ACT Labor's election campaign took a blow on Thursday when the Australian government solicitor demanded the party stop distributing fake Medicare cards in its campaign.
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The fake cards use the official Medicare logo and claim the Liberals would privatise health if elected.
In a letter to Mr Byrne, a lawyer for the Department of Human Services said the cards were a breach of copyright. He demanded they be withdrawn and Labor make no further use of the logo.
"If you do not agree to do each of these things by 5pm [Wednesday] we are instructed, without further notice, to institute proceedings against you including urgent in juncture relief on an interlocutory basis," he said.
ACT Labor secretary Matthew Byrne, who said 30,000 cards had been distributed, "sincerely apologised" on behalf of his party in a response sent just nine minutes after receiving the legal letter.
"I can confirm that ACT Labor has ceased distributing this material and we undertake not to further distribute any material that features the Medicare logo," he said.
The federal Labor Party was criticised for sending text messages claiming to be from Medicare to thousands of voters before the federal election. The text messages were referred to the Australian Federal Police who dropped their investigation in August, finding no crimes had been committed.
Federal Human Services Minister Alan Tudge raised the issue in Question Time on Thursday, saying Labor Leader Simon Crean saying federal Labor had "tried to deceive and mislead the Australian public".
"This week the ACT Labor Party was at it again," he said, accusing the party of misusing the Medicare name.
Canberra Liberals leader Jeremy Hanson said the "mediscare cards" were deceitful and grubby campaigning and called on Labor leader Andrew Barr to apologise.
With one day left before in the election campaign, an advertising blackout is in place.
The deadline for submitting election costings to Treasury passed at midnight on Thursday. By Thursday evening, Labor was yet to submit a costing for its $70 million expansion of the women and children's hospital including new adolescent mental health unit.
It submitted a costing for its new "SPIRE" hospital building, but only for design work, expected to cost $10 million from 2018-2020.
The Liberals say they submitted their rates and tax policy to Treasury but it was yet to appear on Treasury's website last night, so it is unclear whether it will be costed before the election.
Labor said the Liberals' promise to call a halt to tax reform will save households an average of about $62 a year on their rates bill - or little more than $1 week.
Labor plans to increase rates by 7 per cent a year for the next five years, adding about $150 to the average household rate bill for freestanding homes, of $2150. The Liberals will return to rates increases tied to the wage-price index, of 3.5 to 4 per cent a year.
The Liberals will also freeze stamp duty, while Labor promises to continue its cuts to stamp duty each year. Labor says the Liberal scheme will cost the budget about $9 million in rates. About $9 million extra would be raised in stamp duty.
Property Council acting ACT executive director Belinda Ngo said the council had originally supported Labor's plan to move away from bad and inefficient taxes, but it had not been revenue neutral and had not worked.
Total property taxes had increased as a percentage of gross territory product in the past four years, with rates increasing significantly and only small drops in stamp duty. "We need to stop the tax hikes so a freeze on property taxes would be welcome," she said.
Canberra Business Chamber Robyn Hendry said the chamber was generally supportive of Labor's tax reforms and was yet to analyse the impact of the Liberal promise.
