More than 100 leading Chamber businesses tuned in to the Business Chamber’s “Political Leaders Election Forum”, a members-only event, in which the leaders of the Canberra Liberals and ACT Labor were invited to spell out their major initiatives to revive jobs, employment and growth in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

The event featured Chief Minister Andrew Barr and the Leader of the Opposition, Alistair Coe.

Chamber CEO Graham Catt said that, “Our recent consultations and virtual member forums has shown that many businesses are looking for immediate, direct support to stay open; clarity of government intentions in regards to operating conditions under Covid; and a sympathetic ear to their problems.”

“So we know what local businesses need and are asking for. Many of these were spelt out in our election manifesto, which we released last week.

“Unfortunately, whilst the leaders tonight were strong on rhetoric and generalized statements, both major parties seem somewhat short of specifics.”

Both leaders were also grilled about a range of issues from the audience, focusing on regulations, commercial rates, education and skills.

Watch the recording of the full event below:

The Chamber’s election manifesto can be found here.

Special thanks to Encore and Canberra Airport for sponsoring the event.