Page 2772 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 16 August 2017

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(i) burden of rates, land tax, and other ACT Government charges rising far above the consumer price index, which puts households under increasing financial pressure and particularly targets low income and fixed income households;

(ii) failure to engage in any form of meaningful conversation with the community about its decision to take Community Facility Zoned land away from the broader community in order to build public housing on land which the Government does not pay for, but which the community is permanently deprived of; and

(iii) disregard for businesses and residents operating and living near the light rail route who are severely impacted by the construction of light rail; and

(e) gives preferential treatment to causes that align with the Labor Party, including:

(i) the decision by the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues to no longer deal with Clubs ACT;

(ii) the fact that the Labor Club did not pay any lease variation charge for its 35 unit development in Braddon; and

(iii) within one week of Andrew Barr becoming Chief Minister, the ACT Government purchased the CFMEU headquarters in Dickson for $3 900 000, and is now leasing it back to the CFMEU for $1 per year; and

(2) calls on the ACT Government to explain why:

(a) there are such serious shortcomings with crime prevention and rehabilitation;

(b) so many Canberrans cannot keep pace with the cost of living and are being left out of the conversation about our city’s future; and

Today I want to talk about the inconsistencies, the one-off, ad hoc approaches, double standards and preferential treatment this government has demonstrated. My colleagues and I over time have raised many issues in this Assembly that expose a government that has become so used to governing it takes the people of Canberra for granted. I will talk about some specific issues. Some of them include the recent lease variation charge, an enormous increase that came through in the budget. This has been mentioned to me as a huge misfire on behalf of the government which will potentially see a fall in LVC revenue as it takes projects from being feasible to not feasible to complete. More concerning is that I have been given advice that there has been a rush in applications. Some consultants are advising clients to quickly lodge development applications before the charge becomes effective as there are some transitional arrangements in place.

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