Mark Parton putting the finishing touches on his Budget in Reply: He’s determined his party will be in government come 2028. Photo: Mark Parton.
City graffiti blitz teams, 50-cent public transport fares and putting discipline “back at the centre” of the Territory’s budgets.
These are the goals outlined by Opposition Leader Mark Parton in his reply speech to the 2026-27 ACT Budget.
“My aspiration is simple: to restore Canberra to its rightful place as the pride of the nation,” he said.
It’s common for budget replies to take aim at a government’s apparent failings, and Mr Parton was no exception.
He pointed to the ACT’s worsening bottom line with total borrowings reaching $23.7 billion by 2029-30.
Saul Eslake’s fiscal sustainability report provided plenty of ammunition, previously slamming the government for spending more money than it was making.
The government has announced measures to raise additional revenue and has pushed back the timelines of some infrastructure projects to reduce expenditure.
But Mr Parton said it wasn’t enough.
“We’re in a massive red hole … this budget does not show us the way out,” he said.
“Mr Barr inherited clean books, they’re not clean now … Labor got us here, with some help from the Greens.
“We should never forgive them, and we should not trust them to get us out.”
But what would the Canberra Liberals do differently?
Mr Parton’s speech didn’t reveal every policy or solution, but it did include some substantial measures.
First, the Opposition will move to legislate a Charter of Budget Responsibility for the ACT.
Mr Parton said it would mandate budget honesty, year-to-year comparability, program-level transparency and appropriation (ie, rollover) integrity into law.
He said this would create requirements to disclose unfunded commitments, make public money traceable across programs, projects and budget measures, and require the papers to show when services are being funded by “temporary” money.
“It is about making sure every dollar raised from Canberrans is treated with care,” Mr Parton said.
“And it is about putting discipline back at the centre of the ACT Budget.”
City safety has appeared as a key issue that the Canberra Liberals want to address.
Whether crime is actually increasing or it’s just a public perception, Mr Parton said Canberrans were constantly telling him they did not feel safe.
In response, he’s promised that if his party forms government, it would re-criminalise methamphetamine, introduce a ‘Safer Summer’ knife-wanding pilot for 2028-29, and deploy graffiti blitz cleanup teams, starting in Civic.
“Canberrans should be able to walk through Civic without feeling intimidated, unsafe or unwelcome,” Mr Parton said.
“Under a Parton Liberal Government, we will restore pride, order and confidence in our city.”
Health and public transport were also highlighted in Mr Parton’s speech.
The party has already appointed shadow ministers for men’s and women’s health.
Mr Parton also promised he’d introduce a Suicide Prevention Bill before the end of the year.
His government would also expand Canberra’s endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment services at Canberra Hospital.
“Endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain are real, serious and life-altering conditions,” he said.
“Our health system should treat them with the seriousness they deserve.”
As for public transport, Mr Parton committed to delivering 50-cent bus and light rail fares across the entire network.
Missing from the speech was a slamming of light rail.
The party’s 2024 transport policy flagged the scrapping of stage 2B of the light rail extension, but its language has shifted in recent months. Region understands the party hasn’t finalised its public transport policy position yet.
So how would the Opposition implement all its plans and its other yet-to-be-announced policies?
Mr Parton said the government’s policy machine was “100 times bigger than ours”, and so the public would have to wait a bit longer for a detailed policy suite.
But he said they would be released before the 2028 election.
“We’re mindful of the fact that it took Labor 25 years to get us in this mess. It’s going to take more than four years to get us out,” Mr Parton said.
But options on the table include a re-examination of travel, consultants, contractors, communications and other discretionary spending.
The Opposition has plans to save 10 and 25 per cent in these spaces.
Mr Parton pointed to the Queensland Government’s millions in savings in infrastructure and procurement when it stripped back a framework similar to the ACT’s Secure Local Jobs Code, and so that would be looked at as well.
“There will be more to come,” he promised.
Mr Parton acknowledged that, for too long, the Canberra Liberals had failed to convince Canberrans that it was ready to govern.
He promised his party was ready.
“The choice is clear: more of the same from a tired Labor Government, or a sensible Liberal change, renewed hope and a stronger Canberra.”