Estimates, Outputs, Budget and Investment
Estimates
Mr. Chair, I rise to make a short contribution about the minister's information provided at Estimates on regional land use strategy.
Across a lot of portfolio areas, many within the minister's responsibility, people talk about activating private development, activating the economy and opening up land for development.
We talk about housing, homelessness, rental pressures, house price pressures, land price pressures. It is not a linear issue. It is a complex web of integrated issues that if addressed concurrently can provide a whole lot of relief at one time. House prices go up because demand is strong. Opening up supply takes the pressure off house prices.
That also has a similar result on rental pressures. Right now, rental prices, house prices, land prices are skyrocketing beyond the capacity of many young, but also established Tasmanians, to enter the housing market, and even to enter the rental market.
I am hearing every day of people who are being forced out of their current property due to rental increases or changes of ownership and have nowhere to go at the same rent. I am talking about the Regional Land Use Strategy in this element because it is a massive impediment to unlocking land for private developers to help reduce pressure in the housing market.
The minister talked improvements in the Regional Land Use Strategy. Announcements can be smoke and mirrors. Our northern Regional Land Use Strategy, written in 2016, was almost out of date when it was published.
There have been pressures since then to open up land for local developers that love our local region and want to invest locally. An announcement early this year about amendments simply moved the boundaries and meant developers not to have to go through the regional land use amendments process.
It transferred the financial responsibility from the collective of councils within a comprehensive review of the Regional Land Use Strategy to individual developers having to fund their own regional land demand and supply studies, which then becomes their corporate data that is not shared and understood across the region.
Developers 117 Tuesday 14 September 2021 in the north and south that I am aware of are now choosing to invest outside Tasmania because it is easier and they can find land available to them.
I am talking significant multi-million dollar investments that are going offshore because the Regional Land Use Strategy has not been reviewed and updated.
Minister, I understand there has been an investment in the Budget and time allocated for the real review of these regional land use strategies, to inform land demand and supply so private developers who want to invest in Tasmania are activated to do so.
It is having a material and significant impact in the private area of development which is then impacting on affordable and social housing opportunities. Many private developers would participate in that area and seek to support solutions for our broader Tasmanian community.
However, at the moment their opportunities are being limited because the Regional Land Use Strategy has not been appropriately reviewed.
14th September 2021 - 7:10pm
Video - YouTube
Outputs
Mr. Chair, I rise today to talk to the outputs of the Premier. I want to identify outputs in a number of his ministerial areas.
As Premier, the business support package that was discussed in Estimates; as Treasurer, COVID-19 support packages and tax; as Tourism minister, business support packages and funding for tourism.
These are the matters that are concerning Tasmanians about their ability to support themselves, their families and their employees. Last week was my first experience of Estimates, of asking questions and being disappointed with not being provided answers.
I acknowledge the contributions of our Leader, Rebecca White; from our shadow treasurer, Dr. Broad, from our shadow in finance, Mr. Winter, and identify for us that there is nothing more important than when, on behalf of our community, questions are asked that answers are provided, that when announcements are made the detail is available.
Operating a business is harder and the environment is tougher this year than last year. That is why significant support was rolled out. Last year was horrendous for many businesses, micro, small, medium and large, across the state, particularly in the tourism sector.
Tasmania has built the reputation of Brand Tasmania by switching the mindset of Tasmanians to make a career in tourism a valued and respected career path. Many operators have invested heavily in time and finances to bring on and develop employees who can deliver the exceptional experiences that visitors coming to Tasmania expect.
That excellent service is at risk because many of our businesses are bleeding cash. They are worried about maintaining their exceptional employees. They are worried about their financial circumstances and providing hours for their employees and securing the employment of people who, for many of them, feel like family.
Tourism peak bodies have been calling out to the Government for support. We acknowledge today, subject to pressure applied not only in Estimates but in recent months, that announcements were made.
Coming into the House after lunch there is still no detail available. Businesses that woke up this morning and felt like there may be opportunity for support are now not clear on what that means and what they have to do to secure it Faced with payroll, leasing, stock and other expenses they wonder if they can get through this week, next week, or whether they have to wait four weeks for support to reach their bank accounts.
When will details of the support packages announced today be available in writing, in order that businesses and their employees can have clarity and confidence in their decisions?
It is putting pressure on their business finances, their personal finances and those of their employees and the communities in which they live. Businesses need to be assured of when this detail will be in writing and when cash payments for those eligible will be available in their bank accounts to support cashflow and ensure their ongoing operations into, hopefully, a positive summer season. Clarity and certainty are important; so too is understanding the implications. The Premier mentioned tax changes in his outputs.
We have heard concerns about misleading or misunderstood applications of payroll tax on JobKeeper payments. Initially, it was suggested it would be exempt. Then it was corrected, but not corrected on the record, that it would be waived.
Now, we have new language regarding 'relief'. What does 'relief' mean for eligible businesses in Tasmania when they are considering their cashflow and their payroll tax liabilities? Does it mean the can is being kicked down the road and they may not have to pay it back right now but will in future? Does it mean that it is waived or exempt?
This level of clarity is essential for businesses making decisions on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis, on what they can continue to do, if they can continue to open their doors and provide the hours of certainty for their employees. Tasmanian Labor, peak bodies and business operators want to understand.
Will those eligible businesses that tripped over the payroll tax liability and paid payroll tax be reimbursed the full amount of those payments? We have successfully traded on Brand Tasmania for many years.
It requires everybody working together to understand and support those people delivering the products and services in that sector in order to benefit from future visitation when borders safely reopen. We still do not have direct answers to questions asked of the Premier this morning about whether payments to businesses will require the maintenance of their employees in their businesses.
There is a suggestion that may not be the case. What Labor and peak bodies want is payments to businesses to ensure that employees will be maintained in those businesses until borders open and visitation returns.
We want to ensure that our Tasmanian businesses, the foundations of Brand Tasmania, continue to operate and develop and deliver great experiences and that when we have opened up airline routes people will make the decision to come to Tasmania to share good news stories.
Labor understands the pressure on business and the importance of delivering support in a timely way that is detailed and understood. We will support the businesses that, right now, are doing it tough.
My first experience of Estimates was disappointing from time to time. A question would be asked and no response would be directly provided. In parliament this morning when a valid question was asked there might be a valid answer and the exchanges deteriorated. For example, the Premier was asked to take back a reference to 'dumb and dumber'.
