White takes a stand for Tassie’s battlers

LABOR leader Rebecca White has lashed what she called the government's failure to tackle runaway costof-living rises affecting ordinary Tasmanians.

In her budget response delivered in state parliament on Tuesday, Ms White said the government had delivered a budget that did little to help battlers.

She said rents and housing costs were soaring. power bills were the second-highest in the country, and car registration, petrol, childcare, parking, phone and internet bills were all hitting household budgets.

“Not once did the Premier mention the phrase ‘cost of living’,” Ms White said.

“No mention of ‘families’ or ‘renters’ – the people struggling most with the cost of living.

“Not once did he talk about the ‘wages’ that aren’t keeping pace with rising living costs.

“He clearly didn’t want to talk about ‘salmon’ or ‘mining’, two Tasmanian industries under increasing pressure on this government’s watch.

“And only once did he use the phrase ‘economic management’, when he was trying to claim it was a success. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The Labor leader said the rising cost of living hit harder in Tasmania than interstate because of relatively low wages.

“Tasmanian wages are now more than $11,000 below the average on the mainland. That’s more than $400 less in every pay for Tasmanian workers,” she said.

“But we pay more for fuel. More for housing. Higher council rates than anywhere

except Surfers Paradise. People’s pay packets are being stretched further and further.”

Ms White’s speech did not set out any new policies but she backed the state’s salmon, forestry and mining industries, at one point comparing the Bob Brown Foundation to British conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher, because the group wanted to close mines.

And she took aim at the government's budgetary management.

“There was $200m in the bank when this government

came to office,” Ms White said.

“Now debt is forecast to spiral to record levels – $3.5bn by 2025.

“Over the next four years we’ll be spending more than $300m servicing this debt.

“That’s money that could employ 3000 teachers to help get our schools up to the national standard.

“It could pay for 3000 nurses to help fix our broken health system.

“It could double the budget for the Parks and Wildlife Service. But instead it’ll be going on interest payments.”