Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Environment, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Last night's budget was quite the let down from my home state. Sadly, Tasmania as a state is going to be much worse off, as indeed, are the people that live there. Tasmanians as individuals, as families, as business operators—they're all going to be worse off despite the glib, throw-away lines that you might hear from the government about what's on offer and how they might notionally benefit from what they served up last night.

We've had time to go through the budget papers and look at what the Australian Labor Party, now in government, have delivered for our state. I have to say, it was quite interesting reading. That catchcry that no one would be left behind formed the centrepiece of what they, as an opposition heading into an election, were saying. It was very big in the October budget and it formed part of the narrative around the budget that they delivered last night. There were a multitude of promises made to that effect, and we've canvassed a couple of those earlier today in our previous debate. For the first time since the election, we have had a member of the Australian Labor Party in this parliament say the number '275'. That promise was made 97 times before the election to drop household power bills by $275 a year but was uttered not once since. We had our first reference to it today, courtesy of Senator Ayres from New South Wales. I'm grateful—I'm going to be snipping that Hansard because it is important to show them that they haven't abandoned that promise altogether. I look forward to holding them to account on that.

What we've had since those promises were made does not match up at all with the promises that were made—quite the opposite, in fact. This is where I come to Tasmania. The budget delivered last night, that one that was supposed to ensure that no one was left behind, fails so many fronts. Tasmanians are let down every way they turn. On the inflationary impact of their handout for power prices—they've done nothing to reduce power prices. Instead, they're using that finite resource we have, taxpayers' money, to offset the power prices they promised to bring down. That's an indication of failure, and it will have an inflationary impact.

In Tasmania, we also know that regional communities in particular are crying out for permanent full-time GP services. Many communities, particularly throughout the electorate of Lyons—which covers most of central Tasmania and the east coast—want permanent full-time primary health care through general practice clinics. It's something they've been calling out for, and it's something their local member, the Labor member for Lyons, Mr Brian Mitchell, knows about. But do you know what? He didn't deliver on that last night. He did nothing for his electorate when it came to the provision of these services. One comes to mind, and that is the GP service in the Central Highlands. I see Senator Tyrrell, a proud Tasmanian, nodding her head. She acknowledges and knows what the Labor government needs to do to support that community that has been crying out for this service. But the opportunity came, and it was lost. The opportunity was missed. Mr Mitchell has failed his electorate by not guaranteeing the provision of these services, and I bet you we will hear nothing from him into the future about what he will do there. It should be his central focus, but it is not.

I want to turn to roads. Roads are an important part of our economy. They're also lifesaving. Good roads mean better road safety outcomes. Tasmania has one of the worst road death tolls in the nation, if not, the worst, in recent times. The Australian Labor Party, which says that no-one will be left behind, are leaving the state of Tasmania way behind on terrible substandard roads. Road projects have been scrapped. A claim was made yesterday in question time by the Leader of the Government in the Senate that nothing has been cancelled. They're pretty rubbery words when you consider they've basically pushed all these projects and the funding required for them off into the never-never. That's a problem. They won't be funded. These roads will not be built. Tasmanians miss out.

You only have to go as far as Tasmania's peak road user body, the RACT, who today, in a press release, expressed concern about the significant reduction in road funding to Tasmania in last night's federal budget. This is not some Liberal Party talking head; this is the RACT, which represents its road users in Tasmania. I quote the CEO, Mark Mugnaioni, who says:

It's extremely concerning that there is a reduction of nearly $350 million in federal funding to Tasmanian land transport infrastructure.

We're a small state, but that's a fair lick of cash they're taking out. So no-one's going to be left behind. Oh, hang on, unless perhaps you're in the state of Tasmania. He goes on to say:

Now is not the time to cut investment in our road network given Tasmania has the highest road toll of any Australian state. We need more investment, not less.

But that well-connected Australian government with hardworking local members like Mr Mitchell missed that call and have taken funding out of it. Finally, Mr Mugnaioni says:

We are calling on the Federal Government to urgently explain what road upgrades will be delayed, deferred or cancelled as a result.

Again, I expect there will be a deafening silence because they won't want to talk about it, much in the same way they didn't want to talk about their broken promise on power prices, for example. Shameful. But I will tell you something that is of interest. The centrepiece of our budget, and I ask senators to remember that—