ACT Election: What you need to know

Posted on 3 October, 2016

Canberra votes on 15 October and HerCanberra has put together an election Guide of things you need to know ahead of polling day.

It’s an election that seems to have been hijacked by debate about a tram, even though there is so much more to it than that – health, education, rates and urban development, for instance.

On 15 October, Canberrans will need to trot down to their local school to vote for the next batch of ACT politicians. This election, things are a bit different due to the Legislative Assembly getting a lot bigger. Not only are we expanding from having just three electorates to five, but we are going to need to vote for 25 politicians, up from the previous 17.

Yes, it’s going to cost the taxpayer more (about $6 million a year) to increase the number of our political representatives. But there are genuine arguments in favour of having more MLAs to spread the work of running the ACT. It also gives parties a larger talent pool from which from which to pluck ministers.

Despite these changes, the system will still favour the major parties. The likelihood is that the Greens will hold the balance of power and deliver their numbers to Labor – which is what we have now.

Which electorate are you in?

The five new electorates for the 2016 ACT election will each return five elected members to make up the 25-person assembly. Based on where you live, they roughly work out to be:

Brindabella – Tuggeranong

Murrumbidgee – Woden-Weston

Kurrajong – the Inner North and South

Yerrabi – Gungahlin

Ginninderra – Belconnen

But you can check your address to find out which electorate you are in here.

Leaders

Labor’s Andrew Barr has been in the Assembly for 10 years but this is his first campaign as Leader since replacing the popular Katy Gallagher. His biggest challenge is convincing Canberrans to return a Labor Government after 15 years in power. This means the Territory will have been run by the same party for a sum total of 19 years and counting, which is a lot, even for this Labor town. Barr is aided by the support of the ACT Greens, which have delivered him a majority in the Assembly. The centrepiece of his Government has been bringing a light rail project to Canberra and this will be the biggest focus of the campaign. Barr has also sought to increase Canberra’s “cool” quotient and liveability, investing considerable personal energy in helping secure international flights, attracting big sporting events and tourism drawcards.

Liberal Leader Jeremy Hanson wants the electorate to vote on the tram and on rates – both issues he says have become lightning rods for anger within the community. He says Labor has a “smell” about it after 15 years – a claim boosted by the recent and damning Auditor-General findings on the Government’s handling of land purchases. Hanson replaced Zed Seselja as leader in 2013 and has played small-target politics in the lead-in to the campaign. Prior to politics he served for 22 years in the Army, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. And despite leading the more conservative party, Hanson is considered a moderate – supporting same sex marriage, the republic and being pro-choice on abortion.

Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury has given his support to Labor to form government and accepted frontbench ministerial portfolios out of the deal. He is currently the Minister for both Education and Corrections. This has made it difficult for the Greens to differentiate their brand from Labor or to argue the party can hold Labor to account. That said, Rattenbury is a strong parliamentary performer who is seen as practical, sensible and less excessively left than others in his party. He has also done a more competent job in managing his portfolios than many of his Labor predecessors.

The issues in a nutshell

Light rail

Labor has pledged to improve Canberra’s public transport by building a light rail line snaking 12 kilometres from Gungahlin to the city. Second stage plans will extend it in coming years to Woden.

But the concept has been hugely controversial. The cost is calculated to escalate to $939 million in today’s dollars once operations, capital and financing are factored in, and established trees will need to be removed on Northbourne Avenue in order to build it.

Public transport supporters believe the tram is a vital start to moving Canberrans away from car-dependency and connecting the booming suburbs of Gungahlin to the inner city.

Meanwhile, the Liberals have vowed to block the tram – promising to cancel the contract despite the fact that it will have to pay fees as a result. Labor estimates the net loss will be as high as $280 million, while Hanson says the contracts will be re-scoped to reduce those losses to somewhere in the “tens of millions”. The Liberals have now promised a bike lane down the middle of the Northbourne median and additional bus lanes running either side.

Rates

Rates have increased under Labor by 10 percent each year for the past five years as part of Barr’s plans to phase out stamp duty over 20 years and make up for the lost income. It has been a huge impost on many families.

