Zed Seselja campaigning in Tuggeranong. Photo: George Tsotsos.
This Saturday, all Australians have an important choice to make when they vote in the Federal election.
It is a choice between Scott Morrison as Prime Minister, delivering a stronger economy that guarantees the services we rely on, or a weaker economy and higher taxes under Bill Shorten and Labor.
Canberrans have already been hit by massive rates rises and under Bill Shorten, the cost of living will skyrocket.
In contrast, in the last five and a half years, the Liberal-National Government has delivered for Canberra:
- 18,000 more jobs since 2013, and the lowest unemployment in the country at 3.6 per cent;
- Doubling of hospital funding from $203 million in 2013 to $412 million this year;
- Delivering a $68 million Health Plan for the ACT, including a new headspace centre, $13.5 million a dedicated eating disorder clinic for the ACT, $13.5 million for more beds in ICU, increase Medicare-backed MRIs, and $6 million for a Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan;
- $250 million in road upgrades on the Monaro, Barton and Kings Highways and William Slim Drive, to reduce congestion and get Canberrans home safer and sooner;
- $500 million for the Australian War Memorial, the biggest infrastructure investment since the Howard Government, along with $63 million for the National Gallery, $15 million for Questacon, and $10 million for the National Library.
We have achieved this while delivering immediate tax relief for 200,000 Canberrans, which will increase to more than $2,000 a year for the average Canberra household, record funding for schools, and tax relief for 14,000 small and medium businesses in the ACT.
The Liberal-National Government has added more than 2,000 new life-changing medicines worth more than $10 billion to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This is in stark contrast to Labor.
In 2011, Labor ran out of money and delayed the listing of life-saving medicines to the PBS, noting “the listing of some medicines would be deferred until fiscal circumstances permit” in their 2011-12 Portfolio Budget Statements.
Bill Shorten and his Labor Government will increase taxes – on your rent, your home, your car, your electricity, and your retirement.
Under Labor, rents across Canberra will increase up to $56 a week, the value of the family home will drop around $65,000, and 15,000 Canberra retirees will have $1,800 a year ripped from their pockets.
Meanwhile, the Morrison Government has a plan to keep our economy strong, so we can:
- Create 1.25 million more jobs over the next five years;
- Keep Australians safe and our borders secure, and stop the deaths at sea;
- Guarantee increased investments for schools, hospitals and roads;
- Maintain budget surpluses and pay down debt;
- Deliver tax relief for small businesses and families.
This Saturday, Canberrans have a choice to vote for a Morrison Government that delivers for our health system, secures lifesaving medications on the PBS, and guarantees the essential services we all rely on, or to vote for Bill Shorten and his plan for higher taxes.
Zed Seselja is the Liberal Senator for the ACT and Assistant Minister for Treasury and Finance
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the position of Region Media.
Region Media’s election coverage policy can be found here.
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