Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it is shameful, member for Bass. It is shameful that you are ripping that money out. It is shameful that you are ripping hundreds of millions of dollars out of the state of Tasmania and you are not being honest with the Tasmanian people about what you are doing.

Government members interjecting—

They keep talking about the state government. Yes, the state government and the state have some challenges. But they are the new federal government and instead of investing in Tasmania they are ripping money out. Regarding this economic development plan, I have had a look at the funding for this. They are putting in $2 million in the current financial year. They are ripping out hundreds of millions of dollars and putting in $2 million. That is it: $2 million in the current financial year from their economic development plan.

What else have we heard about their economic development plan? The one-stop shop: I hate to tell them but it already exists. The state government already has one. It is called the Economic Diversification Task. It already works with major projects and proponents to actually invest in Tasmania. It already exits. Your wage subsidy? It already exists—$5,900. It is called Wage Connect. It is already there. We have had no comment from the other side about how many Tasmanians they expect to employ with their wage subsidy or whether it is in addition to the former government's subsidy or is instead of it—because, of course, it is much lower.

Who would know what is going to happen? Who would know the new government is not being honest with the Tasmanian people about its plans? The economic diversification plan does not actually detail what it is going to do—as I said, only $2 million is committed in the current financial year, ripping out hundreds of millions of dollars in road funding, freight funding, rail funding, crime prevention funding, school funding and the SchoolKids Bonus.

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