Page 1939 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2016
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We support effective policies to reduce carbon emissions, but our environmental priorities must also be focused on local conservation. We will improve and simplify the planning laws and ease the fees and charges that are stifling innovation and growth and sending so many of our local city builders interstate.
Our laws are resulting in poor planning outcomes and they are not supporting homebuyers. In fact, this government has created a housing affordability crisis for first home owners. We will improve the flawed land release system that has been, I think, the greatest impediment to affordable housing in the ACT. To address this, we will not have a tax on density and vibrancy in the city as the Labor Party does. We will create a true city heart in Civic while we can maintain the character of our suburbs. And we can do this because we will remove the lease variation charge that is strangling this city.
Urban maintenance and our local environment are also areas in urgent need of attention. Territory and municipal services should not be viewed as a second order priority as they have been under this government. Public transport, road infrastructure and roads have been heading backwards under this government.
We will invest in buses and road infrastructure that will provide better options and quicker transport for all Canberrans across all of our suburbs. This includes better public transport from Gungahlin along the Northbourne corridor; that can be significantly improved without spending $1.65 billion dollars on a tram.
We will grow our economy, As a Liberal it is in my DNA to support economic growth. Strong economic growth will deliver social benefits and jobs and the ability to deliver world-class services and infrastructure across our city. But economic growth requires a dynamic and a confident private sector supported by the government.
We need a cultural change away from the anti-business, class warfare view of society that dominates this Barr Labor government to one that recognises and values business within our community. We also need to transition away from Canberra’s dependency solely on the federal government. We need to take advantage of the other sectors that we have that are growing: ICT and education, amongst others.
This can only be achieved by fixing the ACT’s restrictive tax and regulatory regime and embracing a culture of innovation and of enterprise. The reality is that small business simply cannot survive in this town with rates increases every year, year on year. We must make Canberra a place where people want to do business.
Through targeted policies and cultural change, we will drive growth and job creation. By encouraging innovation and an entrepreneurial culture, we will reduce the tax and regulatory burden on business and we will provide better targeted support for key commercial sectors.
As I have said, Madam Speaker, I believe we have a duty to look after the vulnerable and to build a fair and a safe community. We will strengthen our communities by recognising and supporting diversity in religion and culture and we will sustain a safe
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