For me, new to this place, new to Estimates, new to question time, new to the importance of being able to stand up and support our businesses across Tasmania when we have people under pressure with their mental health and financial circumstances, often the pressure then applying to their home life, relationships and to their family members to lower the exchanges here and to lower the respect and not validate those existing concerns by those light and inappropriate exchanges across the Chamber at Estimates is really disappointing.
I am looking forward to being able to provide commentary on other outputs that occurred throughout the week.
I am looking forward to, in the future, when questions are asked on behalf of businesses and peak bodies, those questions being taken seriously and the circumstances of businesses respected, answers provided, action taken and, in a timely and clear and informed way, support packages are released so people can navigate, understand, take action and support themselves and their employees in their businesses across Tasmania.
14th September 2021 - 2:51pm
Video - YouTube
Budgets
Mr. Deputy Chair, I rise this evening to speak in response to the Budget handed down last week.
In the short 10 weeks that I have been in this place I provide some context around my commentary in terms of the outcomes that I seek to ensure occur for our Tasmanian community, particularly our northern Tasmanian community and the people of Bass, the community that elected me to be here.
In being here and finding myself on this side of the House, I am determined to ensure that I do my very best to keep the Government to account. That is our role and in the last 10 weeks I have done my best to stand up to that.
In reviewing the first budget to this level of scrutiny since my time here, I wanted to put it through the lens of the things that are important to me.
My why, my purpose is about my kids. It is about the kids of Tasmania and their future. What do we do now to incrementally improve the opportunities in Tasmania?
How can we ensure they can have a future where they can believe in possibilities, where they can dream of opportunity and they can feel confident that in making Tasmania their home, they have a way to participate, a way to contribute and that they too could be leaders in the future? One of the things that brings me to action more deeply than anything else is when I see injustice.
If I see injustice I want to make sure that we break down those barriers that are in place and that often have been set by the status quo, so that we can improve opportunities for people.
In doing that, the community expects us as leaders to be brave, bold, have courage to stand up and identify things that are not right, that are not okay and that could be done better.
That is the lens that I have taken to reviewing the Budget this year. In doing so, I want to make sure that our commentary is always fair.
That where things are good that it is acknowledged, but where things could be better perhaps a commentary is provided, but perhaps an offer of being able to join with others to provide a strong opportunity is possible.
I remember on the day that I was sworn in there was a service early in the morning. In my inaugural speech,
I used a quote from the Bishop of the early morning service of that day, and he said, 'It is not particularly profound to suggest that we could not solve a lot of these problems without pretending that one party or another had a monopoly on the solutions'.
He went on to say: In order that we can solve the critical solutions that are happening in Tasmania right now, we need to bring our best selves.
We need to bring all of our best selves, all of our collective wisdom and energy and our minds from both sides of parliament so we can tackle these issues together. The lens that I bring, following these last 10 weeks is to ensure that things that can be done better are highlighted, but things that are done well are acknowledged.
I love Tasmania and I seek to serve to both protect all that is good, but actually to support and raise up all those who struggle or who are perhaps not doing as well as they could do in this great place and that will be individuals, families, communities.
It will be industry and business and in the 10 weeks that I have been here I have made it a commitment to go out and talk to many people in our community and that again provides the filter, the lens across which I look at this Budget.
The last couple of weeks - and this again is another lens that I look through at the Budget - have been disappointing for me.
It has been disappointing where I have trusted that when a government says they are seeking to provide clarity, confidence, when they are seeking to make commitments to people in our community, I am concerned that when perhaps something does not go right, or could be done better, there is not an ability, or a willingness to acknowledge that and do better. There is not a willingness to correct things that have not gone so well.
That makes me worry about commitments in the Budget now which perhaps may not come to fruition. The grand plans that are presented and launched may not, in fact, be delivered.
Again the filtering of my commentary is with that in mind. I will start with comments about Bass and then move into my shadow portfolio areas.
I am concerned about the level of commentary that happens concerning various people in our community: many people in our community who are doing it tough right now and perhaps who have never been in that situation before.
There are many people in our community who have never had the worry of how they will make the rent this week.
How will I pay the mortgage payment? How will I put food on the table?
There are people I have had conversations with in the last few weeks and months who are sharing with me that they are making choices as parents right now to not eat so they can feed their children.
When you hear across the Chamber, does the Opposition simply want to pay for everybody, it really disregards the reality of the broad spread and diverse hurts that are being felt across our community right now, across all sectors.
I acknowledge the previous speaker, Mr. Tucker, the member for Lyons, who says the agricultural sector is doing really well right now. I want to acknowledge right now that there are many in our community who are doing extraordinarily well and that should be celebrated and acknowledged.
However, at the same time there are many in my primary industries portfolio, particularly in fisheries, where there is a real struggle, perhaps in a way that they have not felt before.
It is important that we are sensitive and we bring empathy to the comments that we make in regard to the communities that we need to stand up and support right now.
In Bass, whether it be a young person, whether it be a family that has experienced hard times - often close to breaking point - we need to be really careful about our commentary.
There are strong initiatives in the Budget that I am hopeful are delivered that will go some way towards supporting these members of our community.
I acknowledge the contributions that are being made to the Neighbourhood House network across Tasmania.
There is no doubt that the Neighbourhood Houses, the Men's Sheds, the community organisations are being overrun at the moment.
They have more members, more people in their community coming for greater support, whether it be the freezer fillers that they are creating through volunteers in their community, whether it be the food boxes or food parcels that are provided.
In recognition of the challenging times, I acknowledge the contributions made to Neighbour House networks, the Men's Sheds and other organisations that are providing those environments for people in our community to offer all that is needed.
It is not all about providing funds to support people in need. Often all that is needed is a conversation, somewhere where you can have an open conversation with someone and be brave enough to share your challenges.
Perhaps a suggestion of a service or a suggestion of a different way could be made right now so that what is hopefully a short period of hurt now can be experienced in a slightly better way by people in our community.
It is always easy to say that things are going well but the reality is, right now, we have the lowest GSP per capita, the lowest productivity, the lowest workforce participation rate and the highest proportion of the population receiving income support payments.
There is no doubt that one of the best ways to provide a framework for your future is through education. I acknowledge some of the capital projects that are included in the Budget. Again, where there have been projects that have been committed previously and have not been delivered within a term or within a time frame, when you raise expectations in a community and you make an announcement, you set an expectation that there will be change, that something good is coming and something different will occur.
One of my roles over the balance of this term will be to ensure that there is oversight on the progress and delivery of commitments such as the major redevelopment at Exeter High School, or the upgrade to the Glen Dhu swimming pool which, from memory, was brought to the attention of the Government by constant lobbying from this side of the House.
