Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson Kim Booth MP today described the State Treasurer claims of discovering a budget black hole and a fiscal emergency as an entirely predictable ploy to distract from their own irresponsible election expenditure promises.
“Liberal Treasurer Peter Gutwein has been hoist on his own budget petard,” Mr Booth said.
“Either Mr Hodgman and Mr Gutwein were deliberately misleading the Tasmanian people when the Liberals were wandering around holding an auction for votes at the election with their big spending promises, or they were not capable of understanding the economy nor reading financial reports.”
“The mid year financial report released in February this year made it clear that the state was heading for a near $1 billion deficit, yet the Liberals ignored it, refused to redo their alternative budget numbers, and instead continued to rampage around Tasmania, spending money like drunken sailors.”
“Now Mr Gutwein is feigning surprise.”
“This is a transparent and cynical smokescreen attempting to deflect responsibility prior the August state budget, when it will be clear that the Liberals cannot keep their misguided election expenditure promises.”
“It is a recipe for the Liberals to cut deeper and deeper, while accepting none of the responsibility.”
“But Tasmanians will not swallow it. It is time that the Liberals were held to account.”
“Every dollar the Liberals now waste fulfilling their wild election promises is a dollar plus interest that the long suffering tax payer will have to fund into the future,” Mr Booth said.
Kim Booth MP | Greens Leader
