Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson
The cat is now well and truly out of the bag, with Right to Information documents obtained by Meg Webb MLC confirming the Gutwein Government negotiated the casino pokies tax rate last December, months before they went to an election and deflected persistent questions over the tax rate.
All the way through the campaign, the Greens and others were asking the Liberals to tell Tasmanians what new tax rate they had negotiated with their major donor, the Federal Group.
This was an important questions for every Tasmanian who has the right to quality health, education, housing and community services.
The Premier was dishonest with Tasmanians, so was his Finance Minister, Michael Ferguson. They knew what they’d negotiated with the Federal Group and refused to tell voters because they knew it would go down like stink.
Now we see through the lies.
The State Budget has been robbed of almost $250 million over the next twenty years as a result of the secret deal the Liberals negotiated with their major donor.
The shamelessness of the Liberals’ dishonesty over this is breathtaking.
They allowed the gambling industry to bankroll their 2018 election win, handed over an extra $4million to the Tasmanian Hospitality Association straight after the election, then negotiated a tax windfall with the Federal Group in secret, and lied about it before going to the polls again.
How do they sleep at night?
In October, Parliament is expected to debate amendments to the Gamling Control Act 1993 that will, if passed, give effect to a policy that has no end date for pokies in pubs and clubs - a policy that will claim lives and livelihoods for generations.
The Greens will vote against this corrupt legislation.
What will Labor do?