Labor announces candidates for 2020 ACT Election

We already have had a “progressive” government for the past six terms. In what way does the Australian Progressives offer a real alternative to the current government.

Alan Sargeant read their policies, it’ll take 5 minutes, blindly supporting the LNP and not even considering new minor parties in the ACT isn’t better than blindly supporting the ALP.

Jo Richardson you haven’t been out of Australia much have you, what a rediculous statement.

Lachlan Ryan. Actually I have. You an Andrew Barr staffer? Just had a relative in Canberra hospital. People on beds in corridors etc. terrible treatment after that. Have you experienced it? Have you not heard of the ambulance bypasses? 🙄

Jo Richardson what heritage is he destroying?

Jo Richardson a couple of months ago my 96 yr old Mum spent 4 hours in emergency corridor and then took another 6 to get admitted.

Thank you Metree Taffa. Others commenting on this have No Idea.

Jo Richardson you still haven’t answered my question as to what heritage is being destroyed.

Oh and my mum has been taken to hospital about 4 times over the past 3 years and every time straight in. From what I’ve seen that is the norm, though of course there are times when it is busy (and of course the ambulance bypass story a few months). But that in itself is not a sign of something wrong.

Ashley Wright here’s a couple of examples. Many more: flats along Northbourne, multiple listed trees. Also loss of green space to development and public housing when new suburbs built without any consideration of it and then has to retrofitted into reserved spaces. Most public housing in CBD has been lost thanks to Govt failure to enforce any of its policies for it to be included in new developments.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6247254/something-has-to-give-with-heritage/

So what is the alternative then Colin? And not not talking politics but talking what would you do to accommodate a changing and growing city?

Ashley Wright infill is needed. Certainly. But not to this extent and ugliness and loss of open spaces. Also, the LDA has been buying up vast tracts of rural land (C/T report and also LA Estimates hearings). There is a shortage of land gazetted as “residential’ – but not yet of land generally in the ACT.

Jo Richardson agree with the heritage. Would have been nice to see some of the large concrete architecture buildings from. The 70’s retain some of their look. I liked the old AFP building on cooyong and northbourne. Would have liked to see them incorporate the facade into the new building

Elias Hallaj You don’t need much experience to outperform the Barr/Rattenbury fiasco.

Wayne Jeffs actually, managing 20,000 public servants, a multi billion dollar budget in a looming global recession, emergency services, state services and municipal services might be a bit harder than you realise. But I respect your right to choose to vote for a Liberal Party that seems more focussed on what people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms in these circumstances.

Peter Mackay agree 100%. Totally and utterly have ruined this great city.

Have we met, Peter?

Peter Mackay I am disappointed that all the promises from the last election are just that.
Here we are 3 years later and this govt has done buggar all about increasing social housing, providing safe short term accomadation for homeless or getting people off waiting lists into houses. A 7 year wait for some people to be even considered is an absolute disgrace. Especially when we can find nearly a billion dollars for the tram. (I am happy with the tram) but we need to focus on people.
BUT as bad as this labor?? Government is I despair what an extreme right wing lib one would do to Canberra.

Ray Whitehead I think both parties are equally useless. They will vote together on legislation that increases their impact, and their rewards. We now have four year terms and more politicians and fewer buses.

The tram would have been a good idea in the 1930s. But the city went in a different direction, and like it or not, cars are what works. Or buses. Brisbane looked at the problem and put in a fantastic busway system. It works beautifully.

We’re going to see the world move towards self-driving cars. Cheap door to door transport. Who’s going to bother with all the modal changes and schlepping about in the weather to use the limited tram network?

Jan McElligott Yeah. Let’s make the North/South split a real thing.

#MawsonDicksonLine

Peter Mackay OMG that’s so good. It’s gotta be a thing 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Freedom and self-government for the South.

Jan McElligott excellent idea, self governing South side. Bring it on.

Jan McElligott can’t stand Andrew Barr. He’s arrogant and doesn’t give a damn about the south side.

