But while we are rightly grateful for the benefits that have flowed from our mostly COVID-free status over the past 18 months, unfortunately, it is clear that not everyone has shared in those benefits.

And, without action to reduce the cost of living and give all Tasmanians a fair go, too many families and individuals will continue to struggle and the state's economy will suffer.

Peter Gutwein's eighth budget earlier this year provided the opportunity to turn this around and put in place the building blocks to take the economy forward whilst looking after all Tasmanians.

But once again, ordinary Tasmanians have been overlooked while the state is dragged deeper and deeper into debt, with nothing much to show for it.

Nowhere is this tragedy greater than the ongoing crisis in our health system.

The elective surgery waiting list is at record levels, up 45 per cent since the Liberals took office, the waiting list to see a specialist has more than doubled, up nearly 120 per cent, ambulance response times are the slowest in the nation and mental health care is a terrible tragedy.

And, even though we've been incredibly lucky with COVID in Tasmania, we've seen how quickly the Delta strain has taken hold in NSW and Victoria, and the government has had adequate warning to make sure our health system can cope should we have an outbreak here.

The Liberals may claim they have plans in place should COVID spread in Tasmania, but a system already straining under immense pressure is clearly going to struggle under the added stress of a major public health emergency.

It is the same story with the housing waiting list, and the state's housing crisis is pushing families to breaking point.

Over the past 20 years, rental affordability has declined in Tasmania at 10 times the national average, and rents are now the least affordable in the country.

And the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows just four public sector houses were approved to be built during August - an extraordinary sign that the Liberals are not acting urgently enough to address this crisis.

We have 4300 Tasmanian families stuck on the housing waiting list yet this government does not consider building new homes a priority.

Liberal economic management is not working for Tasmanian families and under their watch, the Australian dream of home ownership is just that - a dream.

We also have the worst education outcomes, the lowest gross state product per capita, the lowest productivity and the lowest workforce participation rate.

At the same time, wages growth has stalled, with Tasmanian wages now $11,000 below the average on the mainland. That's an average of $400 worse off every week.

Meanwhile, people's pay packets are being stretched further and further as we pay much more for essential items such as groceries, petrol, power and water.

These are basic needs that should not be out of reach to anyone.

But, for far too many Tasmanians whose incomes have not kept pace with rising costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to pay for such essential items.

Since the start of this financial year alone - that's just over three months - water bills have risen by 3.5 per cent.

I've spoken with one constituent whose water usage halved during that quarter, but their water bill remained the same.

And, the Energy Minister Guy Barnett's misleading claim that Tasmania has some of lowest power bills in the country just shows how out of touch he is.

TasCOSS represent some of the most vulnerable Tasmanians and, in a report they commissioned, they found Tasmanians have the highest power bills in the country.

This is in large part due to the increased use of power during our colder winters.

Tasmanians aren't stupid. They know their bills are too high and that they are spending a greater proportion of their income on essentials.

We cannot truly call ourselves a lucky state if thousands of Tasmanians are missing out.

All Tasmanians deserve the chance to live productive and happy lives. And all of our children deserve a positive future.

The government can't continue to ignore the rising cost of living and the impact it is having on Tasmanian families.