The Greens have unveiled their “alternative budget” for Tasmania, which they say would invest heavily in building more homes, tackling climate change, hiring more health staff and providing cost-of-living relief.
“This might sound ambitious, but it’s totally possible if we stop the stadium, make big corporations pay their fair share and end the huge subsidies to native forest logging and the racing industries,” leader Rosalie Woodruff said.
“It’s time the Liberals got their priorities straight and started focusing on the things Tasmanians actually need, not a billion dollar stadium.”
“The level of social disadvantage and real suffering among the majority of Tasmanians is hard to comprehend.”
On housing, the Greens propose a $1 billion investment over four years to build 1,000 new homes annually and $40 million for youth-specific accommodation.
“This is the scale of investment that housing insecurity, poverty and homelessness in Tasmania demands,” Woodruff said.
“This is where we should be spending our money to support a construction jobs pathway for the future instead of frittering it on the money hole of a billion dollar stadium.”
In healthcare, the Greens’ budget would increase the number of nurses and midwives by 480 over the next four years, invest in 24/7 radiology and pathology services at the Launceston General Hospital, expand allied health training and provide funding for small rural hospitals to give them teleconference facilities.
“Instead of prioritising public money on a stadium, our budget includes the extra $50 million that’s needed to fund the Royal ED that the Liberals initially promised,” Woodruff said.
On climate change, the Greens would invest in mitigation measures by ending native forest logging and supporting carbon reduction and storage initiatives.
It would also fund 30 additional rapid response firefighters to combat bushfires in remote areas and provide grants to local councils for developing micro-local emergency information networks.
“We’d pay for our plan by ending native forest logging and winding up the loss-making Forestry Tasmania, taking back $72 million over the forward estimates,” Woodruff said.
“We’d set a tax on developer windfalls on the profits of rezoning land, a 1% vacant property tax and we’d scrap the developer handouts of the Liberals.”
The Greens would also halve car registration fees for those struggling, make public transport free, abolish public school levies and lower power bills by investing in solar, house insulation and double glazed windows.
“All of this is possible. It’s just about your priorities,” Woodruff said.
“The Greens would make the big end of town pay their fair share of restoring the casino tax rate, increased rents and licence fees for big salmon. And, just like Saul Eslake recommended, we’d increase mining royalties by 40%.”
“We’d cut funding to the cruel racing industry, saving Tasmanians more than $40 million a year. We’d abandon Minister Ellis’ controversial youth strike force.”
“The Greens would bin the Liberals’ land tax reduction, the defence advocate and … bin the Coordinator-General’s office as well.”
“And not only would we expand our reserves, we’d protect our wild places by scrapping the Liberals’ cable car trojan horse for kunanyi, the Cradle Mountain experience and the trashing of Tarkine coast by 4WD vehicles.”
“We’d reduce spending on roads and pay for our hospital and housing infrastructure.”
“And, of course, we would scrap the more than billion dollar Macquarie Point stadium, a Liberal vanity project, an ode to the AFL and a millstone around the necks of a generation of Tasmanians.”
