Media release – Janie Finlay MP, Shadow Minister for Energy & Renewables, 6 March 2025

Premier’s privatisation plan puts North West Transmission Development at risk

Jeremy Rockliff has stunningly revealed he has given absolutely no thought to the consequences his privatisation agenda will have on the North West Transmission Development.

Tens of billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs depend on getting this transmission line built, and it’s too important for the Premier to stuff it up.

The Premier was asked a simple question today – if TasNetworks is privatised, who will build it? The lack of a coherent response from the Premier was astounding.

The project has already stalled under Jeremy Rockliff’s weak leadership. If we end up with two major windfarms and a second cable to the mainland, but no way to plug them into the grid, this will become the next Spirits fiasco.

Media release – Dean Winter MP, Labor Leader, 6 March 2025

Premier confirms he’s willing to flog off TT-Line after Spirits fiasco

Jeremy Rockliff has extraordinarily admitted that he’s open to selling TT-Line as part of his fire-sale of state owned assets to prop up his busted budget.

TT-Line is supposed to be focussed on building Berth 3 – instead it will be getting ready for sale.

The Spirits of Tasmania fiasco is the biggest infrastructure stuff up in Tasmanian history, and will be the Premier’s lasting legacy.

“The challenge we faced with the Spirits raises the important question about what businesses the government should own,” the Premier told Parliament on Tuesday.

Effectively the Premier is arguing that because he stuffed up building a berth, he needs to sell off Tasmanian assets. It is completely absurd.

TT-Line has been the flagship for Tasmanian’s tourism industry and it’s helped primary producers get their products to mainland markets for decades.

The fact that the Premier is willing to sell it off as part of his disastrous fire sale is even more evidence that he’s willing to sell off Tasmania’s future to pay down his failures.

Premier ignores past privatisation perils

Jeremy Rockliff has shown he is completely oblivious to interstate examples of privatisation leading to increased costs for users as he blindly continues his planned fire-sale of state owned assets to prop up his busted budget.

When the South Australian Liberals privatised their state’s public energy assets under a long term lease, prices skyrocketed.

Imposing South Australian power prices here in Tasmania would see the average household power bill increase by more than $1,100. For small business, bills would increase more than $4,000.

But the Premier couldn’t front up and explain why Tasmanians’ will have to see their power bills skyrocket because he’s trashed Tasmania’s finances.

He couldn’t explain why he wants to make Tasmanians pay twice as much for car registrations either.

And he couldn’t explain why he wanted to again take Tasmanians down the path of the costly disaster when the Liberals sold TasRail in 1997, when the private company that bought it stripped the assets and demanded a $100 million annual subsidy.

Labor does not support privatisation. This short-term sugar hit will rob future generations of the revenue we need to pay for our schools and hospitals. Because once these assets are gone, they are gone forever

Jeremy Rockliff and the Liberals have proven they can’t manage money, and the Premier has confirmed that it’s Tasmanians who will have to pay the price.

Media release – Tabatha Badger MP, Greens Parks Spokesperson, 6 March 2024

Rockliff refuses to rule out selling off public land

Jeremy Rockliff continues to outdo himself. As if it wasn’t enough the Premier is considering selling off government businesses, now he won’t rule out selling off public land.

In response to questions from the Greens, yesterday Jeremy Rockliff admitted he is considering every government business, except the “golden cow” Hydro, for sale.

Today we followed up, asking if he would rule out the sale of the vast tracts of native forest owned by Sustainable Timber Tasmania, or if he would put a line through privatising the World Heritage Port Arthur historic site. The Premier dodged the question.

It’s scandalous that the Liberals won’t rule out selling off public land in their reckless fire sale to patch up their self made budget deficit.

This prospect is deeply disturbing but perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised given the government’s record of privatisation in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, albeit that hasn’t been providing them with rich returns.

Jeremy Rockliff might have his head too far in the sand to realise it, but Tasmanians won’t stand for this. This goes beyond selling off a government business. These are public places, many of which are of significant local importance.

We encourage the Labor party will stand, with the Tasmanian y, and oppose selling off public land as strongly as they are against selling government businesses.

Media release – Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, 7 March 2025

Rockliff Government’s Fire Sale: A Desperate Attempt to Cover Incompetence

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party condemns the Rockliff Government’s reckless proposal to privatise essential government businesses in a desperate attempt to cover up its own financial mismanagement. Instead of making the tough decisions to rein in wasteful government spending, the Liberals are choosing to offload key public assets, sacrificing long-term economic security for a short-term cash grab.

Privatisation is not the answer. History shows that selling off public assets leads to increased costs, reduced services, and the loss of critical revenue streams.

Essential services like Metro Tasmania must remain off the table—public transport is a necessity, not a commodity to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

“If the government is serious about privatisation, why is Sustainable Timbers Tasmania being ignored? If they’re talking about 99-year leases, then why not lease land parcels to Tasmanians and Tasmanian millers or sell land assets that are currently inactive or underutilised by STT, this would create jobs, strengthen local communities, and ensure our natural resources benefit Tasmanians—not just outside investors,” said Mr Bigg

Similarly, TT-Line and TasPorts are government businesses that could genuinely benefit from commercial expertise although SFF has serious concerns with the implications that may arise such as a monopolised price gouging, though a possible 99 leasing option should be considered. Instead, the government is cherry-picking assets that will hurt everyday Tasmanians the most while ignoring alternatives that might actually make sense.

Mr Bigg went on to say, “The reality is simple: this government’s financial incompetence has put Tasmania in a dire position. Now, instead of taking responsibility, they are raiding the state’s assets to cover their mistakes.”

Mr Bigg went on to say The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party stands for practical, community-driven solutions—not reckless fire sales that leave Tasmanians worse off.