Canberra must hold nerve in face of job cuts: Gallagher - The Canberra Times

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher will say that Canberra's economy is resilient. Photo: Rohan Thomson

Chief Minister Katy Gallagher is urging the local government, business and education sectors to hold their ''collective nerve'' as public service job cuts hit the ACT economy.

In a speech at the Australian Catholic University campus in Watson on Tuesday, Ms Gallagher will say that Canberra's economy is more resilient than it was after the 1996 election when there were major cuts to the public service.

The Chief Minister will argue that the local education sector is well-placed to continue growing and urge locals to ignore ''Canberra bashing''.

Ms Gallagher will say that pressure in the federal bureaucracy is adding to pressure on other parts of the economy.

''Revenue predictions mean that as we begin to frame next year's ACT budget, our government, too, will face some increasingly hard choices,'' she will say in the 2013 Blackfriars Lecture.

''This is a time for government, business and the education sector to hold our collective nerve. After more than a decade of solid growth and careful economic management, we have the fundamentals to maintain confidence and stability in our economy.

''I believe we have also passed a threshold as a city which gives us greater resilience than in previous decades.

''For example, the expansion to Canberra airport - the gateway to the entire capital region - will be complemented by the new Majura Parkway as two major enablers of passenger and freight movement.''

Ms Gallagher will also say that a strong focus on higher education can help the local economic diversify and grow.

''We are not a party city or a 'city that never sleeps' and we don't need to be,'' she will say.

''As a contrast to far bigger and more congested cities, I see the relative serenity of Canberra as one of our true advantages.

''What we are is a bold, progressive, high-achieving city with the confidence to think big and take on dangerous ideas. You see this in our academic and research communities, in thriving pockets of student culture and in our ambitious young arts community.''

Ms Gallagher will argue that the Centenary of Canberra has helped to unearth community and city pride which will become part of Canberra's ''brand''.

''This is something we must carry forward as a legacy - the means to a permanent departure from Canberra bashing and self-deprecation about our city,'' she will say.