Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader
It’s day nine of the State election campaign and the Premier still hasn’t told Tasmanians what deal his government stitched up with the Farrell family on the casino pokies tax rate.
The deal could cost the Tasmanian budget hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the deal, until 2043.
Peter Gutwein’s evasiveness suggests he knows Tasmanians will judge harshly any secret deal with the Farrells that rips money out of hospitals, schools and new homes for a generation.
He needs to tell the truth. Tasmanians deserve to know as it’s they who’ll ultimately pay the price for this deal, in both human and financial terms.
If the Liberals win majority this election, without having revealed the negotiated casino pokies tax rate, they won’t have a mandate for their amendments to the Gaming Control Act 1993 when Parliament returns.
With Labor now completely captive to the Tasmanian Hospitality Association, only the Greens can be counted on to do the right thing on pokies.