Elise Archer,Acting Minister for Finance
Shadow Treasurer Shane Broad has come out of the freezer and issued his first media release in nearly two months today, but he still clearly has no idea how the economy works.
Despite Dr Broad’s deliberate deception, the facts are the facts. The recent Commsec State of the States Report had Tasmania on top for the eighth straight quarter and found that Tasmania has the strongest jobs market, an unemployment rate at a record low and the fastest wage growth in the country.
Dr Broad also neglected to mention that Tasmania’s wages growth is also the highest in the country, and again, despite Dr Broad’s ridiculous assertions, energy prices for Tasmanian households actually decreased by 7.11 per cent this financial year.
As the ABS clearly says, the CPI movement in electricity is associated with the removal of the significant $125 winter energy concession the Government provided last year.
Dr Broad also neglects to mention fuel prices are on the rise due to significant global issues impacting the entire country, and our Government has acted to provide clarity on fuel price information through our Fuel Check TAS – and if further action is required, including legislation, we will consider it.
Dr Broad might’ve been on leave the last two months but if he wants to be taken seriously, he should stop making deliberately misleading and negative statements, and confirm he will deliver Labor’s first-ever properly costed alternative Budget this year.
If he doesn’t, it will once again be clear the Labor Party have absolutely no alternative plan – evidenced by the fact that they have recycled the same leader that lost them the last two elections, and who has completely run out of ideas.
