THE morning after budget day Tasmanian Treasurer Peter Gutwein must have been jumping with joy. ‘‘The Long Road Back’’ boomed the Mercury. ‘‘Peter’s Plan’’ declared this journal of record. With fingers crossed, they’d pulled it off. The budget was so inoffensive that even The Examiner’s headline punned the delightful fairy tale about the boy who never grew up. Absent were the 160-point front page descriptors that typically give treasurers stomach ulcers (and Media Watch voice over artists jobs) – Horror! Slashed! Gutted! Economic ratings agency Moody’s even came out with cautious endorsement – lauding the savings target albeit with an air of scepticism about the government’s ability to deliver them. Sure there were the pesky unions complaining about ‘‘jobs’’. Unions...shmunions...anyway the budget was about saving jobs not cutting them, so the story went. But while the budget may have been a short-term stroke of political genius that easily survived the surface analysis of the 24/7 news cycle. ..there is a flipside. The budget’s main underpinnings are largely hypothetical. The budget papers outline nearly $1 billion in savings and revenue strategies which, to put it mildly, are aspirational. There’s the $250 million in improved government business returns which may never eventuate. Then there’s the $180 million saving in the pay pause which was rejected by the Legislative Council last night. And last, but certainly not least, is the $570 million in agency spending cuts. These agency savings are yet to be realised or even detailed and will flow from so-called ‘‘efficiency reviews’’ by heads of departments. These are ticking time bombs for the government. By passing the buck to the bureaucracy the government may have dodged some political grief. But they also risk losing control of the narrative. This week’s debacle over the Smithton Magistrates Court circuit closing is a perfect example of the government getting caught out. News of the pending closure was announced by the Law Society of Tasmania, which slammed the government. The Greens and Labor soon jumped on the bandwagon hammering away at the government, which was scrambling for a response. The government finally rushed out a statement only to be caught off guard again when Circular Head mayor Daryl Quilliam flew in like Captain Justice to announce a possible solution. In other words, the government was pilloried foradecision it had outsourced and was outplayed by a regional mayor. Nature abhors a vacuum and by passing on the responsibility for budget cuts a vacuum is exactly what the government’s created.
THE morning after budget day Tasmanian Treasurer Peter Gutwein must have been jumping with joy.
‘‘The Long Road Back’’ boomed the Mercury.
‘‘Peter’s Plan’’ declared this journal of record.
With fingers crossed, they’d pulled it off.
The budget was so inoffensive that even The Examiner’s headline punned the delightful fairy tale about the boy who never grew up.
Absent were the 160-point front page descriptors that typically give treasurers stomach ulcers (and Media Watch voice over artists jobs) – Horror! Slashed! Gutted!
Economic ratings agency Moody’s even came out with cautious endorsement – lauding the savings target albeit with an air of scepticism about the government’s ability to deliver them.
Sure there were the pesky unions complaining about ‘‘jobs’’.
Unions...shmunions...anyway the budget was about saving jobs not cutting them, so the story went.
But while the budget may have been a short-term stroke of political genius that easily survived the surface analysis of the 24/7 news cycle. ..there is a flipside.
The budget’s main underpinnings are largely hypothetical.
The budget papers outline nearly $1 billion in savings and revenue strategies which, to put it mildly, are aspirational.
There’s the $250 million in improved government business returns which may never eventuate.
Then there’s the $180 million saving in the pay pause which was rejected by the Legislative Council last night.
And last, but certainly not least, is the $570 million in agency spending cuts.
These agency savings are yet to be realised or even detailed and will flow from so-called ‘‘efficiency reviews’’ by heads of departments.
These are ticking time bombs for the government.
By passing the buck to the bureaucracy the government may have dodged some political grief.
But they also risk losing control of the narrative.
This week’s debacle over the Smithton Magistrates Court circuit closing is a perfect example of the government getting caught out.
News of the pending closure was announced by the Law Society of Tasmania, which slammed the government.
The Greens and Labor soon jumped on the bandwagon hammering away at the government, which was scrambling for a response.
The government finally rushed out a statement only to be caught off guard again when Circular Head mayor Daryl Quilliam flew in like Captain Justice to announce a possible solution.
In other words, the government was pilloried foradecision it had outsourced and was outplayed by a regional mayor.
Nature abhors a vacuum and by passing on the responsibility for budget cuts a vacuum is exactly what the government’s created.
