Liberals cannot be allowed to get away with plan to slug families more for water

Tasmanian Labor

Labor will lobby the Tasmanian Economic Regulator to prevent it approving the Gutwein Liberal Government’s immoral plan to slug families with a whopping 15 per cent increase to water bills.

Shadow Finance Minister Dean Winter said the government had applied to the independent economic watchdog to apply the increase to household water bills over the next four years at the same time Hobart has become the most expensive city in Australia in which to live.

Mr Winter said TasWater chiefs had confirmed the plan to introduce the massive increase during Government Business Enterprise hearings last week, with the CEO not only confirming the price hike but confirming the Premier and Gutwein Government Ministers were “fully aware” of the latest sneaky move to hit family budgets.

“What this will mean is a price hike of $453 for the average family,” Mr Winter said.

“The government clearly has no intention of addressing the cost of living which is seeing families battling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table – how, in good conscience, can they possibly be pushing for this to go ahead?

“Labor will write to the Economic Regulator to plead the case for families and prevent Peter Gutwein further targeting the family hip pocket.

“Mr Gutwein needs to attempt to understand the position of thousands of Tasmanian families. They are already feeling the squeeze and Mr Gutwein either doesn’t care or is completely out of touch in regard to the rising cost of living.”

Mr Winter said Tasmanians are already suffering under the Liberal Government with:

  • Fuel price continuing to rise as Mr Gutwein does nothing about his promise to cap prices
  • Increasing taxes despite Mr Gutwein’s promise of no new taxes
  • Increasing rents and council rates
  • Paying the highest power bills in the country

“In light of the fact that the average family is struggling under the weight of those increases, Mr Gutwein should withdraw his support for this new imposition.

“But given that he has shown scant regard for cost of living increases over the past eight years while he has been a member of the Liberal Cabinet, Labor will make every effort to stop this new increase.”

Dean Winter MP

Shadow Minister for Finance

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