On behalf of the Tasmanian Greens, I was proud to table our 2026/27 Alternative Budget today.
After 12 years of mismanagement that has left the budget in a terrible state, the Liberals have now resorted to sweeping cuts to essential services Tasmanians rely on. These callous cuts will cause immense pain and harm, not just in the short-term but for a generation.
It didn’t have to be this way. Treasury, independent economists, and financial experts all agreed on the path that should have been followed to bring the budget back into line – making savings in operational areas, spending less on infrastructure, and increasing revenue.
As we do every year, the Greens have worked hard together to develop a fully-costed Alternative Budget. Our plan reflects what is needed to repair the budget. And crucially it does so while also restoring every dollar of cuts the Liberals have made.
We’re proud to have listened to Tasmanians and the advice of experts, and have delivered a genuine caring and sustainable alternative.
We recognise that being on a sustainable budget footing is a priority not for the sake of numbers on a page, but for the sake of securing service delivery for the years and decades to come. However, we do not believe that cutting services now to hopefully be able to deliver them later is a sound or responsible approach.
We’ve made the choices needed to ensure the budget is heading into smoother waters, while still delivering $1.5 billion in extra investment to health, education, justice, the environment, and more.
Our Alternative Budget has exposed just how cruel and unnecessary the Liberals’ budget is, and shows there is a better way forward. The Greens will fight to stop the Liberals service cuts, to scrap the stadium, to stop spending on the Liberals’ warped priorities, and to make big corporations pay their fair share.
