In July 2024, ANTAR/ ANTaR ACT wrote to the three major political parties as well as the registered minor parties contesting the 2024 ACT Election, seeking their policies and election commitments relating to:
- Community Control
- Justice & Incarceration
- Child Removals
- Aboriginal Housing
- Uluru Statement from the Heart
At the time this Election Scorecard was published, the ACT Labor and Greens parties, as well as the Independents for Canberra and other minor parties had provided responses to our request for their positions on the issues outlined above.
The Canberra Liberals advised they had not finalised their policy by the deadline, therefore with no publicly available policy positions on the issues, we could not include them in this Scorecard. We have substituted the Independents for Canberra as the only other party which responded with candidates in every electorate.
All the responses received can be read in full on ANTaR ACT’s website including First Nation Party, Fiona Carrick Independent, Strong Independents, and Belco Party.
ANTAR/ANTaR ACT recommends close consideration of the policies of the parties contesting the 2024 ACT Election – and particularly the policies related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. We believe that justice, rights, and respect for the First Nations people of the ACT must be a top priority for the next Legislative Assembly and government.
UPDATE: Post publishing, the Canberra Liberals have announced initiatives to support First Nations communities and these can be viewed here. ANTaR ACT has also now rated the Canberra Liberals policy platform, and this can be viewed here.