Chief Minister and Treasurer’s Message
The 2021-22 Budget Consultation process has now closed
The Government would like to thank those individuals, community groups and organisations that contributed to the 2021-22 Budget Consultation process.
Public submissions may be found on the Input Received page: https://www.budgetconsultation.act.gov.au/input-received
No further submissions will be uploaded to the Input Received page.
On behalf of the ACT Government, I am seeking your input into the Territory’s post covid recovery.
Your input will be most valuable in the implementation of existing policy initiatives and programs, and in the development of the next two Territory Budgets, over the coming 14 months. The 2021-22 Territory Budget will be released on 31 August 2021 before the annual Budget returns to its pre-COVID cycle in June 2022.
Throughout 2020, the ACT Government used our strong economic position to support the Canberra community through the biggest economic shock we have faced in more than a century. Our focus was to protect local jobs, stimulate confidence and inject cash into our economy. This approach worked, and now the ACT is in a position to recover strongly from the pandemic.
The ACT’s overall economic position was given a strong endorsement by the rating agency Standard & Poors recently when they maintained the Territory’s AAA credit rating. The ACT is now the only jurisdiction in the country, and the only subnational Government across the Asia Pacific, to maintain this enviable credit rating. This is important because a AAA credit rating means the Territory Government can borrow the necessary funds for our infrastructure program at a lower rate.
In preparing the next two Territory Budgets, the Government’s priorities will continue to be job creation, infrastructure investment, responding to climate change, supporting the most vulnerable and charting the path back to a balanced Territory Budget. We will focus on the delivery of our election commitments and the policy agenda outlined in the Parliamentary and Governing Agreement. There will be little room for major new spending initiatives outside of these priorities in the foreseeable future.
The Government remains committed to measuring our success not just on economic statistics – but on a broader range of measures that reflect the wellbeing of our community.
Our Wellbeing indicator project, which will monitor our progress across a broad range of areas that reflect the values of Canberrans, will become an essential part of how we develop our Budget process in the future.
To learn more about the ACT Wellbeing Framework please visit our Wellbeing website. This will continue to be an iterative process as we collect better data and information and embed wellbeing information in policy design and implementation.
Future ACT Budgets will continue to support the economic recovery of Canberra, through the implementation of our Jobs & Economic Recovery Plan. A key part of this plan is to create and protect more than 250,000 local jobs by 2025 – a target we are on track to meet.
You can provide your submissions to the post COVID recovery budgets through the ACT Government’s YourSay website.
You can either provide a written submission or complete our survey. If you agree to your feedback and/or submission being made public, it will be available for other Canberrans to read on the Budget Consultation website.
In addition, ahead of the release of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Budgets, ACT Treasury will facilitate a series of roundtable discussions to engage with local peak-body organisations similar to the highly effective process for the 2020-21 Budget. Additional details regarding this process will be available in coming months.
The closing date for the provision of 2021-22 Budget Consultation input is Monday, 28 June 2021.
For further enquiries, please call the Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate on 6207 1375.
Andrew Barr MLA
ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer