ALBANESE GOVERNMENT INJECTS OVER $350 MILLION IN CANBERRA TO SEE OUR CITY THRIVE

14 May 2024

ACT FEDERAL LABOR TEAM

The Albanese Government values Canberra’s role as the national capital and is making the investments in the 2024-25 Budget to rollout transformative projects and upgrade local infrastructure that will support our growing city to thrive.

Only a Federal Labor Government can work hand-in-hand with the ACT Labor Government to deliver the investments that Canberra needs to grow, while supporting local jobs and maintaining Canberra as the national capital.

This Federal Budget will inject almost $250 million to revitalise the AIS facilities in Bruce and ensure they are modern and fit-for-purpose for Australia’s elite and aspiring athletes.

A further $10 million will also be invested to fund masterplans for the AIS and Bruce precincts.

Key infrastructure investments in the Albanese Government’s Budget also include:

$50 million to design stage 2B of the transformative light rail project which would extend the line from Commonwealth Park to Woden.
$900,000 for the planning stage of the Belconnen Transitway and Gungahlin District Road Improvements and Molonglo East-West Arterial.
$27.1 million in additional funding for the William Hovell Drive Duplication project.
$9.7 million for the first TAFE Electric Vehicle Centre of Excellence at CIT Fyshwick, matching a contribution from the Barr ACT Government to provide innovative world class training for a future Electric Vehicle workforce to support a Future Made in Australia.
A share of the $100 million Active Transport Fund that will upgrade and deliver new bicycle and walking paths to support zero emissions travel.

The Budget also delivers on our commitment to ease cost of living pressures for Canberrans by:

Delivering a tax cut for all Canberran taxpayers, with 79 per cent of taxpayers in the ACT receiving a bigger tax cut compared to the previous legislated plan
Providing $300 in Energy Bill Relief for all 196,000 ACT Households and $325 for 18,000 eligible small businesses
Wiping around $3 billion in student debt, benefiting nearly 57,000 people in the ACT with a HELP debt
Increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance by a further 10 per cent, benefitting 7,300 ACT households – building on the 15 per cent increase in September 2023
Extending the freeze on deeming rates for 14,500 income support recipients in Canberra
Paying superannuation on government-funded Paid Parental Leave, benefiting around 5,000 Canberrans a year from 1 July 2025
And continuing to make medicines cheaper by freezing the maximum cost of PBS prescriptions.

The Albanese Government is also investing $4.1 million, over four years, to ensure the much-loved Canberra Symphony Orchestra continues to wow audiences well into the future.

The Government’s efforts to rebuild the Australian Public Service after a decade of underinvestment also recognises that that delivering outcomes for Australians must be built on the foundations of a strong public service.

For too long, the ACT was overlooked by a Coalition Government that didn’t care about Canberra.

Our city missed out for too long, but the Albanese Government’s budget shows that only Labor is willing to make the investments that are needed to build a Canberra that is well-connected, more liveable and home to a National Capital that all Australians can be proud of.

TUESDAY 14 MAY 2024