Many young people from northern Tasmania learn to swim and develop their water safety through the Glen Dhu swimming pool. I acknowledge the final funds that are being delivered to finish the kindergarten at East Launceston Primary School, the new school that is going to be delivered at Legana and also the Child and Family Learning Centre delivered into the East Tamar.
While those things are positive and there is an expectation set now that things will be delivered in the community, some announcements that have been made which give me the concern about things, whether they will be followed up.
They have been referred to as 'signature policy announcements' around the health services in Launceston, particularly at the LGH. I understand that there was an explanation of this given this morning.
However, when you raise expectation in the community that the Stage 2 of the master plan will be delivered but there is not one dollar identified in the Budget, which is what we are talking about now, it raises expectations. I had an email from a family, a friend, over the weekend where their elderly father, around 80 years of age, had to call an ambulance for a critical moment and arrived at the Launceston General Hospital to be ramped in an ambulance for hours.
Members of our community continue to have these experiences and then we have these big announcements and people think there will be change, but this change is a long way into the future.
We need to be very careful about how we raise expectations in the community, not only for the Stage 2 developments of the master plan, but there was a lot to be said about the co-location of the private hospital with Calvary in Launceston.
There is a lot said about the size and scale of that as well. However, I understand that there may have been an MOU signed but people are looking for outcomes for health in Launceston.
Traffic infrastructure gets a lot of conversation in the south and I know that congestion in the south is critical but equally so in the north, unless action is taken to ease traffic concerns for both the East and the West Tamar in the Tamar Valley, then this too will get to a point where it is out of control.
There has been much said about the new Tamar River bridge. There has been much announced about the Tamar Valley transport traffic vision and it has been suggested that the feasibility work shows that it is constructable, viable and can be delivered, the announcement said, with construction being completed by 2028. It says that this will make great improvements to the travel times and safety on the West Tamar Highway, removing the traffic from key West Tamar activity centres but you go across the bridge and then what?
For a lot of the announcements that are happening it is all very well and good to make an announcement, make people feel comfortable and confident about what is being announced, but what are the next steps and where is the true solution to some of the issues that are being identified? It is a bit like the commitment that has been made to the kanamaluka/Tamar River estuary.
There has been a lot said about the catchment management needs of this area and then focusing in on small areas like the area identified in the current kanamaluka/Tamar River estuary vision, and the Government in the election seemed to believe that by committing a small amount of funds - and really although it is a large number for many, beyond comprehension - $4 million, a small amount of funds towards an issue that needs far greater investment may allow people in the community to feel like this is a solution.
The reality is - and there was a letter today in The Examiner from a Mr. Ken Terry saying that he would likely expect the $4 million may not even cover the bureaucratic paperwork in the planning, getting the approvals, let alone actually having any dredging occur.
Again, raising expectations in the community of solutions without actually being able to deliver a complete outcome is really disappointing for our community.
I was explaining it to a younger person recently and said 'dredging in the river is like playing at the beach: you draw a canal to your sandcastle and a wave comes in and it is gone again'. These targeted dredgings provide recreational access in the Tamar River estuary for $4 million - $2 million a year over two years - and then what? These are the concerns I have about many of the commitments that are being made in the Budget right now.
The other concern I have is, and again it is because of my experience, particularly over the last couple of weeks, which I have found disappointing, that it seems easy to say one thing or to make a mistake on saying something and then having to correct it or not having to stand up to it and there is always a response for everything.
Someone may bring forward a fact and then someone responds in a really random and different way. You ask a question and then the answer does not match up to the intention of the question. I do not think you can hide from the fact that, at the moment, our financial position is challenged. You cannot take away from that.
We had the Fiscal Sustainability Report released from our own Treasury which indicated that. It is a little like a house of credit cards where there are many people we will know personally who have had this difficult and confronting situation where they may not be able to meet their current needs, so they lay out their operational monies, their weekly groceries or their fuel, onto a credit card.
Once that gets maxed out they get another credit card to try to pay off the payments on that credit card. They might find themselves spiraling into debt, trying to keep up with the basics, not actually making any improvements in their life.
That is how I feel at the moment about the state's Budget, that it is a house of credit cards. One thing goes wrong and one thing puts extra weight onto this state right now which, in these uncertain times of COVID-19 is possible, it could all come crumbling down.
We need to be honest about that. As I said at the beginning, being brave or courageous about the way we talk about the reality of our circumstances would be welcomed because then we could join together to find solutions to those problems. People say, 'You talk about debt and you think that is a negative thing', but debt can be positive.
We can leverage funds in a positive and productive way as in a personal household where you are paying for fuel and groceries on a credit card, it feels like that is what is happening in Tasmania right now. We built the Hydro many years ago because it was a productive piece of infrastructure that would provide for the future of Tasmania.
They are the kinds of big, bold projects that should be happening now because we can use money at a great price to invest in important things to continue to be productive, not only for the basics. There has been much said and I completely support it, that there are sectors that are doing well right now.
There is no doubt that agriculture in my shadow portfolio of primary industries and water is doing exceptionally well. For that we acknowledge and celebrate those people who for generations have been intelligent and clever about the way they have developed and grown their sectors and many of the sub-sectors and they are providing that backbone for the Tasmanian economy.
Unfortunately, in my shadow portfolio area, which also covers fisheries and aquaculture, it is not always the same story.
One of the areas where I would like to see us work together across the House and one of the areas that Tasmanians need us to stand up together, is in the area of aquaculture, and I speak of our salmon industry.
Labor is clear about this: we are strong and stand clearly behind the salmon industry. On the other side of the House, we need to hear more and there needs to be more done, to ensure that not only Tasmanians, but our country recognises the value of the salmon industry in Tasmania.
The salmon industry supports thousands of Tasmanians and their communities and that is something that should be celebrated. There is no doubt that the suppliers and indirect benefits it provides to Tasmania is important.
Where we have a world-leading industry that is under attack now, we need to do more to stand up and stand up together to support that industry. I said I would acknowledge things that are positive and I will do my best to ensure that these things come to fruition.
I acknowledge the Government's investment with the University of Tasmania in the Tasmanian Agricultural Precinct in Newnham in Launceston. That is something that I remember back in 2000 as mayor of Launceston, when we said we would be a city of education and open to the world.
One of the key pillars of that at that time was to try to implement an agricultural precinct into Launceston. It now feels that things are coming together and that will be important, not only to northern Tasmania but all Tasmania, to bring those research facilities together and I acknowledge that.
