Page 3301 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 October 2022

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On city services and basic maintenance, we can add to this neglect the absolute failure of the Labor-Greens government to deliver these most basic city services. At the moment, for example, we have a pothole epidemic on our roads. Even though we have had record rainfall from La Nina, the budget is in such bad shape that the Labor-Greens government cannot afford to address our urban services issues properly—grass not being mowed, cracked footpaths not fixed and attempts to move to a fortnightly garbage collection to save money. Meanwhile, our rates go up alarmingly each and every year, beyond inflation.

I turn to housing, public housing and vulnerable Canberrans. The cost of living in Canberra is untenable for so many, and this shameful Labor-Greens government has left vulnerable Canberrans behind. In so many ways, we are a privileged city with a local government that does nothing about the 38,000 Canberrans who are living in poverty, including nearly 9,000 children. There is complete disregard for Canberrans living in public housing, with a waiting list of over 3,000 to access public housing, and fewer public housing dwellings now than there were a decade ago. That is the reality under this Labor-Greens government. They also routinely fail to deliver on their own targets for new dwellings each year, despite a chronic housing affordability crisis in Canberra. They talk the big talk but they do not walk the walk. The Labor-Greens government’s incompetence and neglect of Canberrans is staggering, and this budget is just another reminder of that.

Title agreed to.

Question put:

That this bill be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Bill agreed to.

Sitting suspended from 12.25 to 2.00 pm.

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