The 2015-16 Tasmanian Economic Outlook report emphasises the urgent need for the government to look outside the box and focus on long-term structural reform of the state’s financial base, Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson Kim Booth MP said today.
“An economist would describe the Treasurer’s 2015-16 Budget Outlook speech as a large projection of political rhetoric, and a worrying reduction in substance,” Mr Booth said.
“I have never heard a speech that talked so much about nothing. Its passivity was also worrying.”
“We need an independent State Taxation review, and analysis of current expenditure priorities, to help develop a plan for long-term structural reform and drive a more robust and resilient economy, and this latest Outlook reaffirms now is the time to do so.”
“Where is the long-overdue assessment of, and plan to tackle, the state’s unfunded superannuation and debts held by government owned businesses are an economic time-bomb, which cannot continue to be swept beneath the carpet.”
“Instead of a plan to discharge those looming liabilities, the Liberals have continued to use the GBEs, such as Tas Networks as a milking cow.”
“It won’t be the Treasurer, laying back in his limousine, that pays for the $30 million forestry losses, it will be schools , hospitals and families paying for the waste through their electricity bills.”
“The Treasurer avoided talking about the details of the next financial year’s budget outlook, and continued to hide either behind statistics or the GST debate to disguise the lack of vision or plan for economic structural reform.”
“Tasmania can no longer remain so passive and accepting of the fact that the bulk of our economic future and stability lies in the annual GST carve-up. We must also re-examine the areas over which the state does have control and ensure we are leveraging them to build a modern and resilient economy capable of withstanding external economic shifts.”
“The Treasurer is sounding more like a used-car salesman every day. The Greens urge that he takes a proactive position and get underway an independent review of our revenue base and expenditure, to ensure Tasmania is better positioned to withstand national and global financial forces beyond our control,” Mr Booth said.