Malcolm Farr’s article, ‘Capital Offences: ACT hit by crime wave as the economy collapses’ in the Daily Telegraph, Saturday 2 September, was nothing more than a blatant Canberra-bashing exercise.
Farr’s comments are unjustifiable and unfounded. Not only is Farr’s article offensive to many Canberrans, but the article was rife with inaccuracies.
The Australian Federal Police today confirmed that Canberra is not in the midst of a crime wave, and there has been no marked increase in serious crimes in the ACT.
While the article sensationalised some controversial issues, it selectively ignored many positives, including our lovely environment, the lowest unemployment rate in Australia’s history, the $3 billion worth of construction that is underway in the ACT and that business confidence has been high for the past two years!
Sadly, Farr’s attack on Canberra is nothing new. The Howard Government has engaged in this Canberra-bashing for 10 long years. Farr’s article disappointingly regurgitates the same lines that the Liberals have been throwing around.
Since the ACT Labor Government has been responsibly managing the local economy, the ACT and Federal Liberals have been attempting to undermine confidence in the ACT economy by beating up on Canberra with unfounded allegations.
I call on Federal and ACT Liberals, and Malcolm Farr, to stop their offensive and inaccurate Canberra-bashing.
Contact: Rachel Allen – 0418 488 295
