Opinion
Ruth’s opinion pieces and editorials on political, economic, and social issues facing Tasmania.
MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Number 5
This is my 5th comment on the Marinus Whole of State Business Case - Where to now? [...]Read More... from MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Number 5
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Hybrid Budget buys time but at what cost to a State struggling with its leadership
Tasmanian needs a real budget, not a stopgap, to guide our future. The test of leadership is not how long you can delay hard decisions, but whether you have the…
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MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Number 4
This is my fourth post focu sing on the Marinus Whole of State Business Case. It is focused on risk, uncertainty, the need for subsidies and the impact on Tasmanians…
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MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC)- Number 3
This is the third post in a series of posts to break down some of the information publicly available in the heavily redacted Marinus Whole of State Business Case. This…
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MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Number 2
Over coming days I will post a number of updates breaking down some of the information provided in the publicly released (and heavily redacted) Whole of State Business Case -…
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MARINUS Stage 1 WHOLE-OF-STATE BUSINESS CASE (WoSBC) – Update 1
Over coming days I will post a number of updates breaking down some of the information provided in the publicly released (and heavily redacted) Whole of State Business Case -…
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INDEPENDENCE MATTERS Fiscal crisis demands collaboration, evidence-based solutions, and honest accounting
THERE comes a time when you have to decide: keep calling out failures from the sidelines, or step forward to help fix them. After two decades of parliamentary service, I…
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Tassie’s polls a distraction to more pressing issue the huge bills we face on Marinus Link decision
A multibillion-dollar risk to a small state under financial strain has greater benefits for the mainland than Tasmania, writes Ruth Forrest As Tasmanians headed to the polls at the weekend,…
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Election Update No 17: Hydro Tasmania and Marinus
One of the important components of own source revenue, after state taxes, are returns from government businesses. These contribute between 3 and 5 per cent of total revenue, a relatively…
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Election Update No 16: Marinus Decision Time: Tasmania Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong
As Tasmanians head to the polls and many voting early, we do so with strikingly little clarity about the future of our energy system. And nowhere is that more alarming…
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If you want to get to SurplusTown, would you start from here?
There’s a sliver of hope—just a glimmer—that when the dust settles on this election, the battered survivors might finally face up to the fiscal mess Tasmania is in. But it’s…
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Tasmania’s Pre-Election Budget Warning
Tasmania’s Treasury has just delivered what might be the most passive-aggressive pre-election financial report in State history. The Pre-Election Financial Outlook (PEFO) released in June 2025 is not only a…
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Newest Posts
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- 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?
- Interview – The Country Telegraph
- 1 July 2026: Basslink Regulation Day – and What It Really Means
- Transparency key to uncovering where the real pressures on the state’s hospital expenditure are
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- ADJOURNMENT