As I have been contemplating the election outcome and seeking a new and different way of governing Tasmania, I started writing this update which seemed more appropriate to do I the form of a letter to my Independent colleagues. I sent this ‘letter’ to them yesterday and also noted I would publish it as a […]
Read More… from Post Election Update No.1 – Letter to fellow Independent Members
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, with many casting early votes, we did so without a clear picture of the single biggest infrastructure decision of our generation. Buried beneath the noise […]
As election day fast approaches we need an agreed non-partisan approach to restoring trust and addressing our challenges – where to now?
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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 small amount but nevertheless vital. What will Marinus mean to Hydro Tasmania? […]
Read More… from Election Update No 17: Hydro Tasmania and Marinus
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 than in the case of Marinus Link, a nation-shaping project with state-shaking consequences. As outlined in a June 2025 Tasmanian Community Update: Marinus Board delivers Final […]
Read More… from Election Update No 16: Marinus Decision Time: Tasmania Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong
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 a long shot. Because right now, neither major party seems to grasp the depth of the hole we’re in, let alone how to climb out […]
Read More… from If you want to get to SurplusTown, would you start from here?
There’s a slither of hope, a small shaft on sunlight trying to shine on an otherwise bleak election battleground, that when the dusts settles, the survivors – I won’t call them victors at this stage – might help to build on what we’ve learned, to build a better future. It’s only a slither of hope […]
Read More… from Election Update No 15: The pathway to surplus
The Premier released his long awaited Fiscal Strategy yesterday. If credit ratings agencies stumble on a copy we’re bound to be downgraded. It doesn’t comply with the Act. There are no targets for each of the next four years as required. Only a cut and paste of recycled motherhood statements and objectives plagiarised from Saul […]
Read More… from Election Update number 14: The Liberal Fiscal Strategy
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
