Winners and losers in the ACT budget

Chief Minister Andrew Barr delivered the 2020-21 ACT budget on Tuesday. Picture: Elesa Kurtz

Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr has handed down a delayed 2020-21 budget.

So how did Canberrans fare? Here are the winners and losers in this budget.

Winners 

The climate

• There has been $300 million promised for initiatives aimed at tackling climate change. This includes $150 million towards interest-free loans for households to spend on rooftop solar panels and $100 million for big battery storage.
  

Gungahlin families

• The region is set to be boosted with a $27.4 million spend on education infrastructure. This includes money for new high schools in Taylor and Kenny.
  

Woden CIT

• The government has guaranteed $240 million in funding for the project over the next four years.
  

Homeowners (most)

• Unlike previous territory budgets, the 2020-21 budget did not outline increases to rates, instead these were announced last June. Only 60,000 households received a rates increase this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Canberra

• With a lower than expected deficit and a vaccine rollout on the way, the budget shows the city has weathered the pandemic remarkably well.
  

Losers 

People who use their mobile when driving

• $10 million will be spent on high resolution cameras to detect drivers using mobile phones.

Social housing

• The government did not announce funding for any additional community or public housing in the budget.
  

Businesses

• Although business owners have received an extension to payroll tax exemptions and waivers, no new funding has been announced. It comes as the JobKeeper wage subsidy is set to stop next month.
  

Throsby stadium

• The $20m "Home of Football" in Throsby will be delayed until 2023. It was supposed to be built by the second half of 2021.
  

MORE BUDGET NEWS:

• Full ACT Budget coverage
• Analysis: Barr's boring budget a sign of better times
  
• Vaccine, open borders key to ACT's budget bounce-back
  
• Budget extends payroll tax, licensing fee help for businesses
  
• New service to help businesses switch fleets to zero-emission vehicles
  
• Gungahlin schools take lion's share of education infrastructure spend
  
• COVID-19 vaccine funding to continue for at least four years
  
• COVID-19 hardship fund reduced as homeless services boosted