While the Liberals celebrate the occasion by hosting a lavish cocktail party, Tasmanians will be more likely to use the Liberals’ 10 year anniversary to reflect on just how badly they’ve been let down.
After 10 years, Tasmania’s health system is the worst it has ever been.
Ambulance ramping is out of control, with response times for urgent callouts up more than 50 per cent. Nearly 100,000 Tasmanians are now on a health waiting list, and since 2014 7,000 Tasmanians have died while waiting for care. Essential hospital equipment is literally being held together with sticky tape.
Ten years of the Liberals has also seen Tasmania go from the most affordable state for housing, to the least.
Waiting times for social housing have more than quadrupled, and 569 Tasmanian children are homeless.
Rents are up an average of $200/week, adding more than $10,000 to the cost of living every year, and home ownership rates have crashed to the lowest in the nation. Young people have given up hope.
The Liberals have also done nothing about the cost of living in 10 years.
In fact, it’s even worse: Jeremy Rockliff voted against capping power prices three times, and now the average Tasmanian is paying $500 more for power. Meanwhile, the Liberals have spent four times more on ads to promote themselves than they have on childcare.
Health – worse than ever. Housing – crisis. Cost of living – crisis.
Given this is the Liberals’ record after 10 years, the only thing Tasmanians will be celebrating today is the fact they’ll finally have the chance to kick them out next weekend.
Dean Winter MP
