Page 1247 - Week 05 - Thursday, 4 June 2020
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We owe it to everyone in Canberra to at least give them the respect of telling them why decisions have been taken. I do not think it is too much to ask that we have direct advice, direct guidance, and the rationale and explanation as to why New South Wales is going faster than we are. We want to see the medical and health advice which supports the decisions that have been taken. We owe it to every person and small business in the ACT to get this right, and the Canberra Liberals will keep advocating for them.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (3.13): I move:
Omit all text after paragraph (1)(a), substitute:
“(b) the COVID-19 restrictions were first established, and the staged easing of restrictions considered and implemented in the ACT, in accordance with the expert health advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the framework agreed by National Cabinet;
(c) the pandemic is not over, and the ACT Government continues to take action to manage the impact of COVID-19 on the ACT community and economy, reflecting the Public Health Directions set by the Chief Health Officer to keep Canberrans safe;
(d) the clear health advice for the ACT is that gradually easing restrictions is the best way to safely manage increased social and economic activity, while minimising the risk of a second COVID-19 outbreak;
(e) throughout the course of the pandemic, the implementation and easing of restrictions in the ACT have been tailored to meet this jurisdiction’s particular circumstances, including:
(i) the ACT did not implement many of the more severe and restrictive steps brought in in other jurisdictions, such as enforcing and fining people for not complying with ‘stay at home’ orders, sitting alone, going for walks in public parks or having a driving lesson; and
(ii) the ACT announced and implemented a staged return to face-to-face school learning ahead of Victoria and Tasmania, and with a clearer process than New South Wales’ initial ‘one day a week’ approach;
(f) the ongoing economic survival measures released by the ACT Government focus on tax cuts, fee relief, regulatory reduction and public investment to support jobs, and local businesses and households to reduce their costs, while ensuring Canberra was fully prepared to handle the health impacts of a major COVID-19 outbreak;
(g) further economic stimulus will be provided through stamp duty concessions to eventual owner occupiers who purchase single residential blocks or off-the-plan apartments and townhouses until 30 June 2021;
(h) the ACT is ahead of NSW in easing restrictions in many sectors, while retaining restrictions on some activities that inherently carry more risk of transmission; and
(i) it is the ongoing responsibility of all persons in positions of authority in the community, such as Members of the Legislative Assembly, to provide
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