Page 288 - Week 01 - Thursday, 13 February 2020
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To add to these testimonials I add the voice of a small business owner, an employer in this town and a contributor to our economy, providing not just services to the local economy but also employing many Canberrans. They say:
I am a small business owner who has faced increases of rates that are crippling to my business. Last year I was hit with an increase of more than $15,000 with no notice. If that wasn’t bad enough, I have just been informed that my increase for this year is going to be more than $18,500. How does a small business manage to budget for increases of these amounts and where will the funds come from? I have been serving the local community for 23 years as a small business owner and employer, however, I’m getting to the point where I can’t see that I will be able to continue paying increases like we’ve had.
And that is year on year.
These are real people, residents of our city who are feeling the impacts of 19 years of mismanagement under Labor and the Greens, for nine of which the Chief Minister has been in control of the treasury books. Mr Barr has a lot to answer for when it comes to ignoring the needs of Canberrans and ensuring that we get what we pay for.
There is a choice this year, however. On 17 October Canberrans will be faced with a choice: more of the same, as they have had for the past 19 years, or an alternative; an alternative that has a plan. The Canberra Liberals are the only party going forward that are promising to improve the cost of living for Canberra families. First of all, we will start by introducing a rates freeze from day one which will make managing the budget for Canberra households easier and give them certainty over the next four-year term.
The Canberra Liberals will improve outcomes for all Canberrans and make sure that residents get what they pay for. We will fix the mess left behind by 19 years of Labor neglect, particularly those in outer, forgotten suburbs. Only the Canberra Liberals will focus on easing the cost of living pressures facing Canberrans. We will get the basics right. We will deliver more frontline services by way of better bus services, more doctors, more nurses, more police and, importantly, above all we will treat all Canberrans, no matter where they live, no matter their age, no matter their background, with the respect and the dignity that they deserve.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Disability, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Health, Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.11): The ACT economy is a national success story, driven in part by the record infrastructure and frontline service investments of our Labor government. However, no city is entirely immune from national economic trends. These trends include stagnating wages in the face of the growing cost of living. Like many cities in Australia, Canberra is experiencing a high rate of population growth. This presents our city with particular challenges, as well as opportunities. Our government is meeting these challenges by investing in the services and infrastructure that our growing city needs. Our government has decided to harness the economic power of population growth to create jobs, to increase services and to make our city a better place to live for all Canberrans.
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