Latest Updates from Ruth
Ruth Forrest was born in Burnie and raised in Riana. A lifelong North West Coaster, she worked as a nurse and midwife before entering the Tasmanian Legislative Council in 2005. She lives in Wynyard and represents the electorate of Murchison, which includes the communities of Circular Head, Waratah-Wynyard, the West Coast, King Island and much of Burnie.
Hydro Tasmania: What the Numbers Show – A multi-chapter analysis of operating performance, liquidity, structural risks, and public myths.
Now that Chapter 18 has been posted, the Hydro Explainer series has reached the end of its journey – at least for now. My thanks to everyone who has stayed…
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Chapter 18: Conclusion – A Century of Hydro, and the Next One
This final chapter looks to the future and the challenges we must be open and honest about. It looks to the future of our incredibly important government business, Hydro Tasmania…
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Chapter 17: The Path Forward
This penultimate chapter is a longer post that focuses on the path forward with a particular focus on the next five years of transition. It is a critically important period…
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Chapter 16: The Fiscal Stakes for Tasmania
This chapter will consider what is at stake for the fiscal future of Tasmania – when we consider the current energy sector and how it has and will operate into…
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Chapter 15 – Governance, Secrecy, and the WoSBC: Tasmania’s Architecture of Unaccountability
This post examines the Tasmanian Government’s and Hydro Tasmania’s governance environment – the Whole of State Business Case (WoSBC) redactions, the opaque annual report, the refusal to disclose basic financial…
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Chapter 14 – Myths, Misconceptions, and Convenient Narratives
If there is one constant in Tasmania’s energy debate, it is the persistence of myths. Some are harmless misunderstandings. Others are repeated so often – by ministers, departmental officials, and…
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Chapter 13: What the Numbers Reveal – Hydro Tasmania’s Financial Position in Full
This is the thirteenth post in a series of 18. I will continue to post daily, or thereabouts until all posted. The posts are related to how Hydro Tasmania actually…
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Chapter 12: Hydro Tasmania – Cash Flow -The Final Test of Hydro’s Financial Strength
This twelfth post continues a series of four Chapters 10-13, related to the financial position of Hydro Tasmania with a focus on the Hydro’s cash flow. This is critical to…
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OPINION: Tasmania’s Fiscal Reckoning: The Critical Priorities for 2026
Balancing the Budget well – nigh impossible in future, given falling revenue from Government Businesses. Tasmania enters 2026 facing not only a general government fiscal crisis, but a system-wide deterioration…
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