Coordinator General’s $2 million office a furphy

State Labor today questioned the value for money of the Liberal Government’s high flying Coordinator-General’s office.

“Taxpayers are footing a $2 million bill for the office but nobody actually knows what it’s doing,” Labor Leader Bryan Green said.

“Where has the Coordinator-General been in the fight to keep the 280 Caterpillar jobs in Burnie and what is he doing to turn around declining investment and the loss of jobs in Tasmania’s mining industry?

“The Government promised the role would provide access to board rooms around the world, but we didn’t even get a foot in the door of Caterpillar’s headquarters in the United States.

The office was established three months ago but still doesn’t even have its own telephone number.

“It has a1800-listed number that goes straight to a message service in the Department of State Growth.

“What kind of message is that sending to businesses wanting to talk to the Coordinator-General?

“It might disguise the Liberals’ broken promise to have 10 Coordinator-General staff based in Launceston, but it doesn’t hide the fact it’s a token gesture.

“Most of the staff are in Hobart with only three in Launceston.

“It is clearly not what the Liberals led people to believe would happen when they promised to set up the $2 million office in Launceston.”
Bryan Green MP Labor Leader