The Rockliff Liberal Government is 100 per cent behind the Matildas.
We’re backing them to win, but we won’t support a public holiday should they score the World Cup victory they so richly deserve.
As the only Liberal Premier remaining, I will stand up for small business who would carry the cost of a public holiday.
I will be the first to cheer on the Matildas along with every Tasmanian on Wednesday night.
But our small businesses should not have to lose trading, lose income and carry the cost of a public holiday.
Our small businesses are the first to sponsor and support our grassroots and elite sports, and it’s too much to expect them to shoulder this cost too.
We are also mindful of the disruption a public holiday would have at short notice on schools and families.
Our Government is a big supporter of football and women’s sport. While there’s still work to be done, we’ve made huge gains through our Levelling the Playing Field and Improving the Playing Field programs, and other infrastructure investments.
We have provided significant funding to support grassroots football, talent development and football facility upgrades including $10 million for upgrades at Lightwood Park in Kingborough, Valley Road in Devonport, and Birch Avenue and Churchill Park in Launceston.
We also provided funding to bring elite level A-League and W-League matches to our State for Tasmanian football fans to enjoy.
I encourage every Tasmanian to join with us at big screen live-sites that our Government is supporting across the state on Wednesday night.
Our entire state is united in celebrating the Matildas and their extraordinary performance and we are backing them 100 per cent.
