Today’s September Quarterly Report shows the already sick Tasmanian Budget is getting sicker.
Labor Shadow Treasurer, David O’Byrne, said it was frankly ridiculous for the Peter Gutwein to claim the Budget is on track.
“The only thing Tasmania is on track for is over a billion dollars’ worth of debt,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“Today’s report confirms the Liberal Government has chronically underfunded health.
“Heath staffing costs have already blown out by $22.3 million. Unless the Government is planning to sack more doctors and nurses that trend will continue and make Peter Gutwein’s promised surplus a fantasy.
“And so much for an infrastructure budget. So far this year the Liberals have spent less on infrastructure than they did in the same period last year. The political justification for going into massive debt has been infrastructure spending but in this portfolio Michael Ferguson is continuing his unblemished track record of incompetence.
“Peter Gutwein is mismanaging the budget and Tasmanians are paying the price with record high hospital waiting lists, a chronic shortage of housing and traffic congested roads.”
David O’Byrne
Shadow Treasurer
