Tasmania will take the biggest hit from the government’s budget of broken promises, with public sector jobs, families and welfare recipients bearing the brunt of the pain, Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said today.
“Our young people, students, unemployed, pensioners and families all suffer under this budget, while the government delivers tax cuts to its big business mates,” Senator Whish-Wilson said.
“We already have one of highest unemployment rates in the country and now the government wants to rip more jobs out.
“We have some 4000 jobs that are at risk from the government’s ideological attack on the public service.
“Tasmania just can’t afford to lose more jobs.
“Nearly one in five Tasmanians depend on aged and disability pensions but now the government wants to effectively cut them with indexation changes.
“On top of these cuts pensioners will have to pay more for their healthcare with co-payments for visits to the doctor and chemist.
“Tasmanian families will also have to find more money for the doctor and public school funding will be slashed and university education will become more expensive.
“More money is being pledged for road building but nothing for public transport and fuel efficiency standards which could help bring transport costs down.
“There are still major question marks over core Australian Antarctic Division funding and we have yet to see which Tasmanian CSIRO positions will be cut,” Senator Whish-Wilson said.
Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson
