Independent candidate David Pocock has pledged, if elected, to put an "ACT lens" over every piece of legislation that comes his way after pointing to budget analysis showing the territory "dudded" with spending over the past five years when compared to the rest of the country.
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Mr Pocock's Liberal rival, ACT Senator Zed Seselja, insists he had fought hard within the Morrison government and secured an extra $2.2 billion investment in the ACT since 2018.
Among the highlights, Senator Seselja points to the $115 million Monaro Highway upgrade and the $500 million Australian War Memorial redevelopment. He has announced $11.4 million to reopen the AIS Arena and has pledged a re-elected coalition government will spend $15 million to upgrade Viking Park to a boutique stadium.
And on Monday, he's pledging $30 million for intersections across Gungahlin in Canberra's north if the Morrison government is re-elected on May 21.
But Mr Pocock, who appears in Climate 200-commissioned polling to be virtually neck and neck with Senator Seselja, said per capita spending for the ACT tells a different story and transport infrastructure has been the most telling.
"We've been dudded," the former Wallabies captain told The Canberra Times.
"I think over the last five years $1 has come to the ACT for every $240 that's gone to the rest of the country.
"It's $35 billion verses $146 million, and of that $146 million, I think only $116 was actually delivered so you know, we're hearing a lot about record spending in the ACT but it's too little too late."
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Figures provided to The Canberra Times show $1387 per head on average nationally to build or maintain transport infrastructure but only $335 for every Canberran.
Mr Pocock said that equates to the ACT getting just under a quarter of its national share by population. He described this as a "gross underspend".
The aspirant senator also notes the ACT received 1.92 per cent of Commonwealth funding for hospitals, which acknowledges Canberra's hospitals servicing regional NSW and even Victoria. But there is to be a forecast 4 per cent reduction in commonwealth health spending for the ACT over the next year as COVID support ends.
The budget papers show the ACT has received only 1.44 per cent of specific purpose payments (conditional commonwealth grants) other than health over the past five years. The analysis shows, on average, every Canberran received around $1000 less than Australians elsewhere.
"Senator Seselja's argument is that being in government you can do more for the territory. This sort of analysis would say otherwise. And I call his bluff on it," Mr Pocock said.
Mr Pocock insists independents can deliver for their communities. He said he wants to be what Jacqui Lambie is for Tasmania, Rex Patrick has been for transparency and freedom of information and Cathy McGowan and Helen Haines have been for the Victorian seat of Indi.
"My commitment is that, on every piece of legislation, I'll be looking at and saying 'How does this affect people in the ACT? How does it affect the kind of future that we want for Australia?'" Mr Pocock said.
"And also to be taking and pushing issues that affect us to the national level and working with whoever forms the next government to ensure that we aren't left behind and taken for granted."
Voter intention polling by Labor leaning pollsters Redbridge group, released on Friday, shows a significant shift towards Mr Pocock from the last ACT Senate polling published a month ago.
Polling in individual seats is not always reliable, but he is shown in the poll passing The Greens to poll in the third position at 21 per cent just behind Senator Seselja at 25 per cent and Labor's Katy Gallagher on 27 per cent, leaving the Liberal incumbent in peril of losing on preferences.
The voting shift appears to have come from Labor, Greens and previously undecided voters.