What the water and sewerage ads didn’t say…

Once again, the Treasurer has opted for spin over substance with regard to water and sewerage.

While the Treasurer is quite prepared to spend $90,000 on advertising to prop up his deeply unpopular and flawed water and sewerage shake up, he should have taken the opportunity to explain what’s going to happen next.

The Treasurer still isn’t prepared to face up to the fact that even with the cap on water and sewerage charges at 30% for the next three years and even with the involvement of the Economic Regulator in setting prices, in the next five to seven years some people in Tasmania will be paying over 100% more for water and sewerage than they were last year.

That is what was in the Economic Regulator’s report and that’s what the Water Minister has confirmed in Parliament.

Perhaps the Treasurer should have mentioned in the ad that Sorell, Southern Midlands, Dorset and Launceston residents will all pay over 100% more than they did last year for water and sewerage within the next five to seven years. While Hobart, Kingborough, George Town Meander Valley, Northern Midlands, Burnie and Central Coast residents will all pay between 50% and 98% more over the next five to seven years.

Not surprisingly, the Treasurer didn’t include this in his newspaper ads.

The Treasurer’s reforms have been poorly implemented and poorly managed and instead of wasting money on spin, he needs to order an immediate independent review before he financially ruins many Tasmanians.
Peter Gutwein MP Shadow Treasurer