The state election is run and won; and the budget has been delivered. Time to get back to business…
Our congratulations to the Gutwein government on their return to majority government last night. With that in hand, we’re looking forward to updates on a number of the election promises delivered over the 5 weeks or so of the election cycle. Tasmania’s continued Post-COVID recovery requires a deft hand, and an iron will. It feels like we’ve got those in place; we’re doing well, but there’s a long way to go yet. With certainty; repairs can continue.
We’re yet to form a solid opinion on the tangible value of the Federal budget for Tasmania in general, and Launceston specifically. There’s plenty of budget analysis out there for reading; we’d commend economist Saul Eslake’s analysis to you and we’ve noted a few links below …so we won’t parrot those here. Safe to say though, the devil is in the details. It’s a big-spending statement of confidence in the future of the country, and probably the budget that had to be delivered, but some of the projected deficit and debt numbers are breathtaking. It’s the second budget from this Treasurer that no longer seeks fiscal prudence and surpluses as a primary objective, instead recognising the role of Government in post-COVID economic recovery. Budget repair will have to wait awhile.
For more on the Budget, take a look at some of our Members’ budget analysis: