The September Quarterly Budget Update, quietly released this afternoon, contains more evidence of the Liberal Government’s inability to deliver infrastructure.
Labor Shadow Treasurer, David O’Byrne, said Peter Gutwein’s trademark secrecy was on show yet again.
“Peter Gutwein has chosen to release the latest budget update under the cover of Government Business Enterprise scrutiny hearings,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“But he cannot hide his government’s failure to deliver the infrastructure spending that he promised would create jobs post the pandemic.
“In the budget handed down less than a month ago the Liberals promised to spend over a billion dollars on infrastructure. Today’s report reveals only $79.3 million has been spent in the financial year to date.
“Even allowing for the seasonal nature of infrastructure construction, that is a 20 per cent decrease on the $103.2 million spent at the same period of the 2019-20 financial year.
“Peter Gutwein and Michael Ferguson have demonstrated time and time again that they can’t build anything.
“Peter Gutwein wants to claim that Tasmania is not facing recession and everything is rosy – that’s not the story told by his own budget papers, the fact that unemployment is over 8 per cent, or the day to day experience of many businesses hard hit by the pandemic.
“Tasmania needs Labor’s fully costed jobs plan in order to create jobs, not only in infrastructure, but right across the economy.”
David O’Byrne MP
Shadow Treasurer
