Labor is continuing the fight to uncover the full impact Jeremy Rockliff’s budget cuts will have on Tasmanian families and Tasmanian jobs.
Today I’ve written to the Auditor-General requesting his office investigates the Liberals’ continued obstruction of attempts to uncover details about their $300 million worth of cuts to the public sector labelled as an “efficiency dividend”.
When the Rockliff Liberal Government announced the cuts – which are in effect this financial year – each government department was tasked with developing a plan to make-up their portion of the savings.
These strategies were required to be provided to Treasury in late November 2023, but aside from the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management’s plan, have remained hidden from Tasmanians. The DPFEM savings strategy revealed that $35 million was being slashed from the sector over the next four years, with 78 jobs facing the axe.
The Liberal government has trashed Tasmania’s budget over the past 10 years, which has left them with no choice but to make cuts to services. It’s Tasmanians who have to pay the price for the Liberals’ budget mismanagement, and it’s absolutely in the public interest to know where the cuts are being made.
Labor has tried and tried through RTIs and questions in Parliament to uncover the details, but have been knocked back at every turn – by the Government, and also by David O’Byrne, Craig Garland, Miriam Beswick, Rebekah Pentland and Andrew Jenner who all voted against a Labor motion to make the details public.
Tasmanians deserve to know how Jeremy Rockliff’s cuts are going to impact them, as do workers in roles where jobs could be on the Premier’s chopping block.
Dean Winter MP
Labor Leader
