Much has happened to Canberra in the past two years. As a community we have plunged into – and emerged triumphantly from – the greatest financial crisis most of us have ever known. And the triumph has been a Labor triumph, engineered by the Labor Government federally and supported here in the national capital by the Territory’s own Labor Government. We have engineered historic investments in social housing and schools, protecting local jobs and safeguarding local families. Labor values have been transformed into bricks and mortar and human support.

After a decade of decline under Howard, Costello and Abbott in the Commonwealth’s share of public hospital funding, the Federal Labor Government will pick up the greater share of growth in health funding into the future. That means more hip replacements, more  cataract surgeries, shorter waiting times in accident and emergency, more GPs, more of everything for more Canberrans.

There have been historic developments within the local branch of the Party too. We’ve welcomed the affiliation of the CPSU, present in force at today’s conference and now a significant voice in Party affairs. There’s plenty to celebrate and plenty to look forward to for ACT Labor as we head towards the centenary of our city in 2013. I have no doubt whatsoever that while we may sometimes differ on the detail of how to make this great city of ours even better, on the fundamentals we are as one. What we strive for as our shared legacy is a better city and a stronger community.

And we farewell, with thanks and heart-felt esteem, our longserving federal local Members: the Member for Canberra, Annette Ellis, and the Member for Fraser, Bob McMullan, both of whom retire at the forthcoming federal election.

It is a mark of the depth and strength of our Party that the contest to replace Annette and Bob attracted such high quality candidates, and today’s conference is an opportunity to meet and hear from our formally endorsed candidates: Gai Brodtmann, Labor’s choicefor the seat of Canberra, and Andrew Leigh, Labor’s choice for the seat of Fraser.

There’s plenty to celebrate and plenty to look forward to for ACT Labor as we head towards the centenary of our city in 2013.

I have no doubt whatsoever that while we may sometimes differ on the detail of how to make this great city of ours even better, on the fundamentals we are as one. What we strive for as our shared legacy is a better city and a stronger community.

It’s for that reason that the Government will shortly embark on a city-wide conversation about what a better city might look like, what it might feel like, and what it might cost.

The aim is to reach out to as many Canberrans as we can – through formal surveys, workshops, roundtables, deliberative forums and other mechanisms. There’s plenty to talk about – important stuff, all of which goes directly to the heart of who we want to be as a city, and how we get there.