Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Scrutiny of Government Waste Committee) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Acting Deputy President, I was actually just making some concluding remarks and I will be relevant as best I can to the bill. I appreciate the comments of Senator Stephens with regard to the importance of relevance. The GST is a very important tax which is relied on by all state and territory governments around this country. It is a growth tax, and the question is: what will Labor do with that money in Tasmania, in particular now that the Prime Minister has made his announcement in respect of the takeover of public hospitals? Some people have referred to that—and I did in this place—as a ‘hospital hoax’.

In conclusion, I want to highlight the important advocacy of Peter Gutwein, the shadow Treasurer in Tasmania. He has asked the question: which assets does the state Labor government plan to sell to ensure that they fund the massive $443.8 million commitment that they have made during this election campaign? They seem to be on a spendathon—spend, spend, spend—and the waste and mismanagement is a clear concern to Tasmanian taxpayers whether they are using GST revenues or their own tax revenues. That is definitely relevant to the legislation before us, and it is a good question. Peter Gutwein has put that question and I hope that the Tasmanian Premier tries to answer it. But what is very clear is that only one party supports fiscal discipline in Tasmania—that is, the Will Hodgman Liberal Party. That is on the record, and in terms of real change it can be delivered on 20 March when Tasmanians will have the opportunity to make a choice.

I commend the bill. I note the importance of it and I stand with the coalition in supporting it.