20 September 2024

Libs' big promises might capture headlines but not voters, says grassroots Barr

| Ian Bushnell
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Andrew Barr

Chief Minister Andrew Barr: “If you were to ask Canberrans what their infrastructure priorities are, and unsurprisingly we have, the health system, the hospital, comes out well ahead of other things.” Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr remains convinced that “big, flashy” announcements such as a stadium by the lake and a new town centre will not cut it with an electorate focused on bread-and-butter issues such as health.

Mr Barr was speaking at the end of the first week of the official campaign in which Labor stuck to small local announcements while the Canberra Liberals unveiled their plans for 125,000 more dwellings in the ACT by 2050 – 100,000 of which would be in a new town centre to be developed at Kowen Forest, in the east of the ACT near the NSW border.

The “bold and ambitious” town centre plan and pledge to build a 30,000-seat stadium at Acton Waterfront have dominated the media, but Mr Barr said voters were rightly sceptical of promises that may not be able to be kept.

“People take with a grain of salt big, flashy infrastructure announcements, particularly when they perceive them to be undeliverable or unrealistic,” he said.

READ ALSO Labor pledges free medical imaging service, new health centre build

Labor research had shown clearly that Canberrans wanted practical and deliverable projects, particularly in health.

“We are very focused on thousands and thousands of individual conversations at a grassroots level on telling a story about infrastructure, obviously,” Mr Barr said.

“But the big issue is health.”

At the Region leaders’ debate, Mr Barr was quick to name the Northside Hospital as Labor’s priority project in its well-canvassed infrastructure pipeline.

“That’s why we set aside the money in the forward estimates, that’s pretty critical,” Mr Barr said.

“If you were to ask Canberrans what their infrastructure priorities are, and unsurprisingly we have, the health system, the hospital, comes out well ahead of other things.”

Mr Barr said the Liberals’ Kowen Forest proposal would create a dormitory suburb with no employment base disconnected from the rest of Canberra, saying most of it would be closer to Bungendore than Canberra.

That was why the government ruled it out as a development prospect five years ago.

He said the economics of developing a town centre there on challenging terrain also did not add up.

“There won’t be an affordable component there because it’s so expensive to develop, to get all of the infrastructure necessary out there will be a massively costly exercise,” he said.

Mr Barr said there were numerous examples where additional housing could plug into existing infrastructure close to existing employment and transport.

He flagged Labor had more announcements to make in the coming weeks on housing and urban renewal precincts.

READ ALSO A double dissolution would be cause for independent concern

Mr Barr also criticised the Liberals’ plan to sell discounted land to first-home buyers, saying it would deliver an unearned windfall gain unless you were going to tie them to that block forever.

At resale the price would jump to reflect the current market.

“Our view is that long-term build to rent is a better way to ensure that housing remains affordable for the long-term, not just for the benefit of the first buyer,” Mr Barr said.

He said the Liberals appeared to want to bulldoze nearly everything and set aside all good planning and environmental principles, and the Greens were against almost any new suburban expansion.

“Labor’s position is to strike an appropriate balance to do so after a thorough investigation of the suitability of areas and look for a practical way forward,” he said.

“Our city will continue to grow, but there are obviously limits to our city footprint.”

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Election flyers from ACT Labor promise to ease cost of living pressures across Canberra. What hypocisy!

One of the major cost of living expenses in Canberra are rising rates, imposed on us by this ACT Labor/Greens government.

Compare your rates now with what you paid before. Our rates have more than doubled over the last 10 years and more than tripled since 2011-12. For the same property in the same suburb.

A 300% increase in rates is in excess of price increases for food, insurance, utilities, petrol….. and far exceeds inflation and incomes.

Annual ACT property rate increases represent a major and rising cost of living expense for Canberrans. Which will contine under the cosy power sharing Labor/Greens.

Being woke and looking after critical infrastructure are like chalk and cheese. Barr and Co. are woke (AF) and there is therefore no critical infrastructure in them, regardless of what they say. Just do the math

Incidental Tourist11:39 am 22 Sep 24

Barr says “If you were to ask Canberrans what their infrastructure priorities are, and unsurprisingly we have, the health system, the hospital, comes out well ahead of other things.”