Jan McElligott doesn’t explain why Tuggeranong voters returned those appaling representatives for Tuggeranong, ACT Labour MLAs, Burch and Gentleman. If they weren’t returned by Tuggeranong voters, ACT Labour/Greens Govt would have fallen in 2016. You get what u vote for .

Neil Goodwin Appalling they may well be. However, back then the three northern electorates (Ginninderra, Yerrabi and Kurrajong) had Labor/Liberal percentages of votes of 41.4% / 32.0%, 43.9% / 35.8% and 38.5% / 31.0% respectively. The two southern electorates (Brindabella and Murrumbidgee) had Labor/Liberal percentages of 33.6% / 41.9% and 34.5% / 42.8% respectively. I think we can see where the majority of Labor supporters hang out. And where most of the Labor MLAs live. And it isn’t south of the lake, Neil.

Jan McElligott we have several new big suburbs in Gunghalin and now Western Creek area and that’s requiring investment etc … simple. Lots of older centres being renewed … look at Jamieson etc as demographics change … huge job being progressed pretty well.

Jack Hearps While I understand what you are saying, that excuse should not be used by Andrew Barr to ignore a huge number of voters who still pay (exorbitant) rates, car registration and all the other taxes levied by this ”government” – as happens with the southern suburbs. While the south may not be burgeoning, constant maintenance all all areas is still required. As an example, the state of Lake Tuggeranong is shameful. The southern suburbs are treated like second-class citizens because it is not Labor heartland. And there is nothing that can be done about it because the northerners outnumber us and the Labor/Greens will be in power ad infinitum.

Jan McElligott well you better have a talk with your Southern reps … get some priorities set down … remember you dont ask you dont get…

Jack Hearps Sounds logical. And that is how it should work. However, I was listening to Chief Minister talkback on ABC radio last week and a listener asked why Tuggeranong is not a priority with Andrew Barr’s government and his (laughable) defensive response was ”Tuggeranong is a priority. It’s just that the government has higher priorities” which is just double-speak for ”You are not a priority”. It is as simple as that. Spending our rates and taxes other than in the south can always be justified because there are higher priorities elsewhere. Like his tram….

Jan McElligott some interesting stats re Labor voting in North vs South ACT electorates. I wonder if ACT Labor’s decision to change the destination of Tram Stage 2 from Airport to Woden during the 2016 LA election (without a costing/business case, an EIS, a firm route and in full knowledge that the Feds are (rightfully) possessive about the Parliamentary triangle) , changed voters minds in that electorate ?

Neil Goodwin I guess that remains to be seen at the next election. I don’t know that the tram is a vote winner for everyone down this end of town. Personally I think that with the choices being either bankrupting the Canberran coffers, taxing Canberrans more and more and more, or cutting services, with a such a small jurisdiction that has no industry, we should leave the tram off the menu. Just too expensive for this town.

Nunkeri Bungledool indeed we do.

Itshak Zac Yosef ACT Labor doesn’t have or need a coalition with the greens like the Liberals need federally.

Andrew Dudley call it what you want, they have a deal! Without the greens they wouldn’t have formed a government

Itshak Zac Yosef I don’t think you understand how our preferential voting system works but if that’s what you want to believe I can’t stop you.

Andrew Dudley thanks I appreciate that

Andrew Dudley. Shane Rattenbury is a Green. It is Shane who has twice given the Barr cohort the extra person they needed to form government. The pay-off for his support was the light rail.
https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-30/greens-mla-shane-rattenbury-given-role-in-act-government-cabinet/7978398

Dory Johns except the light rail was Walter burley’s idea for the original plan of Canberra and should have been built decades ago. I’m happy for any party to get behind the completion of the full network ASAP. If the Canberra Liberals can’t come up with any original ideas or support plans for the city that will happen with or without them, then they will remain in opposition.

Justin Stark cost benefit analysis and risk assessment of what, could you please elaborate?

