The ACT government has defended costings released close to the election that found the territory would benefit from a federal Labor government, saying they were necessary to assess the impact of campaign promises on the upcoming ACT budget.
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The assessment found the ACT would benefit from $500 million of election commitments made by the federal Labor Party, which includes $200 million for stage two of light rail and $100 million to duplicate the Barton Highway between the ACT and Murrumbateman.
"Canberrans will also benefit from the wider impact of a Labor victory, with a significant shift in the destructive decentralisation agenda espoused by successive Liberal governments," Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Mr Barr said previous ACT governments had tracked the impact of election commitments on the territory.
"This is particular important during this election as the commitments made from prospective federal governments could impact the ACT's budget, which is currently in development," she said.
The ACT government spent no extra money on preparing the assessment, which was completed in-house.
Sally Whyte
I report on a range of issues in federal politics and the public service, with a real passion for how decisions made in Canberra affect the lives of Australians.
I report on a range of issues in federal politics and the public service, with a real passion for how decisions made in Canberra affect the lives of Australians.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
