Page 2812 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
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expert health advice and investing in our vaccine rollout and health system, not paying attention to inexpert senators or members demanding that we put Canberrans at risk.
We are also continuing to deliver the infrastructure and services that our city needs and, while doing that, creating thousands of local jobs. We have a world-class public healthcare system, which we are growing and improving with the Canberra Hospital expansion, the recruitment of more healthcare professionals and increased resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are continuing to make significant investments in our public education system, including building and upgrading our schools and supporting our most vulnerable students. We successfully built the light rail line from Gungahlin to the city and we are getting on with extending the light rail network to Woden so that more Canberrans can benefit from our public transport network.
We are continuing to invest in new and refurbished public housing, with the ACT investing the greatest amount per capita of any state or territory in Australia, including a $100 million investment announced today. We are also investing in climate action, including the ACT government’s sustainable household scheme, so that more Canberrans can share in the cost-benefits of a zero emissions future. We are delivering a range of other infrastructure investments, big and small, across our community.
We recognise that Canberrans are struggling with their health and finances. The ACT government will continue to provide support to those who need it most, including those Canberrans significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak in the ACT. The ACT government has delivered a range of cost-of-living measures, including utilities concessions. The government is providing additional support to those households most in need, including an additional $250 rebate to the around 31,000 low income households that receive the utilities concession, to bring the total concession to $1,000 in 2021-22, and an ongoing $50 increase to the pensioner rates rebate.
In relation to residential tenancy relief, the government is also providing a land tax credit of up to $100 a week to residential landlords who provide rent relief between 1 August 2021 and 31 December 2021 to tenants impacted by COVID-19. With rates deferral, assistance is available for eligible home owners experiencing financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, commencing on 12 August 2021. Eligible ratepayers can defer their first instalment payment for the 2021-22 financial year interest-free for up to three months on their principal place of residence.
The ACT government will extend contracts for over 110 staff in the Jobs for Canberrans program. This highly successful program has supported our COVID-19 response and provided employment opportunities for over 500 people to work in the ACT public services in areas like City Services, Access Canberra, Health, and Education. The government has also extended for a further six weeks all other public sector temporary employment contracts due to expire.
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