Passengers would pay only 50 cents to catch a bus or light rail in the capital if the Liberals win the next election and an anti-graffiti crew would patrol the city centre's streets every morning to quickly remove new tags.
Opposition Leader Mark Parton made the promises in his budget reply speech, declaring the central failure of the government's budget was it asked Canberrans to pay more while delivering less and the Liberals would need more than four years in government to get the territory out of the mess.
Mr Parton said the Liberals would introduce a legislated charter of budget responsibility for the ACT to guarantee fiscal discipline, intergenerational equity, and transparency.
"It is about making sure every dollar raised from Canberrans is treated with care. And it is about putting discipline back at the centre of the ACT budget," Mr Parton said.
The Opposition Leader said a government he leads would treat small businesses as an economic partner instead of a "revenue source to be squeezed".
Mr Parton said a Liberal government would also move to make possessing methamphetamine illegal again, undoing a landmark drug decriminalisation law supported by Labor and the Greens that "has failed".
"Not because we have given up on people trapped in addiction. Quite the opposite. We will recriminalise meth because we refuse to pretend that a drug causing such serious harm in our community should be treated as just another minor infringement," he said.
Mr Parton said a Liberal government would set up dedicated "graffiti blitz" teams targeting public and private sites in the city centre that faced onto public spaces.
"This is not just about removing paint. It is about sending a message that Canberra is cared for, that people are being heard, and that under a Parton Liberal government we will restore pride, order and confidence in our city," he said.
The Liberals also promised to expand endometriosis and pelvic pain treatment services at Canberra Hospital, which Mr Parton said had remained fragmented, inconsistent and difficult to navigate, and introduce a suicide prevention law.
"The [endometriosis and pelvic pain] clinic we propose will build on existing services but provide a more comprehensive and dedicated model of care, bringing together pelvic physiotherapy, specialist pain care, endometriosis nursing, psychology, trauma and mental health support, specialised diagnosis and treatment, and improved local access to diagnostic equipment," he said.
Mr Parton said the Liberals stood by their 2024 election commitment to grow the size of the capital's bus fleet and legislate a service guarantee alongside the introduction of 50-cent fares.
The move to cut the cost of tickets mirrors the introduction of 50-cent fares in Queensland, which was launched as a trial by the state's Labor Party and later made permanent by the incoming Liberal National Party government.
In the first six months of lower fares, public transport patronage grew by 18.3 per cent in the state and saved passengers more than $181 million.
Mr Parton said the ACT budget, handed down on Wednesday, showed extending light rail from Commonwealth Park to Woden was "an uncosted pipe dream".
"No firm capital commitment, no timeline, no price tag, just vague provisions years down the track," he said.
The Opposition Leader indicated the Liberals would consider removing the Secure Local Jobs Code -a union-backed procurement framework - to secure better value for money for taxpayers on infrastructure projects.
"The budget shows that the ACT government is still spending $400 million a year on contractors and consultants. It also shows $165 million in a single year for communication, travel and staff development," he said.
"We will examine these areas carefully and sensibly with a view to achieving savings of between 10 and 25 per cent. That includes considering a 25 per cent reduction in spending on travel and consultants."
Mr Parton said he would unveil a detailed policy suite before the next election in 2028 but said developing policies in opposition was a "hard slog".
"The government's policy making machine is, without any exaggeration, 100 times bigger than ours. They have the luxury of many more Assembly staff, but additionally, Treasury and the entire public service to assist with policy development," he said.
"The opposition does not and our staffing budgets are continually nobbled by the government. We are aiming to be the government after the election of 2028 and as such we will be releasing a full suite of policies in the lead up to that poll.
"Those policies will aim to deal with among other things, the dire fiscal position that we find ourselves in, and we're mindful of the fact that it took Labor 25 years to get us in this mess. It's going to make more than four years to get us out."
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said recriminalising meth use was a return to a failed policy that amounted to ideology over leadership, while 50-cent fares did not add up and would leave the budget worse off.
"Mr Parton is now the ninth Liberal opposition leader, and it's the same tired performance: announce giveaways, avoid the numbers, and hope no one notices the gap. Canberrans have seen this cycle before and they know how it ends," Mr Barr said in a statement.
ACT Greens leader Jo Clay used her budget reply speech to take credit for the government's abandonment of a "deeply flawed" health levy and additional support for renters, arguing the Greens holding used the balance of power to point out and fix problems.
But the Greens remained concerned about the government's support for climate change measures, public schools, the community services sector, and public transport.
Ms Clay said the territory needed to pursue deep structural changes to achieve progressive economic reform.
"ACT and federal Labor cling on to old beliefs. They still think billionaires must be cosseted. They still talk about the fallacy that wealth trickles down. The rest of us know wealth is hoarded at the top. It's time to tax it properly," Ms Clay said.
