The Premier needs to come clean and finally admit that Tasmanian taxpayers are on the hook for virtually the entire cost of his new Hobart stadium.
Senate Estimates heard that Jeremy’s Rockliff’s minority Liberal government did not seek a GST exemption for the $240 million of Federal funding for Macquarie Point until 9 May.
It was also revealed the Premier never sought an exemption for the $65 million of funding for upgrades to UTAS stadium in Launceston, again leaving Tasmanian taxpayers on the hook for the entire cost of that project too.
The Premier needs to account for his response to Labor’s questioning on the morning of 9 May, where he said:
“We have requested that the Macquarie Point funding be quarantined for the purposes of determining GST allocations.”
It now seems likely the Premier’s answer was untrue, and instead of correcting the record, he directed the Treasurer to try to cover it up by sending the request after Question Time and weeks after the funding was agreed.
Will the Premier finally admit he did not seek an exemption until after Labor asked about it in Question Time?
Will he be honest enough to admit to Tasmanians this $300 million mistake means Tasmanian taxpayers will essentially be footing the entire bill for his new Hobart stadium and the upgrades at UTAS Stadium?
And will he accept that former Premier Peter Gutwein’s blistering critique of Andrew Wilkie’s “incompetence” for failing to secure a similar exemption for the Royal Hobart Hospital funding applies equally to him?
Shane Broad MP
Shadow Treasurer
