Tasmania's New Era: Opportunities & Challenges

0:00In Sydney today, March 3, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliffe used his recent state-of-the-state speech to declare new era of opportunity for the state. He highlighted big wins, like securing the McCory Point Stadium and Tasmania Devils teams for Australian football league men's and women's competitions. Other successes included the Marina's Link Undersea power connector and upgrades to the research ship Nguyenna's Hobart Base. In the troubled spirit of Tasmania fairies got praise, with the new ships due to arrive this year. The premiere announced the major shake-up by replacing the Department of State Growth with a new agency called Building Tasmania. He claims this will save a quarter of a billion dollars a year and speed up infrastructure projects. This comes as the government touts past achievements to build momentum while downplaying a growing debt problem until later in the speech. Reactions have been mixed. These leaders from the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce cheered the move, calling the old department a confusing giant that was hard to deal with.

1:02But workers in the department feel shocked and scared, facing 250 job cuts after years of changes. The state's debt is a looming crisis, with Treasury warning net debt could balloon from $4 billion to over $129 billion. Without action. Economists push for spending cuts and new revenue, but the premiere insists the upcoming May budget will have no new or higher taxes. Meanwhile, more tough decisions lie ahead, including plans to trim over 2,000 public service jobs and possibly cut pensions for high earning. Retires Opposition parties say the speech lacked the clear agenda, accusing the government of running out of steam as budget repairs dominate the year. We'd like to thank our sponsor for making this episode possible. Your bedtime ritual just got better. Built in sound, built in comfort, S-O-L-L-I-SoliPillo.com