ACT Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has said the Canberra Liberals would announce a position on the light rail shortly as she sets out her priorities over the next two years.
It's been two years since Ms Lee became opposition leader. She stepped into the role following the party's 2020 election loss, which was the sixth consecutive election loss for the party.
As the ACT Legislative Assembly has reached the halfway point of its parliamentary term the focus has started to turn towards the 2024 poll.
In an interview with The Canberra Times, Ms Lee said some of the issues the opposition was focused on included integrity and procurement issues, the health system, housing affordability and public housing.
Ms Lee also said the opposition was expected to come to a final position on the light rail extension to Woden soon.
She has been critical of the government for not releasing a timeframe or final cost for the extension to Commonwealth Park.
The government won't do this as the procurement is underway despite the federal Infrastructure Department saying last week it would be completed in January 2026 and a federal website stating the expected cost as $265 million.
"We have spent years, literally years, asking this government because it is incumbent on them, it's their project, to be upfront with the public about how much it will cost and when it will be delivered," Ms Lee said.
"When you have a look at all of the evidence to date about the project it is difficult to see how it stacks up.
"We will be announcing our final position on the tram soon, at the moment what you can take from that is we have absolutely done everything we can on behalf of the community to ask all the right questions to get as much transparency and clarity about this project.
"This is something that has been on the agenda for a long time, it has raised significant interest within the community and they have every right to know. It's their dollars and they have every right to know how much of it will be spent and to show the business case and the cost benefit analysis."
The party was against light rail in the 2016 election. In the 2020 election, the Liberals committed to the Woden extension but only after it was suggested the route could go to Belconnen first.
The Canberra Liberals were criticised following the 2020 election loss for not outlining policies. An internal review of the loss said the party needed to do more work on policy and election pitches outside of the election year.
Ms Lee said it was challenging to know when to announce policies but she was committed to letting the community know where the Liberals stand.
A particular focus for Ms Lee was around housing affordability and choice, an issue that has been heavily pursued by the party and has resulted in the creation of a new shadow portfolio held by the leader herself.
"We think that every Canberran should have the opportunity to own their home, whether it's a high-rise apartment, a mid-density option like a townhouse or a dwelling with a backyard," she said.
"I think all Canberrans should have the opportunity to aspire to home ownership if that is their choice."
Ms Lee said while she was focused on big issues, she did not want to forget the smaller local government issues facing the territory.
"But it's also about making sure that we don't forget the basics... the mowing, the potholes, the cracks in the footpath. They might not be sexy but these are the basic local services that every Canberran should expect from their local government," she said.
Ms Lee was speaking to The Canberra Times to respond to Chief Minister Andrew Barr's "state of the territory" address, which he delivered this week.
In the address, Mr Barr outlined how his government would tackle four key challenges of housing, health, skills and climate action.
But Ms Lee described it as a "real lost opportunity for Andrew Barr"
"He has been the Chief Minister now since December 2014 and he had the opportunity to really set an agenda and a clear visions for the next couple of years, especially after the COVID era and he absolutely failed," she said.
"I think it was a real lost opportunity for the Chief Minister and I think that Canberrans would rightly be very disappointed about the lack of detail and the lack of plan and vision."
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