Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the ACT’s Chief Minister Andrew Barr is one of the worst economic managers Labor has ever produced. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Peter Dutton has continued his Canberra-bashing spree with a rant against ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, describing him as a terrible economic manager and one of the worst the Labor Party has come up with.
The Federal Opposition Leader was answering questions on Monday (28 April) about his plan to slash 41,000 jobs from the Australian Public Service.
When it was put to him that Mr Barr had said the Coalition policy could send the ACT into a five-year recession, Mr Dutton let loose on the Chief Minister.
“Andrew Barr is one of the worst economic managers Labor has ever produced,” he said.
“I don’t consider him at the top of the list. [Victorian Premier] Jacinta Allan is first, but he’s second.”
The Chief Minister hit back, however, and put the Coalition’s plans for the public service into perspective when compared with the Opposition Leader’s own state.
“The magnitude of job cuts Mr Dutton and the Liberals are proposing would equate to 450,000 of the 3 million jobs in his home state of Queensland,” Mr Barr said.
“It is a calculated and vicious attack on Canberra to propose our city bear the entire burden of Mr Dutton’s extreme public service cuts.”
The Canberra Business Chamber’s latest Canberra Business Beat survey lends some weight, however, to the ACT’s economy doing it tough.
Its report, released a few days out from federal polling day, suggests that businesses in the capital are struggling like never before.
The first Business Beat survey of 2025 shows the number of firms missing their own business targets has jumped from 54 to 63 per cent over the first quarter.
Despite this, the report states, most are expecting their businesses to remain stable or grow over the next 12 months and expect to make a profit.
The No. 1 issue affecting businesses in the ACT remains the increasing cost of doing business.
The CBC’s chief executive officer Greg Harford said the survey showed that business in the ACT was under more pressure than ever, reporting a tough first quarter.
“More than half of all firms failed to hit their business targets for the quarter ended 31 March, with nearly a third expecting their businesses to shrink over the next 12 months,” Mr Harford said.
“The biggest issue for business continues to be increasing costs, and reduced customer demand driving concerns about cash flow.
“Business is broadly split between expecting to reduce staff, increase staff and retain current staff levels over the next 12 months.
“Private sector businesses employ around two-thirds of all working Canberrans, but rely on income from customers to pay wages and other bills and to continue growing.
“Unfortunately, there is a sense that the business sector is underperforming, with 40 per cent of respondents having a negative view of business confidence at the present time.
“There is a significant degree of uncertainty at the present time owing to the federal election and global uncertainty, which is not good for the local economy.”
The chamber is calling on whoever forms federal government on 3 May to focus more on easing the burden on small business.
The latest CommSec State of the States report has also delivered bad news for the ACT, ranking it second last nationally for overall economic performance and last for economic momentum.
According to the report, the ACT economy is being held back by a 54.2 per cent collapse in new dwelling starts; the weakest annual retail spending growth in the country, down 0.9 per cent; and a 3.5 per cent fall in equipment investment over the year.
ACT Shadow Treasurer Ed Cocks described the report as sobering news and said it highlighted the “urgent need for better economic management” in the Territory.
“The ACT has some of the highest taxes, rates, and charges in the country. At the same time, we have skyrocketing debt and the worst deficit in ACT history,” Mr Cocks said.
“Poor economic management has an impact, and we are starting to see that impact in Canberra.”
