The Tasmanian government will hand down a stripped-back “interim budget” in November after political turmoil left just two months, instead of the usual six, to prepare spending plans.
The shortened timeframe stemmed from former Labor leader Dean Winter’s no-confidence motion in the last parliament, which raised concerns about the state of the budget.
The subsequent early election added to the delays in the budget process.
The interim budget will keep essential services running until a full budget is delivered in May, Treasurer Eric Abetz said.
“It will not be the same budget presented to parliament earlier this year and not all previously committed funding will be included,” he said.
“Budget repair measures already underway will continue, including the productivity and efficiency measures along with the state service non-essential hiring freeze.”
The government has set up a multi-party consultation panel in what appears to be an effort to rebuild parliamentary relationships after the recent instability.
Abetz said further repair measures would be developed for next year’s full budget, but gave no detail on what they might involve.
“The truncated timeframe to prepare this year’s budget means that additional budget repair measures will be worked through as we develop next year’s budget,” he said.
