Legislative Council, Wednesday 3 December 2025 The video recording of this speech can be viewed on the Parliamentary website at the link below (click on the Broadcast tab, and start at the 1:02 mark) If you are viewing this on a mobile device, you will need to click on the three dots on the right […]
Read More… from State Policies and Projects (Macquarie Point Precinct) Order 2025
Media Release – 4 November 2025 Member for Murchison, Hon Ruth Forrest MLC expressed her disappointment by rejection of accountability reforms despite widespread concern over State’s finances A Bill to establish enhanced parliamentary oversight of Tasmania’s deteriorating budget position has failed to secure support, despite members publicly expressing deep concern about the State’s unprecedented debt […]
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 […]
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?
This final chapter looks to the future and the challenges we must be open and honest about. It looks to the future of our incredibly important government business, Hydro Tasmania and the State of Tasmania. it focuses on the critical period we are facing and what we as Tasmanians need to ensure the longevity of […]
Read More… from Chapter 18: Conclusion – A Century of Hydro, and the Next One
This penultimate chapter is a longer post that focuses on the path forward with a particular focus on the next five years of transition. It is a critically important period for the state and for our energy businesses, especially Hydro Tasmania. This follows the previous chapters that have sought to explain how Hydro Tasmania actually […]
This chapter will consider what is at stake for the fiscal future of Tasmania – when we consider the current energy sector and how it has and will operate into the future and the state’s reliance on Hydro Tasmania to provide significant financial support to the State budget. I thank John Lawrence for his assistance […]
This post examines the Tasmanian Government’s and Hydro Tasmania’s governance environment – the Whole of State Business Case (WoSBC) redactions, the opaque annual report, the refusal to disclose basic financial information, and the public repetition of myths about the National Electricity Market (NEM) – and shows how these patterns have eroded transparency at a time […]
If there is one constant in Tasmania’s energy debate, it is the persistence of myths. Some are harmless misunderstandings. Others are repeated so often – by ministers, departmental officials, and even Hydro’s own leadership – that they have become part of the public consciousness. But when you examine how the National Electricity Market actually works, […]
Read More… from Chapter 14 – Myths, Misconceptions, and Convenient Narratives
This is the thirteenth post in a series of 18. I will continue to post daily, or thereabouts until all posted. The posts are related to how Hydro Tasmania actually earns money, how the National Electricity Market shapes its fortunes, and why the numbers in its accounts now matter more than at any time in […]
Read More… from Chapter 13: What the Numbers Reveal – Hydro Tasmania’s Financial Position in Full
This twelfth post continues a series of four Chapters 10-13, related to the financial position of Hydro Tasmania with a focus on the Hydro’s cash flow. This is critical to understand the changes in the energy sector and how Hydro Tasmania actually earned money in the past, present and future, how the National Electricity Market […]
Read More… from Chapter 12: Hydro Tasmania – Cash Flow -The Final Test of Hydro’s Financial Strength
Balancing the Budget well – nigh impossible in future, given falling revenue from Government Businesses. Tasmania enters 2026 facing not only a general government fiscal crisis, but a system-wide deterioration across the entire Public Non-Financial Corporation (PNFC) sector. For decades, government businesses quietly stabilised the State’s finances. Dividends and income tax equivalents consistently exceeded grants […]
Read More… from OPINION: Tasmania’s Fiscal Reckoning: The Critical Priorities for 2026
This is the eleventh post is the second of four related to the financial position of Hydro Tasmania with a focus on the balance sheet. All eighteen chapters are related to how Hydro Tasmania actually earns money, how the National Electricity Market shapes its fortunes, and why the numbers in its accounts now matter more […]
Read More… from Chapter 11: Hydro Tasmania – The Balance Sheet – What Hydro Really Owns and Owes
This post begins a series related to the financial position of Hydro Tasmania with a focus in this post on its underlying profit. This series of 18 chapters outlines how Hydro Tasmania actually earns money, how the National Electricity Market shapes its fortunes, and why the numbers in its accounts now matter more than at […]
This is the last of the foundation Chapters describing a little discussed but nevertheless important part of the NEM system – the role of Frequency Control Ancillary Services to Hydro Tasmania and its revenues. Tomorrow’s post will use the prior information and knowledge to have a meaningful look at Hydro’s Profit and Loss statement. Chapters […]
Read More… from Chapter 9: FCAS – Useful, Modest, and Now Mostly Contractual
This eighth post provides information on the new Renewable Electricity Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme and what is means for Hydro Tasmania. This is a quite complex (some may say nerdish) area and included to try and provide some background and context to the posts that follow related to the key issue – what all […]
