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ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has signalled a departure from the Liberals’ rates freeze pledge, conceding the party’s credibility as a sound economic manager was hurt in the lead-up to October’s election. It’s the first indication of the policy changes the party will undergo after October’s bruising election loss. It comes as Ms Lee prepares for the first sitting week of the year and to deliver her inaugural budget reply as leader. Ms Lee said there was still anger in the community about Labor’s rates increases under Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s stamp duty reform agenda. “We’ve always advocated for a fairer rates system, and that as a principle I think is sound,” she said. “But it is about the detail about how we might go about doing that.” The Liberals promised to freeze residential rates in Canberra during the election campaign. However, the party struggled to explain how it would achieve the costly plan while also delivering other pledges, such as continuing to phase out stamp duty and reduce car registration fees. Ms Lee has conceded the policy could have affected the Liberals’ credibility among the community. “There is no doubt the Liberal brand is associated with being sound economic managers and there was some concern raised by the community about, ‘Are you going to be able to do both and if so, how’?” Ms Lee said. “That’s something we need to have a good long think about in terms of where we go.” But Ms Lee said it was difficult for oppositions in the ACT to create detailed economic policies due to “opaque” budget papers and the absence of a parliamentary budget officer. The Liberals have lost six straight elections in the ACT and lost further ground at the October election. The party has been criticised for being too socially conservative for the largely progressive Canberra electorate. This became a bigger issue with Alistair Coe as leader, who was well known for his socially conservative views on issues like same sex marriage. Ms Lee, in contrast, was from the moderate branch of the party. While Labor was able to comfortably retain power with the Greens, Ms Lee said the results made it clear people were sick of the government. But the Greens, not the Liberals, benefited from this discontent. But Ms Lee said she did not believe the Liberals failed because they were too conservative, maintaining many of their policies were actually quite progressive. A Liberal-party commissioned review into the party’s election campaign was due to be finalised this month. Ms Lee said her most important role as leader was to maintain the belief within her team that it could win the the 2024 election. With a daughter under two at home, Ms Lee said she would not have taken on the role if she didn’t think the party could win the next election with her at the helm. “We have to remember that Canberra has had a Liberal government before,” she said “Canberrans deep down can vote for a Liberal government and they will vote for a Liberal government. “It’s our job over the next three-and-a-half years to make sure we put our best foot forward and give the Canberra voting public the alternate government they deserve.” She was determined to get out into the community as much as possible, spending most nights after work attending local events and organisations. “When you put your heart and soul into something and realise it all came to nothing it can be very traumatic and deeply hurtful,” she said. “It’s important to me to be the type of leader that is, number one, always going to have the best interests of Canberra at heart. “It’s about listening and that I take advice from experts and don’t make snap decisions or emotional decisions or decisions based entirely on ideology “It’s about making sure that I take an evidence-based approach.” One of the first pieces of legislation to come before the Assembly this year would be Michael Pettersson’s private members’ bill to decriminalise possession of small amounts of drugs like heroin and ice. The Liberals had yet to form a position on the bill, which was still in a consultative stage. Ms Lee said she would talk to health and legal experts about the implications of the bill.
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ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has signalled a departure from the Liberals’ rates freeze pledge, conceding the party’s credibility as a sound economic manager was hurt in the lead-up to October’s election.
It’s the first indication of the policy changes the party will undergo after October’s bruising election loss.
It comes as Ms Lee prepares for the first sitting week of the year and to deliver her inaugural budget reply as leader.
Ms Lee said there was still anger in the community about Labor’s rates increases under Chief Minister Andrew Barr’s stamp duty reform agenda.
“We’ve always advocated for a fairer rates system, and that as a principle I think is sound,” she said.
“But it is about the detail about how we might go about doing that.”
The Liberals promised to freeze residential rates in Canberra during the election campaign.
However, the party struggled to explain how it would achieve the costly plan while also delivering other pledges, such as continuing to phase out stamp duty and reduce car registration fees.
Ms Lee has conceded the policy could have affected the Liberals’ credibility among the community.
“There is no doubt the Liberal brand is associated with being sound economic managers and there was some concern raised by the community about, ‘Are you going to be able to do both and if so, how’?” Ms Lee said.
“That’s something we need to have a good long think about in terms of where we go.”
But Ms Lee said it was difficult for oppositions in the ACT to create detailed economic policies due to “opaque” budget papers and the absence of a parliamentary budget officer.
The Liberals have lost six straight elections in the ACT and lost further ground at the October election.
The party has been criticised for being too socially conservative for the largely progressive Canberra electorate.
This became a bigger issue with Alistair Coe as leader, who was well known for his socially conservative views on issues like same sex marriage.
Ms Lee, in contrast, was from the moderate branch of the party.
While Labor was able to comfortably retain power with the Greens, Ms Lee said the results made it clear people were sick of the government.
But the Greens, not the Liberals, benefited from this discontent.
But Ms Lee said she did not believe the Liberals failed because they were too conservative, maintaining many of their policies were actually quite progressive.
A Liberal-party commissioned review into the party’s election campaign was due to be finalised this month.
Ms Lee said her most important role as leader was to maintain the belief within her team that it could win the the 2024 election.
With a daughter under two at home, Ms Lee said she would not have taken on the role if she didn’t think the party could win the next election with her at the helm.
“We have to remember that Canberra has had a Liberal government before,” she said
“Canberrans deep down can vote for a Liberal government and they will vote for a Liberal government.
“It’s our job over the next three-and-a-half years to make sure we put our best foot forward and give the Canberra voting public the alternate government they deserve.”
She was determined to get out into the community as much as possible, spending most nights after work attending local events and organisations.
“When you put your heart and soul into something and realise it all came to nothing it can be very traumatic and deeply hurtful,” she said.
“It’s important to me to be the type of leader that is, number one, always going to have the best interests of Canberra at heart.
“It’s about listening and that I take advice from experts and don’t make snap decisions or emotional decisions or decisions based entirely on ideology
“It’s about making sure that I take an evidence-based approach.”
The Liberals had yet to form a position on the bill, which was still in a consultative stage.
Ms Lee said she would talk to health and legal experts about the implications of the bill.
