Labor has hit out at the state government for handing out $1 million in grants to small Tasmanian businesses.
Round two of the Enabling Small Business Grant program was snapped up within 24 hours of going live, providing funding for technology and other business upgrades.
Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said Premier Jeremy Rockliff has an “addiction to reckless spending” and claimed he’s “digging a huge debt hole” for the state.
“While small business grants are a nice idea, handing out Tasmanian taxpayer money with no plan to pay for it is a sign of a reckless government with no regard for Tasmania’s future,” Willie said.
“He needs to focus on good governance, good budget management which leads to confidence in the economy. Not throwing away taxpayers’ money in a reckless way whilst at the same time cutting the guts out of things like health and education.”
Rockliff dismissed Willie’s comments as nothing more than “a great old whinge”.
“Small business is the lifeblood of this state. It employs over 90% of those employed in Tasmania. There are 35,000 small businesses,” he said.
“These are well targeted and helpful investments to make to encourage people to grow their businesses and employ more people.”
Grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 were awarded to 122 businesses, including Pulse. The average grant was worth just over $7,900 per business.
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Michael Bailey suggested politicians spend less time arguing and more time supporting business.
“The TCCI is calling on both Labor and the Liberals to stop the silly squabbling, name-calling and finger pointing,” Bailey said.
“We expect better from our politicians and we want them to talk about solutions.”
