Greens MLA Andrew Braddock is calling on Canberra’s federal representatives to publicly back Light Rail Stage 2B to Woden, launching a federal e-petition urging those members of parliament to commit their support and advocate for federal funding in future budgets.

Braddock, the party’s spokesperson for Transport, argues that Canberra’s federal MPs should be using their positions inside government to actively push for local outcomes.

“If Canberra is represented almost entirely by government MPs, then Canberrans should be seeing real action on things that are important to Canberra,” he says.

The petition focuses on securing explicit support for Stage 2B from all members of the House of Representatives, while also urging the federal government to prioritise the project in upcoming infrastructure and budget decisions. Braddock says stronger federal backing would help fast-track approvals, reduce the financial burden on the ACT, and support investment in more sustainable public transport.

He says federal Labor representatives from the ACT, including Alicia Payne, David Smith, and Andrew Leigh, should have “no hesitation publicly backing the project and fighting inside government for the long-term funding needed to get it built,” adding that each “has a voice inside the federal Labor caucus” and questioning whether that influence is being used to deliver for Canberra.

He also raised the role of former ACT Chief Minister and now Finance Minister, Senator Katy Gallagher, saying she “wields considerable influence within the federal Labor caucus” and asking whether she is “interested in using that position to effectively advance the needs of the ACT.”

Braddock criticised what he sees as a gap between representation and action, arguing that “Canberrans didn’t elect Labor MPs just to warm seats in a supermajority government. They elected representatives to fight for the ACT and deliver real outcomes for our city.”

“This is the moment for every ACT federal representative to show Canberrans exactly where they stand on Light Rail Stage 2B and whether they are prepared to fight for it inside government.”