By delaying the wage freeze legislation the Legislative Council has effectively rejected the Bill.
We are extremely disappointed with this outcome, because we didn’t want to cut 500 additional public sector jobs.
Unfortunately, today’s vote in the Upper House left us with no other option.
Since being elected in March, Tasmanians have learned that when we say something, we mean it.
We promised Tasmanians we would fix the budget mess left by Labor and the Greens, and we will.
We said if the pay freeze was rejected, 500 more jobs would need to be cut.
The Unions were given ample opportunity to negotiate over recent months, but failed to do so.
Their claim to want to negotiate now, at the 11th hour, was disingenuous at best. If they were genuine in their view they would have commenced this process when first asked in middle of June.
The sort of negotiated outcomes that the unions now claim to want, and some MLCs have backed, will take months, not weeks, to achieve.
The Budget and this State cannot afford to be held to ransom any longer by the Labor Party and the union movement.
The Tasmanian people voted emphatically for us to fix the Budget mess.
We have been very clear and upfront about the consequence of failing to pass the pay pause. It was the pay pause or 500 jobs.
The Budget is critical for our long-term plan for Tasmania’s economic recovery and we will not be derailed in pursuing this goal.
When the people voted for us on March 15 they voted for a new Government – a Government not beholden to unions or any other interest group.
They voted for decisive action to fix the Labor-Green Budget mess.
Our first priority is to the Tasmanian people and the future of this state – and that means governing decisively especially when it comes to fixing the budget mess.
• Pete Godfrey, in Comments: Mr Gutwein does not seem to be thinking too clearly, he said “When the people voted for us on March 15 they voted for a new Government – a Government not beholden to unions or any other interest group.” He seems to be forgetting a very small vocal interest group that are interested in lightening the public purse at every opportunity. “Forestry”. So how about fixing the budget mess by stopping the subsidisation of woodchipping. That $11 million would go a fair way to paying some bills. Then of course you could get some of the subsidies back that were paid out under the TFA that has now been scrapped. If any of the paid out contractors return to the forests they could be required to pay back their payouts. That would go a long way to fixing the budget mess too.
• TT MEDIA HERE … as Bryan Green says it’s time for the Premier to clean up Peter Gutwein’s mess, while Kim Booth says The Treasurer’s temper tantrum will provoke industrial action … and Sea Shepherd urges the WA government to scrap nets idea etc, etc …
• Leonard Colquhoun, in Comments: Too many MPs (that is, it seems, almost all of them) seem to have ignored the bad PR of being seen as acting on this principle: ‘Do as we say, not as we do’. How different it might have been, and how far less tawdry their reputations^, if MPs had agreed to repealing 99% of their rorts & perks, agreeing instead to a straight-forward fortnightly salary? Our lot could really dish out our traditional ‘Tazzee leading the nation’ slogan! (^ Next, if only they had all been gainfully employed before their pre-selections!!)
