New Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee has extended an olive branch to the Barr government, saying the party won't "oppose for opposition's sake".
But Ms Lee has called on her opponents to genuinely listen and consider the Liberals' policy ideas - such as the establishment of a poverty taskforce - rather than dismiss them as "political stunts".
The new Opposition leader's first budget reply speech, delivered on Thursday afternoon, attempted to strike a balance between attacking the long-serving Labor government and encouraging unity on tackling the challenges confronting Canberrans.
Ms Lee said in the speech that Tuesday's 2020-21 ACT budget "did not deliver", arguing that it embedded years of neglect and under-resourcing in health and education.
"And this budget embeds the same old thinking from this government of charging Canberrans more and delivering less," Ms Lee said, without citing examples.
While insisting her party would hold the government to account, Ms Lee said the Liberals wanted to work with Labor and the Greens to address problems such as poverty and presence of hazardous materials at public schools.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday's speech, Ms Lee promised that her team would not criticise or oppose government policies for the sake of it.
But she wanted Labor and the Greens to meet her halfway, challenging them to take off their political blinkers and genuinely consider adopting some of the Liberals' ideas.
"The fact is that no one single party in this town has all the great ideas," she said.
"We were all elected into this place. I just ask the Chief Minister that he respect the things, the ideas and fresh perspectives that the Canberra Liberals have to bring and that he not dismiss them as political stunts."
In a break from tradition, Ms Lee did not use the platform of the budget reply speech to unveil a new policy, choosing instead to frame a broad vision for the Canberra Liberals under her leadership.
Ms Lee earlier this week suggested the Liberals could abandon their signature rates freeze policy. But she hasn't not made firm calls on whether any - or all - of the commitments her predecessor Alistair Coe took to October's election would be retained.
On Thursday, she said every policy remained "on the table for discussion and review".
But she stressed the Liberals would not deviate from their core policy positions, such as advocating for vulnerable Canberrans.
Greens leader and Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury was also afforded a budget reply speech, despite his party holding a third of the seats in cabinet.
Mr Rattenbury warmly praised Andrew Barr's budget, highlighting the measures included in it to create jobs, tackle climate change, build more social housing and help repair the environment.
He also took aim at the federal government's plans for a so-called "gas-led recovery", describing it as a "sick joke .... which the country won't be laughing about for very long if it isn't stopped soon."
