There comes a time when life changing decisions need to be made.
Do I continue as I have, drawing attention as best as I am able, to the shortcomings of government policies from both sides of the political fence, or do I, if the chance arose, accept a role where I may have greater input into decisions needed to rescue our precious State before it is irreparably damaged.
For these reasons and after serious consideration and a keen awareness of the task ahead, I chose the latter to be part of the solution.
When Opposition Leader Dean Winter met with me on Friday August 8th he offered me the position of Treasurer should the Governor ask him to form a new government, I accepted, on the proviso I would remain as an independent member of parliament.
This was important to me, not only because I highly value my independence, but it was also an acknowledgement that progress will be more likely if we surrender some of our tribal ways. Of course, as a member of cabinet I will respect cabinet confidentiality, cabinet solidarity and the principles of collective decision-making.
I believe that urgent action is needed to address the budget challenges facing the State to ensure the delivery of sustainable and effective government services including health, education, justice, public safety, etc. Whilst the challenge is considerable and will take time and hard work, if I am appointed Treasurer, I am committed to taking an honest, constructive, transparent and collaborative approach to find solutions that are evidence based, fully costed and risks and subsequent possible negative and/or positive impacts considered.
When I referred above to ‘policies from both sides of the political fence’ I deliberately used a cliché about a line that supposedly divides us. That line should not exist. It’s part of the false narrative that the adversarial system encourages – timewasting and socially destructive – where interest groups face each other like armed gangs and the greater good is forgotten.
There is no place, and no longer any time, for such adversarial games. The appointment of an ideological warrior as the new Treasurer was the decider for me. This is not the occasion for another good vs evil battle where the starting point is invariably all problems are caused by Labor or the Greens or often both acting as part of a grand conspiracy. This is the time for someone with a deep and nuanced understanding of the fiscal challenges, who has worked hard to understand the reality and who has broad respect across the parliament to undertake this role. At the risk of forsaking any future claims to modesty, I believe I am best suited to that task. That’s why I agreed to take on the position of Treasurer should Mr Winter get the nod from the Governor.
I have a strong track record of working collaboratively in the role of Chair of several Parliamentary Committees, including Joint House Committees such as the Joint Standing Committee on Public Accounts. I have had years of experience scrutinising Treasury matters, government businesses and budgets, and raising public understanding of public policy matters via parliamentary debates and public media comments.
I was mildly optimistic when the previous minority government agreed with crossbenchers to arrange for an independent look at the State’s finances (the Eslake Review, completed August 2024) we had turned the corner with a new cross party collaborative approach.
The optimism was ill founded. The government’s response to the Eslake Review was borderline patronising. A “thought provoking commentary” sums it up. The cost of Covid and compensation for the survivors of sexual abuse in state institutions were largely to blame rather than deep seated structural flaws.
The government’s response contained the patently false assertion “that its Fiscal Strategy, together with the pre-existing legislative framework in which the Government’s responsibilities in relation to the State’s finances are prescribed, sufficiently provide the Government with the flexibility, control and responsiveness required to adequately manage the State Finances”.
The government essentially said everything was under control, and the crossbenchers who initiated the Review were left with nowhere to go. It was a jaw dropping lesson for many of us.
At the time the Government’s Fiscal Strategy contained eleven targets, ten of which were unlikely to be achieved. Ever. The remaining one, that infrastructure spending exceeds the rate of depreciation of existing assets, in other words, so we don’t go backwards, is such a low-ball target, as an achievement it ranks alongside getting out of bed every morning. High-fives aren’t warranted.
At roughly the same time as the government responded to Saul Eslake, it released its Revised Estimates Report for the 2024/25 year. Additional funds were included to cover the blow out in health outlays for the remainder of the 24/25 year but weren’t extended into the forward estimates period. The bogus reason given was difficulties in estimating likely outlays. The net effect was to understate the future cash deficits and the level of borrowings required. Little wonder the Treasurer responsible has now been moved.
Responsibility for egregious omissions however must be shared as all members of cabinet are supposed to bring a switched-on awareness to the table when reports are considered. Perhaps the Revised Estimates Report wasn’t brought to cabinet? Perhaps it was like the AFL deal, signed without treasury or cabinet approval. What about the Marinus deal? We know the government didn’t circulate the business case for public consultation before a decision was made. Everything in the business case suggests if Treasury was specifically asked whether it approved the deal, the answer would have been NO. Did cabinet discuss the matter or was it just another case of a ministerial signature being the only thing needed.
How many other surprises are lurking? I keep hearing of others. In any event the culture that have allowed these matters to fester and secrecy to prevail, needs a complete overhaul.
The wilful omission of future health spending totalling at least $1 billion from the 24/25 Revised Estimates Report had a knock-on effect. When it came time for Treasury to prepare a Pre-Election Outlook Report (PEFO) it had to go back to actual figures as at June 2024 and prepare its own projections as it couldn’t rely on the later figures in the Revised Estimates Report because of the significant omissions. Treasury projections led to net debt for the general government (excluding government businesses) which Treasury Secretary Gary Swain reportedly described in a recent briefing to House of Assembly independents as trebling over three years at an alarming rate to $13 billion, and that it was “mathematically impossible” to “grow our way out of this pain”. The proposition that growth will solve our fiscal position has always been the default argument in favour of spending on mega projects even when there was little evidence in support.
If the mathematical impossibility was clear in August 2025, it would have been known by the government much earlier, like in February 2025 when the Revised Estimates Report was fabricated. Which suggests the government claim they had discovered a sensible pathway to surplus, a position they maintained all the way through the election campaign and which no doubt would have contributed to some of the vote it received, was based on a lie. This is completely unacceptable and needs to change. Quickly.
Crossbenchers all have firsthand experiences, as I have, dealing with the current government. None wish to see a repeat of the charade and wasted opportunities of the past sixteen months.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained is something that guides me. My only concern is that for the next 1-2 years of this incredibly hard work that needs to be done, I may not also be able to devote my full energies to my Murchison electors who have supported me unwaveringly over the past 20 years and have encouraged me, mostly anyway, to pursue my broader passion for implementing sound public policy. I will still be their voice and be in and around the electorate as much as possible if this opportunity becomes reality and my office will continue to provide dedicated service to my community and constituents.
Reality is not something that can be locked away with a ‘Please Don’t Disturb’ sign on the door. There’ll come a time when it needs to be set free, along with fellow inmates Truth and Transparency.
That time has now arrived. With the Governors approval under a minority government lead by Dean Winter and working collaboratively with all Independent and Green Members, as Treasurer for Tasmania I commit to being honest and transparent in all matters whilst respecting the need for confidentiality where required as I have done with my role on the Public Accounts Committee as well as other committees. I would welcome the engagement and collaboration of the Liberal party in this important task as the views of all need to be heard and part of the solutions as we move forward.
Desperate times call for a bold response.
That’s why I decided to hopefully take on the role of Treasurer, to chart a better and more sustainable way forward for our cherished State.