Address to the Federation Chamber, Grievance Debate - ACT Election

Tuesday 8 October 2024

Tonight concludes the first day of pre-poll voting for the ACT election. It marks the beginning of the end of the 2024 ACT election. The voters could not have starker choices. I want to raise the importance of having a strong Labor government on a federal and territory level and what happens when they work together. Our Labor Prime Minister is one that knows and understands Canberra. He doesn't use this city's name as a punching bag. Canberra should serve as a beacon to the nation, not an easy put-down for politicians to play one group of Australians off against another.

Australia very much remains a federation, and this Prime Minister has proven that. He leads this Labor government from the Lodge. He walks up Mount Ainslie, Red Hill and even Mount Taylor in my electorate of Bean, like thousands of Canberrans do every day. He leads a government that works with Labor and coalition territory and state governments, in our case ensuring that our national capital gets the investment that is befitting of a national capital. That's why after a decade of neglect of the national capital by the previous government, this federal Labor government is working with Andrew Barr, the Chief Minister of the ACT, investing in Canberra to support a more livable, connected and thriving city.

We know that the Canberra Liberals do not represent the progressive identity that territorians have forged for ourselves. We must not run the risk of having a territory Labor government lose re-election. We have seen in the last two years what federal and territory Labor governments can do for Canberra. Thanks to these two Labor governments working together, Canberra in the ACT is getting the funding it deserves, from infrastructure to services and education. Andrew Barr and Anthony Albanese continue to work together to deliver for Canberrans.

In my part of Canberra, the electorate of Bean overlaps with Murrumbidgee and Brindabella and, in 2024, has produced some excellent candidates. In Brindabella, Labor candidates include Brendan Forde, Caitlin Tough, Louise Crossman, Taimus Werner-Gibbings and Minister Mick Gentleman. In Murrumbidgee, Labor candidates include Minister Chris Steel, Marisa Paterson MLA, Nelson Tang, Anna Whitty and Noor El-Asadi. They would all make excellent members in an ACT government post the election in a couple of weeks time. To Joy Burch, who's using this opportunity to retire: thank you for all you have done, not just for the government and for your electorate but as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly for the longest period.