Cost of living set to go through the roof

NICK McKIM www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today said that the latest leaked Treasury papers which reveal tax increases to be implemented in the upcoming State Budget demonstrate that despite being a Labor government the cost of living for Tasmanian battlers is going through the roof under David Bartlett.

Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson Nick McKim MP said that it is clear that these fee increases on top of power hikes, new water and sewerage charges, MAIB increases reveal the extent to which the cost of living is rising under Labor, with the Bartlett government doing very little to share the economic hardship itself.

Mr McKim also said he was angry that the average Tasmanian was being expected to keep paying to fill the Budget black-hole while the Bartlett government protects itself from sharing the pain, pointing to Mr Bartlett voting down a Greens’ Bill to cut by 50% the additional salaries taken home by the Parliamentary Leaders and other official position holders.

“This latest round of budget leaks reinforces that under Labor the cost of living is rising and rising sharply. We now know that the Tasmanian taxpayer will be expected to pay more for school fees, land tax, payroll tax on top of power hikes, and the new water and sewerage charges,” Mr McKim said.

“Tasmanians are also having to pay for the bungle by the Infrastructure Minister, Graeme Sturges, who failed to seek additional funding from the Federal government for the state’s ailing rail network, but is expecting to double the expenditure on rail safety, as revealed by these leaked papers. That additional funding will have to be coughed up by the taxpayer.”

“Instead the Bartlett government should have secured additional rail funding from their Federal counterparts, and then maybe this incompetent Infrastructure Minister could have doubled the road safety allocation which is desperately needed, instead of the cut that these leaked papers reveal.”

“King Island is also going to be hit by the $22, 000 cut to the vital King island shipping subsidy, which the Greens fear will have major ramifications for the ongoing viability of the King island abattoir – another blow that this community does not need.”

“The sad fact that this Bartlett government is prepared to bleed dry the Tasmanian community is also revealed by plans to increase their take from gambling and pokies revenue, so that addiction continues despite the harm that problem gambling inflicts upon Tasmanian families and local economies.”

“What really makes me angry about these increased charges to be inflicted upon the Tasmanian community is the fact that the last week of Parliament David Bartlett and the rest of his government voted to defeat a Greens’ Bill that would have seen all three Leaders, Government Ministers and other Parliamentary position holders, cut by 50% their additional salary allocations which would have made an estimated saving of $500, 000,” Mr McKim said.

“The question to be put to Mr Bartlett is how can he justify Tasmanians having to pay more for their school fees, their power bills, their drivers’ licences, their water and sewerage costs, when he baulks at going without half of the additional money he gets on top of his base MPs salary?”

Mr McKim also said that the latest round of sensitive budget information leaks indicates that there remain brave whistleblowers who are prepared to bring information to light that exposes government double-speak and untruths.

ATTACHED: factsheet that details the savings that could have been made should Mr Bartlett have supported the Greens’ Bill to cut MPs additional salary loadings.