The Landlords Association has decided to campaign for Molonglo Liberal candidate Lucinda Spier. The association’s president, Peter Jansen, said yesterday that he had mailed his 800-odd members calling for help on polling day. Ms Spier has mailboxed how-to-vote cards in the electorate which does not mention other Liberal candidates and only mentions the fact she is a Liberal in small type. Ms Spier has seen the material Mr Jansen has put out and agrees with it. Ms Spier has been in strife with the party over issuing policy statements as the chair of the Canberra Rates Association without clearing them, as other candidates have agreed to do. Her how-to-vote cards suggest only a Spier 1 vote. They are authorised by the Liberal Party’s ACT branch president Dawn Crosby. Mr Jansen said Ms Spier was “”the only candidate who had a proven track record of standing up for the rights of ratepayers and landlords”.
He expected to man every polling booth in Molonglo. He wanted Ms Spier to “”hold the balance of power in the Assembly” _ a term usually reserved for people outside the major parties. Mr Jansen said, “”Without Lucinda the other parties will continue to “”rip off” property owners via rates and taxes. . . . The Liberals have reneged on their promise to abolish land tax.” On land tax, Ms Spier said Liberal policy was that no tax would be higher than those in NSW, so land tax should have a threshold, like in NSW. Mr Jansen said the association intended to hold a rally on February 15, which is the rates instalment due date.