I acknowledge the challenges in the sector as well. There are challenges with seasonal workers, challenges with trade pressure and challenge with biosecurity.
Again, we need to stand up to those challenges and do all we can to protect the Tasmanian brand, to protect those people who are delivering the produce and delivering the things that create the value in that Tasmanian brand.
There are lots of small contributions that have been made in that portfolio and I probably do not have time to acknowledge them all but I am willing to stand up and be a champion for all of these sectors.
I know that the minister has acknowledged my contribution in that already to this point and, in addition to keeping to account these contributions, I also want to stand up together to celebrate those things that are positive.
There was a commitment for Stadiums Tasmania in the Budget, an area of particular interest to me. There is no doubt we all recognise the importance of sport.
Active, healthy communities can be economic contributors. I note today that my love of basketball and the importance of investment in this infrastructure, brings to my attention that we have an Australian 'moment in history' being made today, with Keryn Nylander being appointed to the chair of the Tasmanian JackJumpers.
It is great to see a local in that role and I cannot wait to see that team on the court - and on courts in northern Tasmania. That brings me to one of my other shadow portfolio areas - small business.
As Mr. Tucker, the member for Lyons, just said, small business is the engine room of the economy. When I spoke to my first matter of importance last week, it is clear to me that an engine does not work unless all the elements are well-supported and looked after.
I know that Mr. Tucker and others understand this fact. In order that we can best support what is critical to Tasmania across all sectors on all scales, we need to make sure that we are listening to people in business right now. I acknowledge there has been a shift in the current grants supporting small and micro businesses and that has been welcomed.
I have had a flood of emails from people thanking us for our role in that. They acknowledge Labor's role in being able to support young families, and people who are making a supplementary income into their family.
That small amount that has fallen to below $50 000, which has now been acknowledged, is making all the difference in those families.
However, I am concerned about how long it takes to respond to the concerns in our community and to understand what is needed to support our community.
Yesterday, we brought to the attention of the House the concern with the treatment of payroll tax over JobKeeper payments. I will briefly speak to that. This afternoon in the response to the Budget, those people on the other side of the House said that we lack credibility because all we seek to do is hold the Government to account.
That is our job. Our job is to bring forward a voice on behalf of people who need support right now, in order that things can change, that the backbone of our economy and the engine room of our economy does not fail.
In the Budget we have an allocation of $300 million that can be invested into support for our small businesses in Tasmania; yet the other side of the House says, 'Well, where do you think you are going to get the money from? Why do you always want to spend more?'
It is not about spending more; this is about investing a dollar now so that in the future that dollar amount does not have to be increased to correct failure to maintain support for jobs, for workers and for their communities.
There is no doubt that although there are many who are doing well, there are more that are struggling and that struggle is short-term.
It is not about long-term handouts; it is about getting people from this moment, where they are at risk of their employees losing hours or losing their job, to a situation when the cycle will turn, and border restrictions are lifted so that people come back to Tasmania.
We know it will happen because we will make a contribution. People will come into Tasmania because they recognise it as a great place to be.
It is not good for Tasmanian businesses to then struggle to deliver; it is not good for the businesses that have invested hours and dollars in training their staff to get to this point and to lose their staff. I will make a reflection on financial impacts, although it is not a reflection on this Budget. In the House yesterday, the Minister for Small Business misunderstood a policy and misrepresented what was happening to people in the community right now.
Today in the House that minister said something different but did not correct the record. People who are filling in their annual returns right now are being lobbed with unexpected payroll tax liabilities and do not know what to do.
It has been suggested that they ring a help-line. The calculation is there. They are now actually having to pay payroll tax when they thought they would not have to pay anything.
For many people, the JobKeeper payments have tipped them over the threshold and now they have unexpected liabilities. It can be crippling for a person who is finding it difficult right now, to have to come up with, say, $7000 - which was one of the examples that we were given - to pay a liability that they had not accounted for.
That money might have been intended for wages, or for future investment that now will not be delivered on.
It is unreasonable to expect our community to manage their businesses and cashflow when the other side of the House cannot get clear policies to provide certainty for the people who are the engine-room of our economy.
The other part of my suite of shadow portfolios, which I love, is start-ups.
There is not much said about start-ups in this place, or generally; sometimes a start-up is a bit misunderstood in the community.
Some people might believe that a start-up is simply a new business, and people are opening new businesses all the time - and they should be commended for that.
Having opened new businesses from scratch myself, numerous times before, I know how hard that is.
A start-up is a business that can scale rapidly without necessarily just needing more people. It could be a great idea - a technological idea, for example, or an innovation. It is solving a problem and then being able to deliver that, not only locally but perhaps internationally.
There is a journey that a start-up, an entrepreneur has to go on, to get from an idea, to delivery, to making sure that it is viable; and then getting through the scaling process, which in itself is tremendously complicated - and maybe to the ultimate outcome, to an exit.
I am happy to see that there are funds in the Budget for enterprise, that support the ideation-stage of start-ups to get people through those early moments in the life of a start-up. I acknowledge that the funds in that area have been extended up to the north-west coast, to the Cradle Coast Authority, to give them some support up there with enterprise.
It is a niche space that does take some understanding. Being able to make sure that your product is viable and successfully scaled with the investment that is required, and with the complex process of attracting investors and then being able to deliver; to get through that and then be successful, is the part that really needs support -particularly from Tasmania.
It is hard and expensive to compete from Tasmania against others who might be employing people from other parts of the world. I call on those who have responsibility for this space to really get in and understand what it takes to get from the idea to the exit; and that we support the whole process in Tasmania, because the benefits are game-changing.
Whether it be locally or globally, they will make a massive difference to the bottom-line of the Tasmanian economy. That is an area that I am really excited to be a part of and to support.
I believe that as a Tasmanian community we could 95 Wednesday 1 September 2021 do better at understanding that culture of giving something a go and failing, then having another go and building that big idea that makes a game-changing difference not only to the world, but also to the economy of Tasmania.
As I conclude now, Mr. Deputy Speaker, I re-confirm my commitment to Tasmania; to acknowledging things when they go well, and to having the courage to call out things that are not going so well.
I could not be more proud, at the end of my first 10 weeks in this place, to be part of the Labor team, to have the support of the Labor community and to be representing Bass to the very best of my abilities. Labor is determined to make sure that all Tasmanians get a fair go.