“Other things” – I take tram ?? So is Barr abandoning his own tram baby finally or will he keep spending billions on it regardless at the expense of health again and again?

Labor has had quarter of a century, uninterrupted, to build their dream vision for what utopia looks like, they can’t blame the opposition for all the failure we see here daily. The waste, the bloated hierarchy that all work from home, the failed schools, the lies, the rates that are about to sky rocket once the truth comes out.
The ACT is poorly run, we are not getting good value from MR Grass Roots, its time for him and his pals to move on!

Health has always been a top priority. That’s why Calvary was taken over and a brand new hospital built at Woden.

Two questions:
1) What new hospital did he build in Woden? Pretty sure he just upgraded/built new facilities at the existing one.
2) What discernible improvement in service has been achieved by the Calvary takeover?

Labor’s big promises won’t win votes either, except from the ignorant.

Hopefully there are not enough idiots that don’t realise they’ll be paying for the few promises that actually eventuate, either via their rent or their rates and land taxes (which would need to be recovered from a tenant). On top of that, they’ll be paying for all of his narrowly focussed pet projects.

Does anyone seriously believe politicians promises any more?

Barr…humbug!

“If you were to ask Canberrans what their infrastructure priorities are, and unsurprisingly we have, the health system, the hospital, comes out well ahead of other things.”

Yet, one of the most expensive infrastructure outlays from this government is light rail. So while the government may have asked – they have (surprisingly!) ignored the response.

so it’s ok for the CM to make flashy announcements like Stages 2A and 2B of the tram outside the election period?

is this guy serious?

what an insult to the electorate that he thinks that we only consider announcements during the election period rather than the performance of the Govt throughout its term when deciding who to vote for.

Gregg Heldon8:04 am 21 Sep 24

Barr, Grassroots?????? Exactly how? Have you just copy and pasted a Labor press release?
What an absolute shonk of an article. It couldn’t be any more biased, even if it tried.
By the way, ALP MLA candidate Louise Crossland was at Waniassa shops recently for a press the flesh opportunity. I saw maybe one or two people stop to chat. Same as when I’ve seen them at Chisholm shops or Tuggeranong Town Centre. Liberal Party doing the same thing always seem to have people around. Not seen Greens or Independents do it so I can’t comment on them.

Tom McLuckie6:49 am 21 Sep 24

Great to see Ian Bushnell is still sprouting pro-Labor-Greens propoganda
Let’s look at all the promises from Andrew Barr still undelivered after 4 years from the 2020 commitments 44

An increase in social housing; Tuggeranong hydrotherapy pool; Athlon Drive duplication; The Reintegration Centre at the AMC; The new ice rink: The new basketball stadium; Commencing the new Canberra stadium; Planning and commencing a new Exhibition centre:; Removing stamp duty (yet increasing rates – in some suburbs by nearly 40% in 3 years through AUV recalculations and therin also land tax),: Promising to return a budget surplus; Increased numbers of teachers; Increased nursing and other medical staff; Increasing access to GP’s and more bulk billing (instead removed payroll tax exemption resulting in higher medical costs);
Reducing reoffending; Fairer, faster and more comprehensive support through new CTP scheme; Increase shelters for victims of domestic abuse; Additional elective surgeries and reduced waiting times; Free meals at schools for every child; (only just being piloted in 5 schools) Walk-in centre Coombs and other committed community health upgrades;
Molongolo library (though they have done a YourSay survey); Big Canberra Battery (not started).

FOGO (scrap food recycling) – still in pilot;
Improved skateboard facilities;
Reducing indigenous incarceration;
Independent review of indigenous incarceration (report due after election);
Addressing pokie machine reform;
Gungahlin Tennis facility (development plan stage);

Well done Tom to be able to remember all these. Most of us stopped retaining the info when it became clear none would happen. Your list shows the massive extent of broken promises.

Grassroots campaigning from Andrew Barr – come off it. The only time I’ve seen him out there in the community he spent half an hour chatting and laughing with a Labor candidate and did not speak to a single voter. Then it was selfie time and back to from whence he came.

