The Treasurer, Michael Aird, today challenged the Liberals to reveal how they would manage additional funding to Tasmania outlined in the Commonwealth’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook for 2009-10.
“They have also already spent this increased GST revenue many times over on their completely unfunded policies.
“There are more than 60 policies on the Opposition Leader’s website and it is time they outlined how they would be funded.
“Mr Hodgman made a big deal back at Budget time that the Liberals were turning over a new leaf and would seek to have all policies funded.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth.
“A hand-full of policies were purported to be funded but the vast majority of policies on his website remain completely un-costed and unfunded.
“He has no capacity what-so-ever to fund his election policies without sending Tasmania back into debt or to increase taxes such as land tax.
“Mr Hodgman should come clean with the Tasmanian community and only have on his website those policies which he has actually costed and knows that he can fund.
“Mr Gutwein is a willing accomplice to this fraud.
“One day he claims the government hasn’t funded a vital new initiative and the next he’s happy for his leader to announce completely unfunded new election promises.
“He just doesn’t understand or he is purposely being hypocritical for his own political gain.
“The Liberals have clearly shown they are not ready to manage Tasmania’s finances.”
