ACT Labor has stepped up its attacks on the credibility of the Canberra Liberals with the ALP launching a two-pronged assault on its opponents yesterday.
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While Chief Minister Katy Gallagher rubbished the health policies of her opposite number Jeremy Hanson, Labor launched a website accusing Liberals' leader Zed Seselja of making a bid for power that was based on lies. But the Canberra Liberals were dismissive of the shift in tactics, accusing Labor of resorting to personal attacks because it had run out of ideas.
Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr said that the website, www.realzed.com, was aimed at exposing ''lies'' being told by the opposition in its campaign.
''We're going to highlight the major issues where the Liberal Party is lying to Canberrans,'' Mr Barr said.
''The Liberals' litany of lies in relation to rates, their inability to get their costings right on health and education, the major flaw of leaving TAFE completely out of the education policy. The fact that no election commitments have been submitted to treasury for costing.''
Asked if Labor had been forced into a negative campaigning mode, Mr Barr said the party was running a ''balanced'' campaign.
''We've continued to run a positive campaign, highlighting Labor's objectives in health, education and jobs, but in any campaign, there's an opportunity to contrast your approach with that of your opponents,'' he said.
''The Liberals have run a relentlessly negative campaign throughout, so we feel it's reasonable to provide Canberrans with the truth.''
But a spokesman for the Liberals' campaign, which ran a two-minute TV ad this year attacking Katy Gallagher and Greens Leader Meredith Hunter, said Labor was engaging in personal attacks.
''It is not surprising that the Labor Party has run out of ideas and is resorting to personal negative attacks as it has around the country,'' he said.
Meanwhile Ms Gallagher turned on Mr Hanson's health promises yesterday, accusing the Liberals of not having pledged a single new hospital bed during their campaign.
''We already know their health costings are in chaos but how about they give Canberrans some basic details - like their plans for extra hospital beds,'' she said.
''It's time the policy lazy Liberals explained how many beds are in their 'plan' and if they can't do this they need to explain why not.
''Last time the Canberra Liberals were in government they ripped 114 beds out of our hospitals. Will beds once again be cut by a Liberal government that can't make its policies add up?''
But Mr Hanson said Ms Gallagher's claims were not true and then said that the ACT had Australia's worst health system.
''This is pretty rich coming from Katy Gallagher, who has led the best health system in the country to the worst, and is now asking for one more chance to fix it,'' Mr Hanson said. ''Her claims are desperate and untrue; we've already announced a new northside hospital which would provide 200 extra beds.''