We are determined that our economy is working across all sectors, large and small. We are determined that the Tasmanian economy needs to work for everybody - especially for the children who will have the future of this great place we call home.
1st September 2021 - 5:10pm
Video - YouTube
State Budget
Mr. Deputy Speaker, I rise this afternoon to give my contribution in reply to the State Budget handed down last week. It is interesting, as the minister leaves the Chamber on the closing comments about what is important to this Government, is how we are open about what is worrying about this Government's position and the Budget just handed down for Tasmanians. I have been here a year. This is my second chance to respond to a
budget. It has been a year of listening to this Government talk up things that are not reality.
Being positive is important but our community would much prefer for governments to be
honest with them so we can understand how we have to work together to make improvements
in our community. It is disappointing when the Government presents a budget and says it is about
strengthening the future. It would be great if this Government had the ability to deliver on
strengthening our future. Probably most insulting is that it says it is delivering for all
Tasmanians. From question time this morning, we know that this Government does not deliver
for all Tasmanians. We had a number of older members of our community who are deeply
anxious about their housing situation because after months and months of advocacy, they still
have uncertainty about their living arrangements in a few weeks.There is no way that this Government can say they are delivering for all Tasmanians so they should not say it. It riles me in my seat at the back when I have to listen to minister upon minister talking about things they are doing when they could just say: 'It is really hard right now. Things are tough right now, the economy is going okay, but not fantastic.' They talk it up. The minister, in his closing, talked about business confidence. If you guys were as honest with the community as we are, we could work to provide outcomes for the community that are really real. I want to unpack a little bit about the difference between the economy and the Budget in my Budget response today, because they are not the same thing. Sometimes I think this Government thinks the economy and Budget are the same thing. I also want to unpack a little bit about how this Budget delivers effort, hopefully action and outcomes that put in place their policies. Many people talk about figures and percentages and line items when they talk about the Budget but what we are talking about is impact on people and community. The minister just closed by talking about thriving communities. The Premier in his own response talked about how this is going to be strengthening for the future, delivering for all Tasmanians and creating thriving communities. I can tell you that many of your policies are undermining and collapsing communities. Where those challenges are real, you have to be
honest with the community about the challenge and struggle you are going to have to work
through to rectify these challenges and impacts.
When we talk about the economy, it is good to defer to competent organisations. The
CommSec report is often referred to. Others here, our shadow treasurer, our shadow finance
minister, our leader and deputy leader, have talked about how you can say whatever you want,
but people can read the charts. People understand what these things say. Despite the
Government saying that Tasmania is leading the nation, part of the contribution from the
shadow finance minister earlier was that you have to be real about what it is actually presenting.
It is presenting a relative position, relative to our past.
Tasmania is leading on one measure, on equipment investment, and that is great but when
you go through the other elements of the economy, on economic growth, Western Australia is
leading; and on retail spending, Victoria is the strongest. Tasmania is the strongest in
equipment investment but Western Australia has the strongest job market. South Australia is
strongest for construction work. Queensland leads relative population growth. In housing
finance, Victoria is in the top spot for home loans. South Australia leads the way on dwelling
starts.
When you cherry-pick statistics from a document, you have to trust that someone is not
going to go back and read the entire document, and say that yes, CommSec says on equipment
58 Wednesday 1 June 2022
investment Tassie is doing all right, but on every other element, we are no longer at the top.
Tasmania did hold the mantle for the best performing economy but, after leading on four of the
eight indicators in the previous survey, Tasmania now only leads on one.
The Government continues to talk about business confidence. In the area of Bass,
northern Tasmania is the place where we actually get out and do the work. The south has often
been the heart of government, the north the heart of enterprise. I know a little bit about
business, having had businesses myself. I know how to read the results of surveys and
I understand, as the shadow spokesperson for small business, how small businesses across the
entire Tasmanian community, particularly in rural and regional communities, not just in the
bubble of Hobart, are feeling.
Two months ago, the NAB monthly business survey showed that Tasmania was the only
state where business confidence is negative. Worryingly, it has been negative now for three
consecutive months. Roy Morgan Business Survey showed that Tasmania had the lowest
business confidence in the country. In April, the NAB group, a leading team of economists
who provide accurate, timely and relevant updates on the domestic economy and economic
trends, said that business confidence remains relatively high across industries and in most
states; however, Tasmania is showing noticeable weaker levels.
Conditions and confidence in Tasmania have softened. People feel that under the cover
of parliament you can stand up and say anything. It worries me that people do not seem to
have this internal expectation that you would tell the truth. We are doing okay but we are not
topping out on every element to do with the economy, and business confidence has softened.
That should cause problems. If the small business minister was able to leave Hobart and go
out into the regions, she would hear from businesses that are finding it tough, and we would be
positive about what we could do to work together to turn that around.
When we talk about the Budget and the Budget position of this Government, they would
have us believe that things are going swimmingly. They would have us believe that the things
they say are included in the Budget, and the announcements they make in the community are
things they either expect or intend to deliver and, in fact, have the capacity to deliver. I, for
one, having being in this place for a year now, am seriously questioning that.
One of the first documents that dropped just after I was elected last year - it was perfect
timing because it gave me an insight into the way Treasury looks at the Tasmanian system and
how, then, the Government would, you assume, take the advice or read up on these documents
from Treasury - they delivered the Tasmanian Government Fiscal Sustainability Report. That
report considers the longer-term sustainability of the state's finances. It gives it under four
different scenarios. Those scenarios are about early - and that word is important - early action
to correct fiscal deterioration, to give consideration to the composition of the state's revenue
base, to consider any action to maintain fiscal sustainability and also look at the likely effect to
manage fiscal sustainability which will require early action.
I do not know whether members of the Government have read this report but to reference
page 26, there is a chart of the four different scenarios if we just continue on the forward
Estimates - and this was prior to last year's budget but this year's Budget is not drastically
different - the most positive scenario possible is considering the forward Estimates and they
are going to be positive because you write those documents. If you consider historical trends,
that is the next worrying likely scenario over the forward Estimates. Then there is a low
59 Wednesday 1 June 2022
revenue base but a high expenditure. The worst possible scenario for Tasmania is continued
high expenditure without any early and significant action.
This Government will announce whatever it wants to and say it will deliver whatever it
thinks the Tasmanian community will believe in order to continue to support them, but it does
not necessarily translate into the Budget documents and it does not translate into outcomes.
This Government keeps blowing its budgets. My understanding, when I have done some
quick calculations over the life of the Budget, is that it is about $1 billion-worth of blowouts.
