The ACT Leader of the Opposition, Kate Carnell, called yesterday for a review of rates in the ACT after receiving hundreds of protests from residents who have been bit with huge increases.
Ms Carnell said rates had increased dramatically over the past four years in most areas of Canberra.
However, the Chief Minister, Rosemary Follett, said the Liberals were being hypocritical. When in power they raised rates by 16.6 per cent in one year. Labor had increased them on 14.6 per cent in three years.
Ms Carnell said, “”For example, in Turner since 1988-89, rates have increased by a staggering 81 per cent while in Charnwood, rates have climbed more than 61 per cent during the same period,” she said. “”In Downer, where Ms Follett lives, there has been only a 46 per cent rise. This translates to an increase in the last four years of $201 on the annual average rate.”
Ms Carnell said she wanted the system of basing rates on unimproved property values reviewed because it had caused great hardship to many Canberrans.
Curtin was a good example of where people had lived in the suburb for many years after moving there when it was a new suburb. Now they found property values had gone up dramatically. They could not afford to move. Many were now retired or approaching retirement.
A system where rates were based on the services provided, not property values, should be looked at, she said.
Ms Follett said Canberra, at $247 per head in 1991-92, compared favourably to other similar sized cities. Its average was below both Newcastle at $328 and Wollongong at $310.
The Liberals had voted in support of the Rates and Land tax Amendment Bill which set the rate for this year.
“”No-one enjoys receiving rates notices, but the Liberals are drawing a long bow indeed if they expect the community to believe they have a better or more compassionate method of financing municipal services,” she said.