Media release – Josh Willie MP, Shadow Treasurer, 4 November 2024
Rockliff’s budget already blown
Despite passing through Parliament just a week ago, the Liberals have already completely blown the budget.
Big ticket items such as $196 million for the newly signed Schools Funding Agreement and $26.5 million for Premier Rockliff’s compensation tourism package were not part of this year’s appropriation.
These are worthy initiatives, but there’s one big unanswered question: where on earth is the money coming from for all these extra promises?
On top of that, Premier Rockliff has extraordinarily claimed that planned health cuts won’t materialise because there will be a “difference between actual expenditure and budgeted expenditure” – that is an admission his budget is a big book of lies and he intends to massively blow the budget blowout.
The same claim is now being made by Felix Ellis in relation to cuts in the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management.
Since handing down the worst budget in living memory, the Premier has already racked up hundreds of millions in new spending. Premier Rockliff’s spendathon is happening while ratings agencies are looking closely at whether to downgrade our credit rating, something we can ill afford to happen due to Tasmania’s record debt.
Tasmania’s finances are set to be the worst in the nation. After inheriting zero net debt from Labor in 2014, the Liberals have managed to rack up $8.6 billion of record debt and counting – a disaster for future generations who will have to service it.
After a decade in office, the Liberals have destroyed their financial credibility. It’s little wonder when they can’t even stick to their budget for a week.
Unlike the Liberals, Labor is willing to start moving in the right direction which is why we’ve already put forward a 10-point plan to get things back on track, and why we’ll continue to hold Jeremy Rockliff to account for his reckless spending habits.
Media release – Vica Bayley MP, Greens Treasury spokesperson, 4 November 2024
Solutions Needed for Budget Crisis
The Tasmanian Government’s budget is in crisis, and that’s an issue that needs significant attention. But it’s important politicians put a real focus on budget solutions too – not just sniping from the sidelines.
Labor is right to point to the serious state of the budget and the way the Liberals have mismanaged it over many years. The government should absolutely be held accountable for their failures. However, if we’re going to have any hope of turning things around, the Opposition needs to start focusing on solutions too.
We know right now in Tasmania there are many big corporations that aren’t paying their fair share. The Liberals, supported by Labor, have let these companies have an easy ride – and it’s cost the State Budget dearly. To help fix the budget and deliver the services Tasmanians need, we must get more revenue from places like the pokies industry, property developers, fish farm operators, and mining royalties.
We need to make big corporations pay their fair share, and another way we can make a big budget saving is to simply bin the proposed billion-dollar stadium. With a critical need to construct more houses, build health infrastructure, and invest in schools, a stadium should not be at the top of our to do list.
The Liberals have a lot to answer for when it comes to the state’s budget situation. But if Labor are serious about their concerns they need to do more than just criticise – they need to get on board with solutions that are actually going to deliver better outcomes too.