What we now see in the documents is that we are estimating $5.2 billion-worth of debt now
growing. If you read this fiscal sustainability report projected over the next 10 years, and we
are on the trajectory at the moment for the worst possible scenario, that could blow out and
head towards $30 billion.
What does that mean for the things that are really important to Tasmanians? We hear
everyone talk about it, the Government included - health, education and housing. What does
it mean for the people who were in the gallery today who for 18 months have been sharing their
concerns with the Government about the need to have support for their housing circumstances
when the NRAS comes to an end.
I was embarrassed to be a member of this parliament this morning, embarrassed to be in
this Chamber, when a minister would stand up to answer legitimate questions - with members
of our community present who are anxious about their circumstances - and talk about being a
government with heart. No heart was provided in the response and it was all politicised that
perhaps our new federal minister for housing could fix it. For the full lifetime of the
Government here in the state of Tasmania when there has been a Liberal government in the
federal government, we have brought to your attention these concerns although you should
already understand them all on your own, and you could have been doing this work and taking
action.
I have learned in my last year here that this Government does not take responsibility.
They do not take the time to understand the real issues and they definitely do not, or do not
know how to take action. I am seeing people in my office all the time with challenges around
housing and I am also seeing a number of people who are sleeping rough and do not have a
permanent place to call home.
I understand from conversations I have had that there could be 300 or as many as 500
people sleeping rough every night in the Launceston community. It is great to see extra funds
in the Budget for homelessness support; 11 extra spaces in Launceston at Safe Spaces. Safe
Places is fully occupied night on night. There are at least 300 people sleeping rough. Coming
into winter, that is going to get worse. With the end of NRAS, low wages and a rising cost of
living, these statistics are going to get worse. Having 10-year plans and $1.5 billion strategies
does not do anything for Tasmanians now, tonight, who need shelter.
Yes, you need to consider the future, but this document says that you are delivering for
all Tasmanians. You are not, as a government, delivering for all Tasmanians. Although you
stand there and say it is everyone's right to have a home, to have a roof over their head, we
know that tonight in Launceston 300 people do not have that comfort, safety and surety and
something needs to be done now to turn that around.
60 Wednesday 1 June 2022
The other thing I have been appalled about in my year here - and it would never have
happened at the Launceston City Council - was this trend to make announcements never
intended to deliver. They always seem to be curiously around election time and always seem
to be the solution to a massive problem that generationally has not been attended to because
perhaps it is not deliverable. This Government's examples are the Tamar Bridge, dredging and
we have already talked about the LGH.
This Government announces to a community that they are going to invest $580 million
in the redevelopment of the local hospital which has the worst bed block in the country and
ambulances ramping. Across Tasmania we see massive waiting lists, people waiting for
specialists, but they say, 'We've got the solution', which is a big carrot for the people to come
and vote for you, but then year on year you do not deliver in the budget the funds that you have
said are allocated, even in your own budget documents. That $580 million is not allocated.
There is $50 million, far short of the $580 million, in the forward Estimates. The people in our
community want to trust the people in this place but the performance of this Government makes
it harder, day on day, for the members of our community to trust them.
I can remember just before the former premier left there was a tight moment. It was a
tough week of parliament. We had ministers leaving and all sorts of drama. We know they
were feeling under pressure and the lack of integrity in their ranks was coming to the fore and
it was all falling apart so they made an announcement about the Commonwealth Games. You
can tell when they are really struggling and desperate because that was just ridiculous. Nobody
who would have been involved with that had heard about it, but it was just a good idea that
would start to distract from the really important issues facing the people of Tasmania.
It is a bit like the floating stadium. Again, I cannot get away from what happened this
morning when the minister said, 'Give me two weeks, trust me, I will find you a solution.' We
have people in our community who cannot sleep and are finding it difficult to eat because of
the level of anxiety about their current housing situation. We have people who last week were
evicted from their homes under the end of the NRAS deal and are now living in their cars, but
this Government thinks it is appropriate and reasonable to invest over a billion dollars for a
stadium in the south when the Government's own report said very clearly to reinvest further in
the stadium we have in the north at York Park, where people come from across the state who
enjoy that sport. We know that people will travel from the south to the north because it is great
where I come from. We know that people will do that.
The Sports minister seems to be the only person advocating this. The Premier seems to
have stepped away at a hundred miles an hour, but the minister talks about the benefits of
having a stadium in your community. We know the benefits in the north. We know, in
Launceston, the benefits because we have lived through that, through winter, in the stimulus to
the economy, but we already have that infrastructure and that investment. It requires a marginal
improvement to those facilities to have the seating numbers for football, but there are also
proposals for multisport courts, which would see a far greater outcome for all Tasmanians,
delivering for all Tasmanians, than a billion-dollar stadium in the south when we cannot house
Tasmanians right now. To me, making those sorts of investments is just way off the mark of
what people expect in Tasmania.
In the time I have left to make my contribution I want to reflect that these sorts of things
come, announcements are made as an attempt to distract, but I have also learnt that
announcements are made without consultation to completely shift priorities in different
61 Wednesday 1 June 2022
industries that support communities. We talk about thriving communities. I visit the cities but
I also visit the rural and regional communities and I see the types of industries that make a
difference in those communities.
Last week a really weird thing happened when we asked further questions about the
salmon industry that we did not get any clarification on. I am shadow minister for primary
industries and water, and aquaculture, fishing and agriculture are all parts of that. I am proud
to represent those people and work with the people in these industries. Last week it was weird.
There was a sort of correction. There was an update to a very significant policy, which in itself
came out of nowhere. At the end of last year there was a moratorium announced on the salmon
industry. In terms of all our primary industries, it is the greatest contributor to employment
and to local communities, really smart and great jobs. There was a correction made after a
response in the parliament, where in response to a question about the finfish industry the
minister, quite rightly, made a whole lot of positive comments about the industry and then
made a mistake and said that while the plan is being developed there will be no further increases
in the leasable area. I think she meant to say no net increases - fine. She sent in Mr Street later
in the day to correct that. However, instead of being three lines long the correction was seven
lines long and then it said, just from nowhere:
Importantly, one of the principles undermining the development of the plan,
which is for 10 years, not a one-year moratorium, there will be no net
increases in total leasable areas.
That is a massive shift. Mr Ellis is in the Chamber right now; I do not know what he
thinks about that.
