The Hodgman Liberal government has missed a golden opportunity to support small business and creative industries in this year’s State Budget. The serious damage to frontline services has not been repaired, and the failure to invest in small business and the creative economy is an indictment on a so-called Liberal government.
While the Hodgman government’s budget rhetoric is all about business, yesterdays state budget has missed an opportunity to provide more assistance to small business, the engine room of Tasmania’s economy. Like the Tasmanian Small Business Council, the Tasmanian Greens are very disappointed that the State Budget made no attempt to focus on Tasmania’S 36 000 small businesses. If you are a big business in Tasmania the Liberals will fall over themselves to hand out cash, payroll tax concessions and discount electricity, but long suffering small business owners who drive so much of Tasmania’s economic prosperity have totally missed out on the largesse.
After Arts funding was slashed last year by the Liberals in Tasmania and Canberra, Will Hodgman’s second budget has missed a golden opportunity to repair some of the damage to creative industries.
There’s enough flouro vests to cover a fleet of D9 bulldozers, but if you wear an artists smock or a sculptor’s overalls the budget has failed you. It looks like Five Days on the Island is here to stay, and Wide Angle Tasmania will still have to crowd-fund for much needed dollars.
We are not yet prepared to accept that Mr Hodgman has fulfilled his Gonski obligations, and will have to wait until budget estimates to dig deeper into Education funding.
Students with disabilities have been let down. Despite Mr Rockliff’s soaring rhetoric there is only the standard increase to cover extra Severe Disability Register students, with nothing extra for other students with disabilities and high needs students.
The $800 000 new funding is welcome but is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed to combat the national shame of two women each week being killed by their partner or ex-partner.
