The territory's representatives will have more sway in the next parliament, so expectations from Canberrans will be higher. Labor senator Katy Gallagher will be Finance Minister, wants to hold the public service portfolio, and is set to wield significant influence in the new Albanese government.

Meanwhile, independent candidate David Pocock is expected to fill the second Senate seat for the ACT. With a particular focus on addressing climate change, the former Wallaby has campaigned on a broad platform to stick up for the capital.

From climate, infrastructure, to the public service and more, here are some of the key promises Labor and the independent Senate candidate made for the nation's capital.

Infrastructure remains a big issue for the ACT, with the territory's largest indoor venue, AIS Arena, out of action since 2020. Meanwhile, the territory receives only a fraction of federal infrastructure funding compared to other states and territories.

Senator Gallagher has pledged $15 million to improve amenities across the AIS precinct. The Labor plan includes upgrades to fire safety, seating, lighting, toilets and other facilities, while improving disabled access.

Among Labor promises for road upgrades, $30 million was to be put aside for works around Gungahlin and $3.1 million to fix four well-known Canberra black spots.

While Mr Pocock also backed the reopening of AIS Arena, he has thrown his support behind a multi-million dollar national convention centre and stadium complex in Civic as a priority project.

Before the election, he said: "We've seen a lot of talk, but no one's been actually willing to go in there and talk to both the territory and federal government about making this happen."

The push for more rights for the ACT has been at the forefront after NSW passed legislation on euthanasia, meaning all states now have voluntary assisted dying laws. The ACT, however, is unable to make its own laws on matters of conscience due to a ban implemented more than 25 years ago.

While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly backed the rights of territories to legislate on voluntary assisted dying, he has not committed to a timeframe. Senator Gallagher said a few steps were needed before a debate could be facilitated on repealing the ban.

This has drawn criticism from Mr Pocock who has insisted the federal government can easily allow the ACT to make its own decision. The candidate has pledged to introduce a private senator's bill to overturn the ban within the first few weeks of the new parliament, saying Mr Albanese dismissing territory rights was "disappointing".

The federal bill was introduced by Liberal MP Kevin Andrews in response to the Northern Territory legalising voluntary euthanasia in 1995.

Labor has pledged to abolish caps on public service staffing which it argues has driven increased waste with agencies reliant on expensive contractors. It also has plans to cut up to $3 billion in spending on consultancies and contractors over four years.

Senator Gallagher has said the public service will be a "very different environment" under Labor compared to the Morrison government.

"[Mr Albanese] said we won't be sacking public servants, we want to treat them with respect, engage with them and value their work. I thought that was really important and the public service would have heard those words," she said.

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Meanwhile, Mr Pocock has stressed the need for public servants to be able to offer frank and fearless advice to the government of the day.

"The conversation shouldn't be around how big or small the public service is, which we see every election cycle, right?" he said.

"It should be about the quality of the public service. People want good services delivered. We should be really proud of what public servants do for the country, and what places like the CSIRO do for us."

While tackling environmental issues and climate change appeared to take a back seat for the major parties during the election campaign, they proved critical in deciding the election result. Candidates also made commitments on these issues for the ACT.

Federal Labor pledged to spend $3.225 million to help improve the health of Canberra's waterways and educate children about the importance of conservation.

The Labor commitment comes from a $200 million Urban Rivers and Catchment Program, with Landcare ACT tasked with leading off a $2.775 million waterways mission across the Ginninderra, Molonglo and southern ACT catchments.

In addition, Labor promised $450,000 to fund work by the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust and ACT Parks and Conservation Service to revegetate Jerrabomberra Creek.

Mr Pocock has made major climate commitments including a household electrification pilot in Canberra aimed at growing the local economy by 5500 jobs and involving $580 million in spending.

Modelling of an ACT-wide household electrification by Rewiring Australia showed during a two-year pilot, participating Canberrans would save 20-25 per cent on their fuel and energy bills.

"Fundamentally, this policy is about creating jobs, saving people money and ensuring the ACT reaps the benefits of the smart energy transition that is already under way," Mr Pocock said.

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