I do not know what this Government is trying to do in undermining one of the greatest
contributors to regional and rural communities in Tasmania. When we sought to clarify that
the very next day, there was silence. The salmon industry is full of great and clever jobs. I have
met with people at Whale Point who work on the net lab. I have worked and met with people
in East Devonport in processing, and with divers at Rowella. I have been into the CBD where
they have these incredible feed centres.
Tasmania should be proud and should support this industry. To have policy decisions
thrown out in the middle of question time seemingly without consideration or consultation, this
industry deserves much better.
I am going to talk about another industry that deserves better, and tie in the allocations
that are in the Budget to do certain work that will drive policy outcomes. I am the shadow for
small business. Small business - everyone says it in lots of different ways - is the lifeblood of
Tasmania. Of the almost 41 000 businesses in Tasmania, 97 per cent are classified as small.
What I think people forget, and I am hoping that the minister hears this, is that small
businesses are all types of businesses, and when you look at the Government's own interim
Business Growth Strategy, it identifies that agriculture, forestry and fishing is the second
largest industry sector by number of businesses in Tasmania. I am across agriculture and
fishing, our shadow treasurer across forestry, but in the fishing sector - we talk about small
businesses being the backbone of the Tasmanian industry, while in the wild fisheries we talk
about rock lobster being the backbone of the wild fisheries sector.
62 Wednesday 1 June 2022
Right now, as a result of a budget impact which is going to drive a policy, this
Government, which says that they are - and I am going to pick up this document, because
I cannot believe, so I cannot ever remember what it is - says that they are, 'strengthening the
future, delivering for all Tasmanians'. Seemingly, it is going to make a decision that is going
to collapse the local fishing fleet in the rock lobster fishery.
Recently, I received a letter from the mayor of Break O'Day. He was and has been for
many years a commercial fisherman in his own right, so he gets this. I am going to read in a
few of the comments he makes about connecting up - just in case anyone does not quite
understand it, and if the minister can read this back later, so she does not quite understand it,
which really highlights the connections between the budget, the economy, policy, and
communities, about people, about delivering for Tasmanians. There is a review process. It is
reviewing the rules. There is a particular concern about a rule which is to expand the 60 pot
area. This letter was written on 5 May. It reads:
The review process is of particular interest to council, as it has significant
economic, social and environmental implications to Tasmania. The orthodox
economic efficiency argument is at the expense of smaller operators. This
inequitable approach benefits larger commercial fishing operators and is
feared to have long-term impacts on the continued consolidation of these
operators in the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery.
It is of Break O'Day Council's belief that in the absence of an economic and
social analysis of the proposed rule and policy changes, a precautionary
principle approach must be applied. As the discussion paper outlines on page
30, there are significant economic and social contributions local vessels offer
to eastern Tasmania. It is easy to quantify some contributions, however
contributions such as sense of community and indirect economic impact are
not considered. It is of our belief that the risks presented to the east
Tasmanian economy have not been adequately considered. As such, we ask
that the committee apply a precautionary principle approach to the proposed
rule and policy changes when considering the economic and social risks to
the east coast of Tasmania.
The Break O'Day Council's approach is underpinned by the belief that longterm impacts must be considered over short-term gain. Break O'Day council
strongly opposes the proposed rule change of expanding the 60-pot area, and
requests an in-depth economic analysis of the proposal to be delivered before
implementation. This proposal is a reactive and ill-advised response to the
current market, and does not consider long-term implications. This includes
detrimental impact on the viability of smaller operators, as well as impact on
local businesses such as slipways, the boilermakers, who all depend on these
operators.
The economic efficiency reasoning is not adequate to justify its
implementation, and is of clear inequitable benefit to the larger operators at
the expense of smaller operators. We expect this proposal will further
consolidate quota and pots, forcing out small operators who cannot afford to
increase their quota based on the size of their boat. The impact of such an
occurrence will be detrimental to the Break O'Day region's economy.
63 Wednesday 1 June 2022
The east coast is unique in the rock lobster fishery and I note with interest a number of
responses that the minister has made to questions in regard to regional communities and
supporting communities through our fishery policy. I have asked a number of questions either
through the upper House or the lower House about the minister's support for small family
fishers. In her responses, she has said that she does support small family fishes. However,
there are complex and diverse views to consider.
I went to a really tight community ecosystem to consider the diverse views, an area where
you can clearly understand a case study for the implications of this rule change and that is King
Island. Again, it might be of interest to the member in the Chamber. There are about 15 fishers
on King Island and I have the chance now of running through a list of ringing them all. I have
called almost everybody, but I just wanted to share some of the comments that I have heard so
far from 12 of the 15 fishers, who all, without exception, do not support this rule change.
When we are linking in budget implications of policy changes that have an impact on our
economy, and have an impact on the people in our small communities, I want to talk about
what this means. Something like the rock lobster fishery is a tradition in Tasmania. It has been
handed down, in many cases, through generations. As the former minister might say, it is a
Tassie way of life. It can be said in no clearer terms, than by talking to the fishers of King
Island. I am going to share some of the comments they have made, and without identifying
anyone particularly:
We bought a farm. We started out on our own. We fished with four or five
other blokes, we got our sea time, and then we bought a boat. We worked it
all out for ourselves, and now we have a boat we have bought in some units.
I went away to school, got some work experience, four years in Burnie got
myself a trade, but then I decided that I missed the fishing. I missed the
island. I got a job on a boat, I worked myself up and now we are able to
establish ourselves in the industry.
So, it is this cycle of people contributing, growing up, and then recontributing into their
communities. What this rule change is going to do is make it hard for the next generation:
I have been on the deck for a really long time. My grandfather used to fish
this fishery. I am worried that we are all going to get squeezed out. People
are losing sight of the fact the we have to start looking at the stocks, not just
at people's back pockets. My dad used to say you can catch more fish with
two 20-foot boats than one 40-foot boat. That is because you are mindful of
how you set. You are mindful of the fish.
I did not bring the rules with me, but the rules are about as thick as the Budget. This one
rule just snuck in. People are feeling really done over by this. Their fathers, uncles,
grandfathers have fished this fishery, and now their sons are fishing this fishery. What is also
interesting is that the families are supporting the life and supporting the community on the
island. There are people, as I said, who in some circumstances said that dad is still fishing,
they are fishing and their son is fishing. Their families are working on the island. We have
families where someone works in the local IGA or the local bakery. That is fairly standard.
They might work and deliver the local beauty services, work on a farm, work in the cheese
factory. A lot of them work in the childcare centre, work at the school. They nurse at the local
medical centre, and they run the local real estate agency. You lose the fishery, you collapse
64 Wednesday 1 June 2022
this fishery on King Island, you will lose these vital services and these people, these families
from generations, from this community.
