You can’t trust Dave’s dodgy infrastructure figures

Michael Ferguson,Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

Either David O’Byrne is deliberately and maliciously lying, or he simply does not understand infrastructure investment in Tasmania.

In an effort to cover up his appalling track record as a former failed Labor Economic Development Minister, he instead uncovered a massive increase in infrastructure spending under the Hodgman majority Liberal Government.

Department of Finance and Treasury figures show that infrastructure investment has increased from $288.9 million in the last full year of the former Labor-Green Government to $676.2 million in 2018-19.

That represents an increase of more than 230 per cent in just six years under the Hodgman majority Liberal Government.

David O’Byrne needs to take a good hard look in the mirror and start telling some home truths.

And he should start by explaining why, as Labor’s former failed Infrastructure Minister, in 2012-13, he allowed an underspend of 34 per cent in infrastructure such as roads and bridges across Tasmania.

While David O’Byrne underspent his infrastructure budget by $148 million in 2012-13, he now has the temerity to claim there is less being spent this year on infrastructure than last year.

That’s the record. They are the facts.

You simply cannot trust Labor with the facts and to build the infrastructure our growing State needs.

/Public Release. View in full here.