More than $650 million would boost the ACT Budget through an ACT Greens proposal in Parliament today, which calls for the Labor Government to secure more funding from their federal counterparts.
ACT Greens Deputy Leader Jo Clay will call the ACT Labor government today to seek reimbursement for years of underpayment to the Territory from the Commonwealth Government.
"With Labor in both levels of government they should be getting a better deal for Canberra. Instead, Labor have increased rates and cut critical programs from the ACT Budget, like the Rent Relief Program and Women's Safety Grants," Ms Clay said.
"We were sold this story by Labor that the ACT Budget required 'tough' decisions, but the reality is that Canberra is simply not getting its share of Commonwealth funding.
"While everyday people were slapped with a new health levy, the ACT was already missing out on at least $116 million per year - more than double what the levy would raise - from the Commonwealth Government to specifically fund our health system."
"We're also missing out on at least $650M from population backpay and our historic housing debt, which was waived in Tasmania and South Australia.
"This ACT Labor Government should also secure 50/50 funding for more infrastructure projects and get a proper deal in lieu of the $500M we miss out on every year from lost payroll tax on Commonwealth public servants.
The Greens will also propose the development of a new national fossil fuel tax to get big polluters to pay their fair share and help budgets across the whole country fund a just transition off gas and deliver more services for communities.
"The ACT Government has been not received their fair share funding from their federal counterparts for quite some time now. We are also losing out because the Commonwealth Government does not tax big corporations and polluters.
"Fossil fuel exporters are mainly foreign companies that pay little to no tax and send their huge profits offshore along with our gas or coal. If we truly want to fund the things people want and need, we can pay for it by fairly taxing the big polluters.
"It's possible to deliver the services Canberrans need. We just need government at all levels to genuinely put the people, that they were elected to represent, first."
The Greens motion calls on the ACT Government to genuinely use their relationships with the Commonwealth Government to secure a better deal for Canberra, and:
- Seek a $550 million backpay due to the ACT's population undercount.
- Seek to waive the ACT's historic housing debt.
- Retain the ACT's status as a climate action leader and develop a national fossil fuel tax with state, territory and the Commonwealth governments.
- Seek a fairer allocation of funding to the ACT in lieu of Commonwealth public servant payroll tax.
- Seek a minimum 50/50 funding agreement with the Commonwealth for infrastructure projects, and provide clear reporting on how much was requested.
- Ensure Aged Care assessments and NDIS applications for people in hospital are completed within the first week of admission and advocate for more home care packages and residential places, so they can return home sooner.
- Negotiate a small jurisdiction equivalent to the National Efficient Price to ensure that the ACT is properly funded to provide high quality healthcare for our region.
The full motion can be found on the ACT Parliament website.
