Tasmanian Labor has unveiled a plan to prevent infrastructure project delays and budget overruns if elected, taking aim at what the party described as the Liberal government’s poor record of delivery over the past 11 years.
The proposal would introduce new accountability measures including performance targets for department secretaries and government business CEOs, with executive bonuses banned for those who fail to deliver projects on time and on budget.
Labor leader Dean Winter said a new oversight team would be established to monitor all projects valued at over $100 million.
“A Labor Government I lead will end the massive delays and cost blowouts that have become a standard feature of Liberal government projects,” Winter said.
The opposition highlighted several major infrastructure failures under the current government, including the Spirit of Tasmania project, which is significantly behind schedule and over budget.
They also pointed to the new Tamar Bridge, Hobart light rail and the Cradle Mountain Cableway.
Winter criticised the current system that has seen executives rewarded despite project failures.
“Executives who stuff up major projects should be sacked, not given almost $200,000 in bonuses like TasPorts Executives were during the Spirits of Tasmania debacle,” she said.
The proposed oversight team would be funded by reallocating existing resources within the Department of State Growth, rather than requiring new budget allocations.
