Chief Minister Andrew Barr has declared he plans to lead the Labor party to the next territory election in 2024, buoyed by a change in the federal government which means the national government now has "adults in charge".
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"The national capital is back at the centre of public policy making. Canberra's back. The Prime Minister lives at The Lodge. Major national decisions and summits are held in the capital. Isn't that a change from the last decade that we were derided as the Canberra bubble? ... It's a massive difference for our city," Mr Barr said.
But as infrastructure spending was reduced to more normal levels, it was not the time to pitch for "nice to have" assets in the capital, he told a post-budget lunch organised by the Canberra Business Chamber on Wednesday.
"Now is not the time to pitch for a new space port for a Canberra or a second airport, or a $2 billion convention centre or a $1 billion football stadium. There's no room for that. We will look at those infrastructure assets and make a prudent decision about the best way forward and the timing for such things," he said.
Mr Barr also made his strongest statement to date he intended to lead the Labor party to the next territory election, in a move he later told a press conference he hoped would put to rest any immediate speculation about his future.
"I'm the most optimistic I've been about our economy and our city's future. The change of federal government has fundamentally altered the nature of federal, state and territory relations. The alignment of policy agenda of the federal government to the territory government is as close as I've experienced in 15 years in territory politics," he told the function.
"I fully recognise that right now the onus is on both governments to deliver, so that is what we're going to focus on."
MORE BUDGET NEWS:
Mr Barr told the press conference he had no immediate plans to hand over the treasury portfolio but he would make any decisions about a cabinet reshuffle closer to the 2024 election.
The Chief Minister also told the function inflation in the ACT may have already peaked and the government would prioritise a skills and training agenda to help maintain full employment.
He said the government would work with the Commonwealth, and other jurisdictions, to finalise a national skills agreement.
Mr Barr also said he had met with the Australian Bureau of Statistics to discuss improvements to the way the bureau estimated the ACT's population between census counts. An undercount had resulted in the territory receiving less than its expected share of goods and services tax revenue.
Higher-than-expected GST revenue will add $1 billion to the ACT's budget over the next three years, with most of the extra money to be used in reducing the deficit.
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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.
