Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
When you first announced plans to build a billion‑dollar stadium, you batted off claims that it would negatively impact investment in health, housing and other essential services. You said you could walk and chew gum at the same time. Since then you have announced a job-freeze, job and service cuts, and a plan to sell off Tasmanian assets.
You tried to walk and chew gum at the same time and have clearly tripped and choked. Your counterpart, the leader of the so-called opposition, is as bad, willing to support the stadium without articulating how Labor would manage that without your plan to decimate the public service and state assets. Do you really think it is a job of a government to gut essential services to fund a $1.2 billion gift to the AFL?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, we will not be gutting essential services; that is what you did in 2011. We have learned our lesson there. When I say ‘our’ – the Tasmanian people learnt their lesson there. It is not what we will be doing, in actual fact. We are going to continue investing in our health services, and the budget will clearly demonstrate a continued investment in health services and provide very clear detail about where that investment will lie.
Since March 2014, the number of nurses employed in our health system has increased by nearly 52 per cent. We are still recruiting nurses and doctors. The number of doctors has also increased by more than 60 per cent. The number of ambulance operatives have also increased some 86 per cent.
Since April last year, we have put on 2675 healthcare workers. As we have said a number of times, health makes up 32 per cent of the budget across government, and with $12.9 billion over the forward estimates and around $8.8 million a day.
We will continue to invest in health services and investing in our schools, investing in our hospitals, investing in community, keeping our community safe. This is a very tired scare campaign from the Greens. Yes, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. I do not characterise the stadia infrastructure as you have characterised it. This is infrastructure for Tasmania. It is intergenerational infrastructure for Tasmanians, of which Tasmanians will benefit from.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Dr WOODRUFF – A supplementary question, Speaker?
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question.
Dr WOODRUFF – The Premier said that he will not be gutting services. Can he please confirm then that you will be abandoning your job-freeze and you will be abandoning the job and service cuts that you have announced recently?
The SPEAKER – Thank you. It does arise from the answer the Premier gave.
Mr ROCKLIFF – As we have said many times: we have invested in recent years to ensure that we are building infrastructure to provide for a growing economy. We are investing in services considerably and community services organisations when it comes to the pandemic, as you expect us to do. That is upwards of around $2 billion dollars
Dr WOODRUFF – Point of order, Speaker, Standing Order 45, relevance. I asked the question quite simply: will he be abandoning the commitments that he has made to freeze jobs and to cut jobs and services? Not about the things that are increasing.
The SPEAKER – The Premier is addressing the question. It might not be the answer that you are wanting to hear, but at this stage the Premier is addressing the question. Premier.
Mr ROCKLIFF – I have clearly said as outlined in the State of the State Address.
The SPEAKER – The Premier’s time for answering the question has expired.
