Dr WOODRUFF question to PREMIER, Mr ROCKLIFF
There’s a stadium-sized hole in the budget that you’re desperately trying to fill with cuts to essential services. Across the budget period, there will be a $27 million reduction in annual funding for services for children and families and youth justice. The commission of inquiry’s initiatives for foster carers, intensive family engagement and support for young people leaving care have all been cut. There’s no money to support strengthening the Integrity Commission’s ability to investigate child sexual abuse, which was a critical recommendation from the Weiss review. There are cuts to family violence intervention, to legal aid and to outpatient hospital services. The 26Ten literacy and numeracy program will be written off.
Just the government’s payment of interest on the stadium’s debt would cost at least $50 million a year. That’s enough to fund all the programs I’ve mentioned and much more. Will you finally admit that building the stadium will result in more cuts to essential services?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the honourable member for her question and the fact you will draw every bow possible when it comes to the stadium and your disagreement with it. I, however, believe it’s a very sound investment for the future of Tasmania, not only in terms of generating jobs and growing our economy – of which, can I say, according to the Business Council of Australia, we’re second when it comes to places to invest around the nation, and I believe we topped the NAB Business Confidence Survey released less than an hour ago. We want to keep that momentum so we can continue investing in the essential services that I care about and you care about. On those services, we do align.
I will check my facts, but I believe that Legal Aid is supported, more than ever before, when it comes to their investment. Our government committed $424.5 million in the 2024‑25 Budget and forward Estimates for the ongoing implementation of the commission of inquiry recommendations, including $92 million in 2025-26. This builds on funding of $55 million provided in 2023-24 prior to the acceptance of the commission of inquiry report. For 2025-26, $46 million was allocated through the initial supply bill, with further committed funding to be provided in the interim budget.
In addition, this Budget allocates $155 million to deliver the new Tasmanian Youth Justice Facility now that the site master plan and development applications are completed. This is in addition to the $50 million already allocated for the delivery of the new Youth Justice Facility in previous budgets, an additional $30.8 million to deliver a new human resource information system across government to link up employee information, which is a critical enabler to deliver the recommendations of the commission of inquiry and the Woolcott Review; an additional $2.9 million for the State Archives to digitise and make accessible files to victim-survivors, and $8.3 million over the forward Estimates for enhanced management of children and young people and the youth justice system and out-of-home care.
This is long-term reform, and it was expected that funding profiles would change – and this reflects our commitment to genuine meaningful reform. However, with our additional investments this year, the whole-of-government budget to deliver the commission of inquiry has increased from $425 million over the forwards to over $600 million. In addition, we have set aside a further $600 million to compensate victim-survivors of child sexual abuse in our institutions.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Dr WOODRUFF – A supplementary question, Speaker?
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question.
Dr WOODRUFF – Thank you, Premier, for listing those things. Despite the amounts that you listed, the fact remains that cuts to the delivery of all the services in the question will occur and you will need to find an extra $50 million a year to pay the interest. The question still is: do you agree that that will mean more services will have to be cut to find that $50 million a year?
The SPEAKER – In regard to your original question, Dr Woodruff, the end of your question was cut off because you had exceeded your one minute. I draw the Premier back to the original question, but the end of your previous question was actually after the minute you had to ask.
Dr WOODRUFF – Thank you. I think I finished with ‘it will result in more cuts,’ and I missed out ‘in essential services.’
The SPEAKER – Thank you, Premier.
Mr ROCKLIFF – You’ve asserted such matters and I reject the premise of your question. We will be investing in areas of need across all portfolio areas. For example, we have significant new and additional funding to protect community safety, support the justice correction system, and invest in rehabilitation programs, and $4 million towards the ongoing increased demand for services provided by Tasmania Legal Aid, and I thank them for their services.
