ACT Labor Minister Tara Cheyne Censured Over Library Closures

In short:

Labor MLA Tara Cheyne has been censured in the ACT Legislative Assembly over the issue of library opening hours, with the motion passing 13 votes to 10.

Opposition leader Mark Parton said Ms Cheyne had "ignored" a motion previously passed which called on the government to pause a move to close public libraries on Sundays.

But others criticised the motion, including independent Thomas Emerson, who said censures should be reserved for instances of "government incompetence".

City and Government Services Minister Tara Cheyne has become the third Labor minister to be censured by the ACT Legislative Assembly in less than a year.

The Canberra Liberals brought the censure motion against Ms Cheyne over weekend library closures and a bungle that cast doubt over thousands of seatbelt fines.

The seatbelt element was amended out of the motion, with the assembly instead passing the censure based on library opening hours 13 votes to 10.

Opposition leader Mark Parton said Ms Cheyne had "ignored" a motion passed by the assembly in June, which called on the government to pause a move to close public libraries on Sundays.

"Censure is the strongest tool this parliament has short of no confidence,"

Mr Parton said.

'I will not accept that candour is misconduct'

The motion was supported by the Liberals, the Greens and independent Fiona Carrick.

An emotional Ms Cheyne defended her track record, and expressed dismay about the premise of the motion, pointing out she had explained the "operational constraints" libraries were under.

"I do not and I will not accept that candour is misconduct and I certainly will not accept that it is contempt,"

Ms Cheyne said.

She used her assembly speech to say options were being considered to reintroduce weekend hours at some libraries next year.

"That will include prioritising weekend branch access at Kippax and Erindale from July 2027,"

she said.

Ms Cheyne later issued a statement saying the government would "continue to improve and modernise library services across Canberra" and an evaluation of library operating arrangements would be published by March 2027.

Deputy Chief Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it was "extraordinary" a minister was being censured for "doing their job".

A censure motion is a severe reprimand but is largely symbolic and carries no ongoing consequences aside from reputational damage.

'An electoral dead-end'

The censure debate became fiery at some points, with Liberal-turned-independent MLA Leanne Castley slamming her former party.

"We know that the opposition clearly intends to censure, smear and whinge their way to the 2028 election," she told the assembly.

"They are attracted to the excitement of censures and smears, but it is an electoral dead-end, even at the best of times."

Fellow independent Thomas Emerson unsuccessfully attempted to downgrade the censure to an admonishment.

"We have other mechanisms to debate and condemn government decisions in the assembly, while reserving censure motions for clear instances of government incompetence," Mr Emerson said.

"If we lower the threshold and start using censure motions for every disagreement, they risk becoming meaningless. "

Ms Cheyne is the third minister this term to be censured by the assembly, following the censures of Yvette Berry and Chris Steel.

Before this term, the last time the ACT Legislative Assembly had censured an MLA was in 2011.