Tasmanian Labor says Peter Gutwein’s failure to come up with a plan for the economy ahead of today’s cut to the JobKeeper program will potentially see thousands more jobs lost across the state.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said with millions of dollars being stripped out of the economy and the pockets of struggling Tasmanians, we still haven’t seen any plan for jobs from this government.
“The upheaval caused by COVID-19 especially in tourism and hospitality means these sectors are screaming out for more government support and instead what they’re getting are more cuts,” Ms White said.
“The Federal Government’s $13-million commitment to Tassie tourism is a drop in the ocean and as the peak tourist body says, this equates to less than two days of the pre-COVID revenue usually generated by this sector.
“Our state is the most heavily reliant on tourism in the country and by cutting stimulus too soon it creates an extremely uncertain outlook for household spending and leaves the economy on a knife edge.
“With 15,000 Tasmanian businesses in receipt of JobKeeper, tens of thousands of workers are now getting hit with a significant pay cut.
“The Premier must stand up for Tasmanian jobs and pressure his federal Liberal colleagues to reassess today’s cuts and find ways to continue to provide sufficient stimulus for Tasmanian businesses and their employees.
“Labor’s COVID-19 Recovery Package sets out a plan to get Tasmanians back into jobs and help those hardest-hit by the pandemic.
“We need to put Tasmanians above politics and work together to protect local jobs and keep Tasmania’s economy afloat.”
Rebecca White MP
Labor Leader
