23 September 2025
Independent Member for Murchison, Hon Ruth Forrest MLC, has today introduced the Budget Accountability and Oversight Committee Bill 2025, establishing a new Parliamentary Standing Committee to ensure greater scrutiny of Tasmania’s deteriorating finances.
“Tasmania is carrying unprecedented levels of debt with no credible pathway back to surplus,” Ms Forrest said. “Every Treasury report has warned of the scale of the problem—expenditure growth outstripping revenue, health demand unfunded, and billions in debt piling up. Yet too often, these warnings have been met with delay, denial, or cosmetic fixes.”
The new Committee will provide Parliament with a permanent framework to hold governments of any persuasion accountable for financial management and long-term fiscal sustainability.
Key functions include:
- Reviewing budget papers, forward estimates and agency finances.
- Assessing government strategies against clear fiscal targets.
- Recommending improvements to revenue stability and expenditure efficiency.
- Examining legislation that impacts public finances.
The Committee will have the authority to inform itself in any way it sees fit, including by commissioning independent advice and drawing on expert analysis. It will be able to review budget papers, agency reports, and financial strategies in detail, and set clear fiscal targets that the Treasurer must respond to in future Budgets.
Importantly, when targets are not met, the Committee will require government to explain why, and to outline corrective action. Reports will be tabled in Parliament and governments will be compelled to respond within three months—ensuring that scrutiny leads to tangible accountability rather than being left on the shelf.
“The strength of this Committee lies in its ability to shine a continuous light on government finances, backed by expert input and transparent reporting,” Ms Forrest said. “It will close the loop of accountability that is too often left dangling.”
“This Bill is not about one party or one government,” Ms Forrest said. “It is about creating an enduring safeguard—so that minority governments, majority governments, coalitions or otherwise, are held to the same standards of accountability. Tasmanians deserve honesty, discipline and transparency in the way their money is managed.”
“The truth is we cannot repair the Budget with good intentions alone. Without structural reform and continuous oversight, the problem will only deepen. This Bill provides the tools Parliament needs to insist on real action.”
Media Contact:
Hon Ruth Forrest MLC – 0419 879 524