Rotten apple isle

the right to water is a human right, but so is the right to food, so do these people also insist on all food production being the preserve of government?

Furthermore, there is no evidence that government providers of water do it better than the private sector.

The warnings last week from Messrs Eslake, Eccleston and Bayley were not made lightly. This is a trio of sober, rational contributors to the economic debate in Tasmania and they are independent of the political process. That is why they ought to be heeded by Ms Giddings and Will Hodgman, the Opposition Leader.

When it comes to the forthcoming State Budget and the Opposition reply, one should measure the

Privatisation of government entities in Tasmania is a must when it comes to economic reform.

sincerity and policy quality by the extent to which serious restructuring of the Tasmanian economy is the focus. By this, one does not mean empty words such as ‘‘cutting waste’’ or getting rid of a few senior public servants. That is not reform.

Anything short of school closures, hospital rationalisation, privatisation and an end to the cargo-cult mentality of handouts for business, football teams, arts festivals and other forms of bread and circuses, means that neither the ALP nor the Liberal Party has economic credentials worth taking seriously.

Greg Barns is a Hobart-based human rights lawyer and campaign director for the Wikileaks Party.