CIT. This project will help to house young people who are at risk of homelessness and provide key support services while they study—valuable, wonderful services.
The newly elected majority Labor government has also promised a $1 million boost to provide more crisis accommodation to help women fleeing domestic violence in the ACT. These policies will make a tangible difference in the lives of these vulnerable Canberrans, and I look forward to seeing this promise delivered.
As well as housing, the ACT government and the Canberra community have been calling for the federal government to step up and chip in to reopen the AIS arena. Labor has promised to fully fund the repair and upgrade works, investing $15 million.
Canberrans are proud of how far the ACT government has come in reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy, but there is no doubt that our community wants the new federal government to do more. More than a quarter of Canberra’s households have rooftop solar panels. But without an expensive battery it is often hard for households to make full use of the solar energy they collect.
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