Page 3970 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 29 November 2022
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(k) establishment and maintenance of a Food Security Network to develop a fit-for-purpose database that is managed by a dedicated project coordinator in the community services sector, including funding for secretariat support and development of a communications strategy;
(l) the pensioner rates and Fire and Emergency Services Levy (FESL) rebate schemes, supporting 15,800 eligible households with a 50 percent rates rebate up to $750 per year, and a $98 FESL rebate per year;
(m) conveyance duty concessions, with an up to 100 percent discount on conveyance duty payable, supporting 6,600 eligible households per year; and
(n) the Spectacles Subsidy Scheme, supporting eligible Canberrans with up to $200 on spectacle purchases every two years, assisting in the purchase of 9,900 spectacles in 2022-23.
(3) notes the ACT Government:
(a) is investing in the ACT’s health system to ensure Canberrans have increased access to free high-quality public healthcare when and where they need it, including the ACT’s network of nurse-led walk-in health centres and community health centres;
(b) has implemented a range of economic policies and direct financial supports for Canberra businesses to keep Canberrans in jobs through the height of the pandemic and during our economic recovery;
(c) has structured its Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) core pay offer to approximately 25,000 ACT public servants on the principles of providing the lowest-paid government workers the highest pay increases over the life of the proposed agreement, including an immediate one-off payment to cope with the inflation spike; and
(d) is implementing policies to accelerate the delivery of additional affordable rental dwellings, including through the promotion of the Build-to-Rent scheme, the expansion of the Growing and Renewing Public Housing program, and supporting social and affordable housing developments – most recently Common Ground Dickson.
(4) calls on the ACT Government to continue investing in measures to support low-income Canberra households reduce their cost-of-living pressures across a range of areas.”.
The amendment notes the cost of living pressures that are being experienced. We note that they are being experienced Australia-wide; they are not just an ACT issue. These are in a range of essential sectors, including energy, health, transport and housing.
We also note, though, importantly, that one of the major contributors to cost of living pressures facing Australians and Canberrans is that their wages are not keeping pace in many industry sectors, private and public, and that there can be, in some parts of Australia, a lack of suitable employment and promotion opportunities. The amendment notes, though, that unemployment in the ACT is currently the lowest in the country and that we are very close to having effective full employment in the territory.
We also note that most Canberrans enjoy a very high standard of living, and Ms Lee touched upon that in her remarks. Of course, all Canberrans have access to free,
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