ACT Greens leader Jo Clay says her party will not strike a new supply and confidence deal with the Labor government, saying they were unable to secure commitments to a list of reasonable community requests.
"It's clear the Labor government simply doesn't want to commit to delivering clear on-the-ground services like these, instead opting for vague promises and reporting rather than concrete actions they can be held accountable for," Ms Clay said in a statement.
The decision means the Greens will not have a formal deal with Labor in the territory for the first time since 2008, but the Greens said they would pass this year's budget and work with the government issue by issue.
"We are not having any conversations with the Liberals at the moment. I have already contacted [Opposition Leader] Mark Parton and said we look forward to working with him from the crossbench. We are not looking to form Government with anyone else," Ms Clay said.
Labor said it was wrong to suggest the discussions were a choice between action and inaction.
"The central question in many cases was not whether progress should occur, but how it should occur and how commitments could be delivered responsibly, sustainably and in a way that preserved the government's capacity to respond to changing circumstances," a party spokeswoman said.
Ms Clay said the Greens had set a clear, fair bar and kept the door open for as long as possible to reach an agreement.
"From the counter-offers we received from Labor, disappointingly for Canberrans, Labor chose not to be accountable in delivering their own policy," she said.
"We asked for reasonable outcomes with dates attached. But what we got in return was non-commitment."
Ms Clay said the decision had been supported by Greens members through a grassroots consultation process.
"Our job to take forward community concerns, take forward policies that Canberra needs at the moment and to work issue by issue. Andrew Barr is happy to work issue by issue. I would not be surprised if we have, we are likely to have more contact issue by issue and more influence now that we do not have a supply and confidence agreement in place," she said.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it was disappointing the two parties could not find a compromise in the best interests of delivering a shared progressive policy agenda.
"The suggestion that this outcome reflects a lack of ambition or commitment from the government is simply wrong. Labor is getting on with the job of building more homes, strengthening public services, supporting jobs and economic growth, advancing climate action and delivering on our commitments to Canberrans. But we do so while also managing the many other requirements of the territory government," Mr Barr said in a statement.
"We will continue to engage constructively with the Greens and all members of the Assembly. Where we can work together to achieve positive outcomes for Canberra, we will."
ACT Labor said detailed negotiations had taken place across a range of policies and in a number of them, the government was willing to support the Greens' intention but could not back highly prescriptive delivery dates or funding commitments.
"The government's position was that decisions of this nature should continue to be informed by consultation, budget processes, implementation planning, operational considerations, emerging evidence and the territory's fiscal circumstances," a party spokeswoman said.
The Greens said Labor had refused to commit to "basic rental protections", restoring weekend library services at Kippax and Erindale by July 2027, clear protections for the city's western edge, and "gambling harm reduction measures that actually work".
Ms Clay said the Greens had gone into the talks with a "short, reasonable list of claims".
"The Labor Government was not prepared to sign up to clear delivery and dates by which they would deliver these items. The vast majority of the things that we asked for did not have cost implications," she said.
"We were asking for commitment to deliver the regulatory and the other policy steps that Labor has said they will do and we simply wanted to put dates and commitments on those."
Labor would also not commit to ending funding for the horse racing industry and introducing an action plan for phasing out petrol and diesel transport in the territory, the Greens said.
Ms Clay in August said she had approached Chief Minister Andrew Barr to seek a new agreement after the Greens' members voted to make her the permanent leader after Shane Rattenbury retired.
