When Kerry Packer told a Parliamentary Committee back in 1991 that he did everything possible to ensure he paid a little tax as possible “….because as a government, I can tell you, you’re not spending it that well that we should be donating extra….” it made it even harder for governments to gain acceptance from […]
Read More… from Election Update number 13: Revenue: the taboo topic
If I’d known where the election campaign was to lead I would have titled these posts: Dispatches from the War Zone. For that’s what it has become. If one thing has become glaringly obvious since the election campaign began, it’s how totally unprepared and ill-equipped all participants are for the momentous task ahead to get […]
Read More… from Election Update number 12: Labor’s fiscal strategy and beyond
It’s official. The government will have to cobble together a new fiscal strategy by Thursday 3rd July. There was a fiscal strategy included in the proposed 25/26 Budget but those documents have now been thrown out with the rubbish. When I was writing Update number 8, I checked the Treasury website to see if the […]
Read More… from Election update number 11: PEFO what it means for the election campaign
The purpose of this update is to put the recently released Pre-Election Outlook (PEFO) report into context. What is the purpose of PEFO and why did Treasury issue it in the form it did? It is important to remember the PEFO is prepared by Treasury, not the government or the Treasurer. The current PEFO might […]
Read More… from Election update number 10: 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 warning – it’s a damning indictment of budgetary smoke and mirrors, political spin, and the kind of financial sleight of hand that would make a […]
Following the release of Treasury’s Pre Election Financial Outlook yesterday it is vital all Tasmanians understand the scale of the budget problem we have and what needs to be done. The starting point for Treasury’s Pre Election Financial Outlook (PEFO) report was the latest set of Budget figures. In this case it was the 24/25 Revised […]
Read More… from Election Update number 9: Pre Election Financial Outlook (PEFO)
This Opinion Piece is a summary of my Election Updates to date to fill a void in the mainstream media and public commentary on critical issues that should be considered and front and center of the election campaign. The Macquarie Point stadium debate is fast becoming Tasmania’s political Bermuda Triangle—swallowing scrutiny, sinking fiscal transparency, and […]
Read More… from Serious matters that must be discussed during this election
The rule of law and the strength of our institutions is what is supposed to help make us a civilised society. Developing a set of guardrails for responsible budgeting was perceived to be a missing link which was addressed by the Charter of Budget Responsibility Bill 2007. The then Premier, in his second reading speech […]
Read More… from Election Update number 8: Budget responsibility revisited
The Board of Marinus Link (MLPL) has recommended proceeding with the Marinus project and each of the three shareholders now need to make a decision before jointly convening to decide. The decision to proceed wasn’t unexpected. It would have been surprising if they had voted themselves out of a job. The Tasmanian government owns a […]
Read More… from Election update number 7: Marinus and caretaker government
Now that the major parties are on a unity ticket for the development of the Mac Point stadium there’s no incentive for them to raise peripheral issues, and anyone outside the tent who does so is jumped on by the majors as negative and misguided in what’s best for Tasmania. It is now recognised that […]
Read More… from Election update number 6: Stadium peripheral matters
So far the election campaign has seen a few high vizzes making fewer mostly forgettable promises, but as yet no attempt to tackle the big issues. One of the crucial issues going forward is raising more of our own source revenue. Distributions from government businesses is an important component. Income from government businesses suffered a […]
Read More… from Election Update Number 5: Electricity in a changing world
There is a critical need for budget honesty and transparency, writes Ruth Forrest In any democracy, clear, honest budgeting is the foundation of public trust. The Tasmanian government’s 2025-26 Budget, however, risks undermining that trust not because of what’s in the budget, but because of how key decisions are being presented or, more accurately, concealed. […]
Read More… from Obscured spending decisions undermine public trust in the budget figures
