Page 4306 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 25 October 2017
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is that, regardless of whether you take up less land, regardless of whether you take up fewer services and require less infrastructure, you should in effect pay the same. It is certainly in contradiction to everything that we have heard from the Greens and the Labor Party in the past.
Quite frankly, the Labor Party and the Greens are delusional if they think that the rates and land tax increases they have brought in are not having a huge detrimental impact on thousands of Canberra households. It is having a massive impact on those who simply cannot afford it. It is all very well for people who are affluent or people who have reserves to say, “I’m happy to pay a little bit more,” but the truth is that there are thousands of Canberra households that cannot pay more. They simply are not in a position to pay the extra $300 or $400 or $500 in rates this year alone.
It is an extremely arrogant argument that is being put forward by Labor and the Greens: that everyone is willing to pay more and everyone has the capacity to pay more. That is the argument, because the government have capped concessions and they are driving up the costs of living in Canberra through rates, land tax and numerous other fees and charges. It is a very arrogant view that simply rejects the struggles of tens of thousands of Canberrans who are the working poor in our city. It is a travesty that those on the other side of the chamber, including the Greens, who claim to be the champions of social justice, are willing to leave tens of thousands of Canberra households behind.
It is all very well for Mr Barr to say, “Well, Canberra’s growing.” Well, quite frankly, Queanbeyan is growing at a faster rate than we are. What does that say? What does it say that the competitive city a few kilometres away is attracting more people, relative to its size, than Canberra is? Somehow the Chief Minister has glossed over that fact. Queanbeyan, on the back of land prices and the cost of living, particularly with regard to rates and land taxes, is considerably more attractive than the ACT. That is a shame. We should be trying to make Canberra more attractive. If people want to live in Canberra they should be able to live in Canberra, but instead this government is driving them away, driving them across the border, and it is doing it with the full support of the Greens.
There are issues with the entire ratings regime in the ACT but particularly with regard to the latest change for apartment and unit owners. It is simply unfair and it is absolutely in contradiction to the government’s stated policy that they want densification. It is absolutely in contravention of that notion. I am not at all surprised to hear that the Greens and Labor, who like to walk both sides of the street, are once again doubling down on this bad policy. Unfortunately it is the tens of thousands of Canberrans who simply cannot afford it who are being left to pay the price for this government.
Question put:
That the amendment be agreed to.
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