Labor has dropped the ball big time on the day to day issues. The health system is ranked the worst in the country. Our public schools compare poorly in education outcomes vs similar schools interstate and the ratings agencies have doubled down on the credit rating downgrade from last year with a warning of a further downgrade this year, forecasting steep tax rises or service cuts are on the way.

It’s not that Labor and the Greens don’t have the money to provide the services we need, as we’re the most highly taxed residents in the country, but that effective management is lacking. A fish rots from the head. I’ll take a bit of long term thinking from the Libs and anyone who cares about their neighbours in this town needs to vote for someone who’ll support Elizabeth Lee for Chief Minister over Andrew Barr.

Anyone over Andrew Barr!!!

Tom McLuckie9:59 am 22 Sep 24

Like the phrase ‘from whence he came’. Sure he was on his way to his pad in Melbourne.

Barr is clearly spooked! There is no way, seriously no way, that he can say with a straight face that Labor are focusing on bread and butter issues like health. You mean the same health system that they have systemically run into ground? Where doctors are going on strike? Where junior doctors had to sue for pay they were entitled to? This is why he should be spooked, because his government have failed time and time again. Big promises like Civic stadium and Kowen town centre shows vision, boldness and ambition, three things Labor have lacked over the last four years.

Mr Barrs time is done, now go away.

HiddenDragon8:05 pm 20 Sep 24

“People take with a grain of salt big, flashy infrastructure announcements, particularly when they perceive them to be undeliverable or unrealistic,” he said.

A gloriously ironic statement in a long-winded rant which did not, apparently, have anything to say about light rail to Woden (or anywhere else).

Read between the lines of this article and it’s almost an admission that the Liberals’ plan to divert funding from light rail to other projects can’t happen because there isn’t any funding to divert – just an unmanageable pile of debt.

GrumpyGrandpa7:39 pm 20 Sep 24

Health, a priority?
I seemed to recall recently reading about your government underpaying its hospital doctors $31 million.

This is a joke right? Andrew Barr and his government have been atrocious at delivering basic services such as health, education, suburban maintenance and the like. Not only that he then has the arrogance to claim his party has been and will deliver that if elected. He must be getting very worried the opposition are mounting a serious claim for govt.

Says the bloke who promised a Civic Stadium before the last three elections and a new Tuggeranong ice rink before the last two elections.

Canberrans are stupid enough to keep falling for Labors recycled promises, so he knows the majority aren’t very bright.

Health, huh.

And yet ACT Labor has run down the health infrastructure over the decades and now try to make a virtue out of playing catch up to the growing population. You nauseating hypercrite.

Is this man for real? SERIOUSLY? Why did it take 2 years of bleeding puss and blood from an open wound, with potential gangrene, septic, DEATH for my son to get day surgery? Why did it take writing to the Minister to get him in? Why was he told sorry, wait another year. Why? Because Labor/Greens refused to pay Canberra doctors a fair wage, or so I found out after doctor’s strikes about being second lowest paid in the Country. No doctors. No surgery. No health. Do you really think Canberrans swallow this Barr? You do not even listen to the electorate. Your Ministers hang up on people. It takes writing to Federal Ministers and getting them to write to your Ministers to even get a response after 4 months of waiting! A freaking freak show. My son nearly died because of your ridiculous government. NOT HAPPY. Never ever over my dead body would I ever ever vote for this clown show… It is utter contempt from every one of your arrogant Ministers and you treat people with a disability like dirt. DISGUSTING DICTATORSHIP. And the end of the story was a kind underpaid, overworked and stressed out doctor realized how bad the situation was, and gave up his own time to operate… It is DISGUSTING

It’s just unacceptable. ACT Labor/Greens Ministers and LA members are just full of spin, misrepresentation of stat’s and the truth, not to mention the ongoing smell of mismanagement if not corruption. Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith is the king of spin.

So sorry to hear your story. Sadly, I’m not surprised at the neglect and the contempt for the needs of Canberrans by this man and his obedient mob of useless human beings.

Amanda Kiley4:57 pm 20 Sep 24

Getting worried Barr?

Bloody well should be Amanda. Lol

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