In rising to contribute to the Budget this afternoon, I ask why the Government does not
take a step back and have a think about it? If you actually want to govern for all Tasmanians,
start being honest about what that is going to take. Start being honest about the announcements
that you make. Start being honest about the documents you are reading, from all the charts and
data you are looking at, and the commentary you run over the top of it.
I can remember the shadow treasurer said that there was feedback from himself and
others at the Budget roadshow. I was at the Budget luncheon in Launceston. They put up a
chart on the screen and you could see the downturn but they put a line across it to show an
upward tick and said, 'Things are all right'. I can remember people at my table were saying,
'Can't they tell that we can actually see what the chart says?' You are just embarrassing
yourselves.
Tasmanians want better and I know they deserve better. I want to push this Government
to do the right thing. I know that deep down our Premier probably does have a heart for all
Tasmanians. I know that deep down he wants to do the right thing. It is time that you guys
stand up, step up and are brave and tell Tasmanians what the reality is, and when you make
announcements you make real announcements with real intention to deliver.
I know that our community in Bass in northern Tasmania, and in fact the communities
that I represent through being shadow minister for small business, shadow minister for startups
and shadow minister for primary industries and water, that they all expect better.
Things have not been easy but things are softening off. This morning a minister called
for tripartite support and agreement on things. If we trusted and believed you in what you want
to deliver to Tasmanians, we probably would follow up and work with you but, right now, it is
your job. Stand up, do the right thing. Stop making announcements that you have zero
intention of delivering on and start delivering for all Tasmanians.
1st June 2022 - 2:21pm
YouTube Link
Infrastructure Investments
Mr Speaker, I want to reflect, first, on the two contributions by the Government on this matter of infrastructure investment. I said in my Budget contribution yesterday that often I am appalled and surprised about the behaviours in this place. To have a member of the Government stand for less than a minute and reel off one or two items of infrastructure, and not necessarily talk about how bold or appropriate or about how productive that infrastructure is, and then go on a rant to speak in a really negative and vulgar way about people in this place, we should expect and require the Government when they are having their meetings for members to reflect on their behaviour in this place, because it is appalling. I have never seen anything quite like it where you want to stand up and speak positively about infrastructure, clearly have nothing to say, and so just roll out what I think our Leader referred to as an 'attack kitty'. I quite like that because I had written at the same time that they just roll out their horrendous, appalling attack dog when they have no record to stand on. As to the record of infrastructure investment just from my area of Bass - and we have the local member here in the Chamber with us - there was encouragement for years in the community to get behind the idea of a Tamar bridge. This Government makes infrastructure announcements that they never have any intention to deliver, and in fact now I am starting to question whether have any capacity to deliver. They just throw these balloons out and put these carrots out into the community to attract votes and support by raising infrastructure expectations in a community that they never intend or are unable to deliver. Although it is not infrastructure, it is a bit like the conversation around the last election - not this one just gone, but the one before - around dredging. There are people in the community who feel deeply about such issues but they trust and want to believe a government that raises these issues time and time again. I spoke yesterday about the announcement around the Launceston General Hospital, the $580 million that our community expected that this Government would invest in a timely way to respond to the ever heartbreaking realities of the lack of ability for the great people working at the hospital to deliver care for our community in a way that they have trained and dedicated their careers to. It is just not right. We had the Treasurer stand up and talk about truth. This is a conversation about infrastructure investment. Our Leader has outlined how this Government not being able to get the basics right and not being able to deliver on investment is just so obvious and so repeated, but I want to take the Treasurer up on his comment about truth. He talked about truth in announcements. They want to come up and talk about infrastructure announcements when we know that they just throw those out without any intention to deliver. I want to go back to a time when we were together in Launceston, minister, and you stood and made an announcement to the public. You might remember your colleague and friend, the Australian Ombudsman for Small Business, was in town and you made an announcement that you would implement small business-friendly councils. You were the Minister for Local Government at the time. There have been lots of ministerial changes. You might not remember that but I remember it. We actually captured it on video. You made an announcement that you never intended to deliver. In fact, I joked at the time with you and said, 'Don't say that, you can't say that if you don't intend to do that'. You were just standing up and directly lying to the community.
Mr FERGUSON - All right, that will do. Point of order, Mr Speaker.
Mr SPEAKER - You do not need to make a point of order. I ask the member to withdraw that comment.
Mr FERGUSON - Mr Speaker, I will address it later on in the day if time permits, but I simply will not tolerate that. I will correct the record later and thank you for asking her to withdraw.
Ms FINLAY - I withdraw that, Mr Speaker. I would love to see the implementation of small business-friendly councils because the first speaker this morning talked about business confidence and employment. The way you support your businesses is by telling the truth to them, Mr Speaker. As to infrastructure investment, you talk about historic infrastructure. Labor stands proud on our history of delivering productive intergenerational infrastructure to this community. We were the people that delivered the Hydro, we invested initially and made the announcements about irrigation, we were the people that made announcements about the replacements of the Spirits. How did your Spirit replacement process go? How did your announcement and then withdrawal and then backflip go on the Spirits? How is delivery on that going? Our Leader, quite rightly, pointed out that if you have a decision that you announce and then you have a piece of infrastructure that you want to try to deliver but you do not really know how, you delay it so much that it costs the Tasmanian people extraordinary amounts of inflated prices once you actually get to the point to start. What about the pet project of the Treasurer, the Midland Highway? He has been working across and attempting to deliver that for so long that those rollouts mean you have to roll through the potholes. I know that he probably travels that road as many times as I, probably more, so he will be well aware of his ability to attempt to deliver infrastructure so poorly.
Mr Street - What are you talking about?
Ms FINLAY - The poor state of that road that had to be delivered and then redelivered. This Government cannot stand up this morning on this matter of public importance and stand on a record of infrastructure investment. This Government should be ashamed of its inability to invest in infrastructure –
Mr Street - Remember the goat-track you left behind? Try to keep up.
Ms FINLAY - because it cannot deliver, it does not know how to deliver. I had an interjection from the sports minister - they are in trouble so they are just trying to distract. I will not go to the Commonwealth Games but I will go to a piece of infrastructure, the floating stadium in Hobart. This Government was scratching up some prices on the back of an envelope. They say it may be $750 million but now they say they are going to do a feasibility study so they know the actual costs if they ever intend to deliver.
Video - YouTube
2nd June 2022 - 11:51am