Assuming that Labour actually got three candidates from each electorate, a big if then the existing team would be supplemented by a Union Official, a pre school teacher and an academic hardly a good selection of fresh faces with good ideas,

A good democracy offers a change of government at regular intervals. It is past time that we had a change of government within the ACT. I am not particularly enamoured with the Liberals but unless there is a realistic prospect of government by them in the short term future then their effectiveness as an opposition is going to be diminished and the checks and balances required of a healthy democracy will lead to poorer outcomes for all the residents of the ACT.

Alan Sargeant well the people of Canberra have spoken time and time again with their vote, and Labor has the overwhelming support every time. I’m 25 at the end of this year, grew up and lived in Canberra most of my life so I’ve primarily only seen if not entirely seen Canberra grow with a local labor government and I love how to be watched the city change and all these things that have been brought in through my time in high school and the years since. The main arguments I see on articles about Andrew Barr or act Labor all year has mostly been old men that moved to Canberra in the 80s when houses were cheap and all they want to do is whinge about how hard things are now and how a change in government will fix their problems, when in reality we live in the cleanest city in the country, we have some of the lowest house and energy prices, it takes less than an hour to get from one side of the city to the other, etc…
I’m sure your concerns for your and other wellbeing’s are real, but at the end of the day we have it good, and a big part of that is ACT managing things effectively over a long period. They are following up on Walter Burley’s original plans which Federal Liberals halted decades ago and cut a lot of funding from Canberra’s early infrastructure.

I’m more than happy to keep discussing this if you would like to know anything else relevant from Canberra’s past, a lot of tourists are under the impression Canberra should be how they would ideally like it in their own mind.

Alan Sargeant well said.

Andrew Dudley Perhaps don’t mistake the election results as overwhelming support of Labor as distinct, say, from there being no viable alternative. We have some of the most expensive housing in Australia and the commute times aren’t improving, they’re getting worse over time depending on where you live (still better than major cities). The bus network is just as bad as it was in the 90s. We’ve had roughly four straight years of rate rises and not much has been done to address cost of living. I know a lot of people fleeing across the border to escape payroll tax and rent & house prices.

I’m from Canberra and grew up here in the 80s and 90s before living interstate and overseas until 2011. I can tell you from experiences abroad that what made Canberra a great place to live was not having massive concrete skyrises, or kicking public housing out of central locations whilst paving the way for developers to continue ripping up the bush capital. You can’t just cut Geocon and others a blank cheque.

They don’t seem to be building enough infrastructure to match the growth in population, and who knows where all that stamp duty revenue flows to… perhaps the tram? It certainly is hard to see.

Is Canberra a good place to live? Yes, for many reasons. Are the current lot doing a good job? Stand up some decent opposition, and we’d find out. The Canberra Liberals are in dire need of a major purge.

Andrew Dudley “cost benefit analysis of what” ??? You carn’t be serious. For a start, go read the tram business case and note it’s cost/benefit ratio. I carnt believe people can be that blind.

Alan Sargeant well said. Plus the long serving incumbent Govt’s performance degenerates – sound familiar ?

Neil Goodwin I am being serious.. you didn’t give any context, you just said cost benefit analysis. Ok sure, what team business case note would you like me to read? You haven’t given me any links to anything so I’m not sure why you’re calling me blind.

Andrew DudleyThe cost benefit ratio for the tram was 1: 1.2. But was much higher for rapid bus transit. That’s mainly why infrastructure Australia wouldn’t contribute to Barr’s tram. Go Google the business case. Read it.

Andrew Dudley while u are at it, Google the act Govt’s own environmental impact statement that found that the tram would actually increase congestion along the route.

Neil Goodwin I highly doubt that and telling me to google something isn’t backing anything you’re saying up, if you can’t show me yourself then how can I believe you. Saying something might happen isn’t the same as it happening as well, I’m not interested in whataboutism.
Also any new infrastructure or public transport project will always cause more congestion initially while there is roadwork and until the whole thing is complete, there’s nothing new there.

Alan Sargeant good democracy offers a change of government at regular intetvals? A change of government is offered at every election. Statistically ACT voters have a higher level of education than anywhere else in the country. This suggests to me that we have the best chance of getting it right.

Andrew good selection of faces that don’t listen to the community they’re meant to be serving….