The Gutwein Liberal Government will fail on its promised Budget infrastructure plan, with a leading ratings agency already forcecasting non-delivery.
Shadow Treasurer David O’Byrne said Peter Gutwein’s claim that $5 billion in projects would be built over the next four years was a flimsy aspiration that would not result in actual bricks and mortar.
“This Liberal Government already has 82 infrastructure goals on the books, of which more than half were re-announced in yesterday’s Budget despite being already delayed,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“Of its 82 existing building projects, 44 have been delayed with 24 delayed by one year, 17 by two years and three by three years. That’s a combined delay of 67 years.
“Tasmanians simply cannot believe that this government now says it is capable of getting projects out of the ground.
“Ratings agency Moody’s State of Tasmania report released yesterday confirms what most Tasmanians have already experienced – the Gutwein Government will likely fail on its infrastructure targets.”
The Moody’s report says:
“Notwithstanding the budgeted increase in debt-funded infrastructure spending, we consider slippage over the forward estimates period is highly likely. This reflects our view that the scale of infrastructure spending will be difficult to deliver within the projected timeframes.”
“In short, the Budget is a con job,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“And when you add in the fact that the Premier has put Infrastructure and State Growth Minister Michael Ferguson in charge of delivering Tasmania’s COVID recovery, everyone should be alarmed.
“Mr Ferguson was the architect of Tasmania’s health crisis in his former role as Health Minister and single-handedly wrecked our hospitals. Now he’s brought his trademark kiss of death to the government’s infrastructure agenda.
“He is not capable of delivering, only slashing.
“This was a chance to deliver Tasmania’s most important Budget since World War II with some vision but that opportunity has been shamefully squandered.”
| David O’Byrne MP Shadow Treasurer |
