Opinion
Ruth’s opinion pieces and editorials on political, economic, and social issues facing Tasmania.
Tasmanians Deserve the Truth
What we’ve witnessed in the Tasmanian Parliament this week is deeply disappointing — not only in tone and conduct, but in its complete failure to address the very real, urgent…
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Tasmania’s Budget of Delusion
With recent events and the budget delivered by the Liberal Government unlikely to be fully scrutinised there is a need to be aware of the reality of our fiscal position…
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Tasmania’s Budget Crisis: A Call for Urgent Action
The 2025-26 Tasmanian State Budget, which may never proceed following a successful no-confidence motion in the Premier is a stark reminder of the fiscal crisis we are facing. Despite years…
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An urgent need for truth
Admitting there’s a problem is the first stage in any recovery. The Premier hasn’t done that yet. He still says our debt is manageable. His State of the State speech…
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Delusional and deceptive update on State’s financial position
Just when you think things can’t get worse, they do. Treasurer Barnett released the 2024-25 Revised Estimates Report setting out the State government current position. The release was accompanied by…
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Sleepwalking to disaster
Few have taken any issue with the prognosis laid out by Saul Eslake in his landmark report into the State’s finances. Even fewer have modified their policy positions to reflect…
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Governance issues erode public trust
Stony Rise development saga is emblematic of broader problems, writes Ruth Forrest The saga surrounding the proposed Stony Rise shopping centre development at Devonport is emblematic of broader governance failures…
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Does the state’s ‘good bloke’ Jeremy Rockliff have what it takes to repair failing governance standards
Failures of governance are almost always intertwined with poor culture and both tend to have deep roots. Tasmania’s Premier Jeremy Rockliff is, and has been often referred to as, ‘a…
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We need to face what the budget figures have been trying to tell us for years, and it’s not good news
Time to be honest about the challenges and work together, before it’s too late. The 2024-25 Tasmanian state budget is a catastrophe. There is no plan to stop debt servicing…
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The gravity of our state’s challenges means we need to start thinking very differently
Political parties continue their misinformation campaigns rather than honestly discussing our financial problems, writes Ruth Forrest The gravity of the state’s perilous fiscal position, as forensically detailed by Saul Eslake…
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Servicing our past sins is costing more, which takes away much-needed funding from current services
Denial of budget reality is no longer an option for Tasmania. The government last week released the Preliminary Outcome Report for the 2023-24 year, revealing the latest on the state’s…
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Blame games have no place in helping deal with our state’s financial woes
The day of reckoning is looming. The report by respected economist Saul Eslake into the state of the state’s finances, a condition of Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) agreement with the…
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Newest Posts
- Parliament Misses Opportunity to Strengthen Budget Oversight as Fiscal Crisis Deepens
- Why I decided to accept the position of Treasurer if Tasmania has a Labor Minority government
- If you want to get to SurplusTown, would you start from here?
- ABC Mornings – Wisdom of the Years
- Moody’s Downgrades Tasmania’s Credit Rating to Aa3
- Tasmania’s Housing Crisis: When the Numbers Don’t Add Up
- Registration to Work with Vulnerable People Amendment Bill 2025
- MOTION – Noting Budget Papers 2025-26 and Appropriation Bills (No. 1 and No. 2)
- ABC Hobart Drive – Public Accounts Committee Interim Report