The complete and utter
failure of the Tasmanian political class to articulate and discuss policy
options for the State has never been more apparent than with the State budget in
May and the ensuing parliamentary Estimates hearings.
After two weeks of tribal
conflict the combatants appeared together, in a mock tri-partisan display of
support for a Tassie based AFL side. Their sheepish demeanour was tacit
acknowledgement that the public is tiring of their inability to solve problems.
The Labor Party’s budget
response was predictably tightly scripted. Every wearisome contribution focused
on the State’s impending debt position.
‘At least we didn’t go into net debt’ was the gist of Labor’s position.
But that’s a red herring, a complete furphy. Former Labor Treasurer Michael
Aird when asked why the State’s unfunded superannuation liability, now $8
billion, wasn’t included in the net debt calculation, used to respond by saying
“it’s a liability, not a debt”. The current Labor leadership is continuing with
the same convenient hair-splitting approach.
