Former Labor chief minister and prominent Barr government critic Jon Stanhope says he will consider Alistair Coe's offer to lead the Liberals' proposed poverty taskforce.
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Mr Coe has written to Mr Stanhope, asking him to consider chairing the expert group he plans to establish if the Liberals win October's ACT election.
"Given Mr Stanhope's extensive experience in government and strong links to the community, he is well placed to select members of the team and lead the task group strategy," Mr Coe said in a statement.
"Mr Stanhope is widely respected and his commitment to social justice is well known."
Mr Stanhope confirmed to The Canberra Times that he had received the offer and was giving it "due consideration".
Mr Stanhope, who served as ACT Chief Minister from 2001 until 2011, has a strong track record in social justice and human rights, passing landmark legislation during his time at the helm and continuing to champion the causes after leaving the Legislative Assembly.
The Labor life member has become a thorn in the Barr government's side in recent years, attacking it on an almost weekly basis over housing affordability, health spending, the worsening state of the territory budget and its handling of Indigenous affairs.
Mr Barr, who served in Mr Stanhope's cabinet for five years, has sought to brush off the criticisms, predominantly by questioning the former leader's current-day relevance.
In response to Mr Stanhope's recent criticisms about under-spending in health and the long-delayed Canberra Hospital upgrade, Mr Barr said there was no point debating "heroes of the past".
He last year called Mr Stanhope's legacy into question, as he played down suggestions his frequent attacks could harm Labor at the ballot box on October 17.
"No one has served longer in government than Mr Stanhope did, including leading a majority government, and no one had more opportunity to address the issues he continues to highlight," Mr Barr told The Canberra Times last October.
"There will always be challenges in government. He wasn't able to overcome and solve every issue he demands a solution on now and he's governed for one-third of the time that the territory has been self-governing."
Mr Barr wouldn't be drawn into commenting on Mr Stanhope on Tuesday, choosing instead to again dismiss the value of Mr Coe's proposed poverty taskforce. He repeated comments made on Monday that a permanent increase to the JobSeeker payment was the best way to lifting Canberrans out of poverty.
Mr Coe said the proposed taskforce would work with the community sector, business and government to examine the root causes of poverty in the nation's capital, and put forward recommendations to address them.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
