On behalf of the Tasmanian Greens, today I am confirming that we have no confidence in the Deputy Premier and Treasurer Michael Ferguson.
As members of the crossbench in a minority Parliament we understand our important role in maintaining stability. At the same time we also have a fundamental responsibility to hold ministers to account when circumstances demand it.
Over the past few months, we have seen the Opposition ask dozens of questions about the Spirits of Tasmania in Parliament. The information they have gradually extracted from the government has demonstrated a monumental mess, all overseen by this Minister.
There is no doubt both TT Line and TasPorts have played a role in this fiasco, but ultimately the buck stops with Michael Ferguson. He is the one that has overseen arguably the biggest infrastructure stuff up in Tasmania’s history. He has refused to be transparent with Parliament, and failed to take responsibility for his role in this saga.
This array of stuff ups has cost the state of Tasmania dearly. As a result, the budget has taken a huge hit, and there will be real negative impacts on local businesses. These facts alone demonstrate a major ministerial failure.
Without extensive questioning in Parliament, Tasmanians would still be in the dark about many of the issues facing the Spirits of Tasmania project. There is no justification for such a lack of transparency, and the Minister has offered no explanation for it.
A significant part of why we have no confidence in this Minister is because of his refusal to acknowledge his own role in the mess. Even on the day he resigned from the infrastructure portfolio he refused to accept any fault, saying he was only taking the step to avoid “distractions”. Ever since, he has continued to point fingers elsewhere, and shown an astonishing lack of contrition.
When you sign up to be Minister, you get the title, you get the big salary, and you get the chauffeured car. But you also sign up for responsibility. And when you fail as Michael Ferguson has done, there must be consequences.
Given the serious issues with this project, the Minister’s lack of transparency, and his refusal to take responsibility, the Greens have no confidence in Michael Ferguson as a Minister of the Crown.