Voters were given a breather in this, an election year, when rate rises were scaled back to 4.5 per cent. Hanson says the Liberals will freeze rates at indexation levels – around 4 per cent – and stop the stamp duty phase out. By cancelling the light rail he has promised to prevent the ACT from accruing a debt it cannot afford to repay.

Image: Martin Ollman

Health

The Liberals have sought to elevate health as their major election platform, forcing Labor to match them on a major Canberra hospital investment.

In August the Liberals unveiled a $395 million proposal to build a new operating suite, medical imaging suite, intensive care unit and outpatient floor as part of a major Canberra Hospital upgrade.

Labor said at the time it was extravagant and unnecessary but by September it promised to spend $650 million on a new building at the hospital including a new emergency department and an expansion to the recently completed women and children’s hospital.

Education

Both parties have been focused on delivering the recommendations of a review of how children with special needs are supported and educated in Canberra schools, as well as necessary upgrades to ageing buildings. The most fundamental difference is the Liberals have promised to spend more (because their Budget won’t factor in a tram) and are spreading those dollars across Independent and Catholic schools as well as the government sector.

Urban development

The Liberals have promised to focus attention on upgrading Civic, shelving Labor’s plans for the City to the Lake Development.

Labor has consistently come under fire for being too close to developers and failing to consult the community – the Manuka Oval redevelopment bid being just one example. It is also now facing serious questions about its handling of land sales, with the ACT Auditor-General finding a number of flawed processes within the Land Development Agency. The Greens, meanwhile, have put pressure on both major parties to ban developer donations. Labor has now promised an integrity commissioner while the Liberals have promised to increase the powers of the auditor-general and introduce a corruption commission.

Meet the candidates

There are 141 candidates vying for your vote, which is a record field, with 51 women.

The Labor Party is running 25 candidates, as is the Liberal Party. The Greens have 15, while the Liberal Democrats have 17.

Six minor parties are also fielding candidates – these include the Sex Party, Animal Justice, Canberra Community Voters, Like Canberra and the Community Alliance, while 17 independents are also running.

To find out which candidates are running in your electorates, you can go here.

Candidates to watch

Labor candidate for Ginninderra Tara Cheyne: A former Belconnen Community Council Chair, and UC MBA graduate, Tara has a strong record of community service and is well-connected across the city. She’s the proud local behind the blog In the Taratory.

Liberal candidate for Kurrajong Elizabeth Lee: A second time candidate, the ANU law lecturer and vice-president of the ACT Law Society is a long-time resident, whose legal career has honed her analytical and debating skills.

Greens candidate for Yerrabi Veronica Wensing. A former manager of the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, Manager for Office for Women and Gender Advisor to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Taskforce, Veronica has a track record in public service and service for women.

How do you vote?

A valid vote requires just a “1” next to your favoured candidate. Elections ACT recommends you mark as many boxes as there are vacancies (that is, five) but you can mark as many preferences as you like. If you want an independent to get in, stay away from the major parties or the Greens in order for your preferences to have the biggest impact.

You can read up on all of Labor’s election pledges here, the Liberals’ election pledges here, and the Greens here. Don’t forget to look at what the independents and minor parties are delivering too. You can find them here. And on Saturday October 15, don’t forget to vote! For a list of polling booths in your local area, go here.

Is politics personal?

Posted on 20 September, 2016

What do a jet navigator, a community volunteer and a survivor of domestic violence have in common?

They will be vying for your vote in an expanded Legislative Assembly when Canberra goes to the polls on October 15.

I caught up with three candidates, representing the three major parties, to find out how their personal experiences have shaped their political ideas.

Brooke Curtin decided to become a candidate for the Canberra Liberals during a late night trip to the Canberra Hospital’s Emergency Department. She arrived at 1am with her seven-year-old daughter who was vomiting and suffering severe stomach cramps. “We went home at 3 am not having seen a doctor and I decided that’s it, this needs fixing! And I’ve got the business background and skills [to do it],” she says. Brooke started her career in the Air Force, where she became the equal-first Australian woman to qualify as a navigator on a military fast jet aircraft, she went on to work for Boston Consulting, Rio Tinto and the Civil Aviation Authority, and has been an advisor for the Minister of Defence.

