The State Government’s intention to bust Tasmania’s $130m GST windfall in the North and North West of the State is pork barrelling in the extreme.
The Federal Government is in election mode, desperate to save the three amigos in Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the State Government is happy to misspend big money to kick things along.
That the State Government has halved the rail improvement project, which would benefit the whole state, and then announced it is going to invest in infrastructure in the North and North West is clearly ridiculous and pork barrelling on steroids. This has cost Tasmania $60m in additional federal rail funding and is the act of an incompetent State Government and entirely self-interested Liberal Party.
I call on the State Government to stop this nonsense immediately and to commit $60m of the GST windfall to restoring the rail project in full. This will secure the additional $60m federal co-contribution that could be part of a State Budget which is fair for all Tasmanians.
I also want to know what the State and Federal Governments are going to do about the Victorian Government, which is acting unconstitutionally with its tax on interstate trade and lining its pockets with the subsidies meant for Tasmanian exporters through sky-rocketing port fees.
Independent Member for Denison Andrew Wilkie
