The last time Premier Will Hodgman spoke at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event, he was still Leader of the Opposition.
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Now, four years later, he has delivered a pre-election keynote address at a CEDA conference in Hobart, attempting to win the hearts and minds of the state’s business sector all over again.
In his speech, Mr Hodgman reflected on his first term in office and outlined his vision for Tasmania’s future should he secure a second term.
“Tasmania has come a long way in the last four years or so,” he said.
“It hasn’t happened by accident.
“It is the result of strong financial management and disciplined implementation of our fiscal strategy, which we designed to improve public sector efficiency, constrain government expenditure and maintain tax competitiveness.”
Mr Hodgman was on message as he reminded the room of the perceived perils of minority government.
“The upcoming election will be a very important choice,” he said.
“Because it will determine the future direction of our state. As they say, if you change the government, it will change the direction of our state.
“My pitch will be: If you’re happy with the way the state’s heading and you want to see a continued, stable majority government, then you’ll need to vote Liberal.”
A vote for anyone else, Mr Hodgman claimed, would “inevitably” result in a minority government.
The Premier said the budget was “in good shape”, which, he said, would allow the Liberals to further invest in essential services like health and education.
He confirmed that, for the first time in Tasmania’s history, the state sector – which includes government departments and agencies, as well as government business enterprises and state-owned entities – was debt-free.
Mr Hodgman also revealed that the sector had recorded an $811 million surplus.
But Labor finance spokesman Scott Bacon said the state’s economic performance could largely be attributed to the $730 million cash transfer from the Commonwealth government for the Mersey Community Hospital.
“The Liberals’ boasting about being great fiscal managers is a myth,” he said.
“Government business enterprises are still in debt and the government has done nothing to address the unfunded superannuation liability.”