Premier Peter Gutwein continues to rack up record debt at the same time he claims his Budget is improving and he continually fails on the crucial delivery of infrastructure.
Shadow Treasurer Shane Broad said Tasmania’s debt is going to be nearly $100 million higher than forecast this year, with the Gutwein Government borrowing $2 million a day, every day and the Premier now foreshadowing that he can borrow at least another $1 billion for his pie-in-the-sky Commonwealth Games fantasy.
“The Premier keeps talking about his great budget management but the truth is he is racking up record debt as hospital and housing waiting lists are the worst ever and NAPLAN results are the worst of any state,” Dr Broad said
Dr Broad said the Premier and his failed Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson have also proven yet again they are incapable of building for Tasmanians with a massive underspend on promised infrastructure delivery.
“Today’s mid-year budget update reveals the Liberal Government is on track to underspend on infrastructure by more than a quarter of a billion dollars after making repeated and lofty promises about projects Tasmanians need including roads and bridges and schools and housing.
“That continues to be a hallmark of this government and it will be the legacy of Mr Gutwein and Mr Ferguson with just $321 million in spending on infrastructure this past six months – and that’s if you include some projects delivered not by the government but by Tasmania’s GBEs.
“What that means is that Tasmanians continue to miss out on projects that were promised and business who planned to be part of this work are going broke while they wait for the government to get its act together and start building.
“Despite all the big promises and announcements made by Peter Gutwein and Michael Ferguson about infrastructure projects, the reality is that many of them have been delayed or not even commenced.
“Those delays are sending businesses to the wall, with many of them carrying the costs for staff and materials while they’re waiting months to get on the jobsite.
“This is a government that cannot even build a bridge or fix potholes properly.
“And for households, this update only means more pain – the cost of living is going through the roof and will keep rising sharply until at least mid-2023.”
Shane Broad MP
Shadow Treasurer