Brooke Curtin

Rachel Stephen-Smith’s inspiration to run came while she was volunteering with one of the poorest communities in Washington DC. She became involved in trying to get the DC government to convert a historic school building into a community centre. “Doing that brought it home to me again, having [also] worked in the ACT government, how important local politics is,” she says.

Rachel Stephen Smith

When Rachel returned to Canberra, she decided to run for the Assembly as a candidate for the Australian Labor Party. “It seemed like an obvious extension of the things that I have done, because I’ve got a background in public policy and working for government and political and public service roles, and that balancing act and understanding of how decisions are made,” she says. Like Brooke, Rachel has also been a political staffer, working as Senator Kim Carr’s Chief of Staff for a number of years.

For Veronica Wensing, overcoming personal adversity has been her motivation. “I spent seven years in a domestically violent relationship,” she tells me candidly. “If it wasn’t for the support of my family I might still be there. So when I eventually got out, I started to look at how I could give back.” Veronica became a Lifeline

Veronica became a Lifeline counsellor, and worked in a women’s refuge. From there she worked for the peak body for family and violence services, and went on to manage the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, the role for which she was awarded 2009 ACT Telstra Business Woman of Year. Throughout her career Veronica has often engaged with politicians, and it was during these interactions that she got the idea to run for the Assembly as a candidate for the ACT Greens. “I have been in meetings with Ministers and MLAs and thought, I really believe I could do [that] job. I know I’m capable,” she says.

Veronica Wensing

Brooke has a young family and values how easy it is to live in, and get around Canberra. She sometimes lectures at UNSW Canberra and what she loves about that is that she can “walk from home to drop my kids off at school, and walk over to uni, then walk back and pick them up and take them home. I think that’s pretty special.”

But Brooke is concerned that, despite these advantages, she has seen friends decide against moving here because of the cost of living. “The cost of housing is phenomenal, stamp duty and the rates are so expensive compared with other places they’re considering,” she says. She wants to see Canberra attract quality people and keep them “because they’re fulfilled in their business careers, their working environment, and they’re not looking to go elsewhere for their work. Brooke wants “a government with a business focus on the economy.”

Brooke Curtin

Rachel also wants to keep people here and, having recently completed a Master degree in community planning and real estate development, would like to see Canberra to this by being an exemplar of urban design. “It’s about keeping the Canberra we love and making it better,” she says. “I like the development in Braddon and the extra vibrancy [that brings]. It encourages more young people to stay in Canberra … by creating an entrepreneurial environment where we can diversify the economic base by creating new and different jobs outside the public sector.”

Rachel wants her government to achieve this through “good processes, good government and good policy with Labor values. I believe in government as a force for good in our community,” she says.

Veronica appreciates how progressive Canberra is. “It’s open and it’s willing to take risks. We’re a human rights jurisdiction, we’re also leading the way in terms of renewable energy … and we’re the only jurisdiction that has actually reduced the number young people being incarcerated,” she says. And of course, the ACT Government legalised same-sex marriage. “I live in a same-sex relationship, we’ve been together 19 years, we’ve raised four kids together. We were married in the five days it was legal. We were annulled by the High Court three and half days later.”

But Veronica wants Canberra to do better, she wants to see “a more fair and equitable Canberra where the needs of community are put ahead of the needs of developers and large business corporations.” She would like, for example, to see universal design standards introduced for new housing to more readily accommodate people with a disability and an ageing population. Rachel also wants to advocate for people with a disability and older people who, she says “face a lot of the same barriers and issues around access and inclusion.”

Despite their different political persuasions, there is a common narrative that runs through the experiences of these women. They are all hard-working, accomplished, and multifaceted.

They all value community and being professional. Perhaps this reflects the experience of serving their political apprenticeships in a political town: they would all come to the Legislative Assembly with well-honed skills. But as Veronica says, the challenge for them now is convincing other people of that. “It’s like the biggest job screening process you could ever put yourself though!” she says.

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