Privatisation push met with opposition from majority of lower house

The state’s government’s privatisation push is in danger of foundering after a majority of lower house MPs indicated their opposition to the sale of public assets.

Labor leader MP Dean Winter speaks to the media on the Hobart waterfront on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

The state’s government’s privatisation push is in danger of foundering after a majority of lower house MPs indicated their opposition to the sale of public assets.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff unveiled the plan during his State of the State address on Tuesday, saying the measure would allow him to create a Future Fund to offset soaring government debt.

He nominated the MAIB and Metro Tasmania as potential sale targets.

On Wednesday he clarified that all government business enterprises bar Hydro Tasmania were potentially up for grabs.

But the government faces an uphill battle to get the support of parliament with Labor and the Greens bitterly opposed and crossbench MPs so far unconvinced.

Labor leader Dean Winter accused the Premier of “trying to sell Tasmania’s future”.

“Labor will never, ever allow this to happen. We will fight with everything we’ve got to stop the privatisation of these assets,” he said.

“This is fire sale from Jeremy Rockliff because of his broken budget.

“Tasmanians do not deserve to have to sell the assets that they know, they love, they paid for because of Jeremy Rockliff’s budget mess.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said his government was taking a measured approach.

“In the interests of Tasmanians getting the best service delivery possible, why would you not look at all government businesses to see how they can be better value for the Tasmanian people? That body of work will be done,” he said.

“At the end of the day, there might only be two or three GBEs that we sell and invest into a Future Fund, but we have to do that work very sensibly in a calm and measured manner.”

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff and MP Tabatha Badger speak to the media on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party too was vehemently opposed to asset sales.

”It’s very, very clear and getting clearer every day and hotter in the chamber that the Labor Party, that Greens and the majority of the crossbench as we read it, do not want to have any part of privatising our GBEs.

“We will never support privatising government businesses that are there to work in the public interest.

“The Tasmanian people don’t want this. They know it’s going to be a disaster, but the Tasmanian parliament also don’t want it. So why is Jeremy Rockliff doing it?

“There’s no way that we could see that this can get past parliament.”

Independent MP Craig Garland speaks to the media on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Independent MP Craig Garland said he was reluctant to support the offloading of publicly-owned assets.

“I met with the Premier yesterday and said I’m not keen on selling any public assets,” he said.

“I said I’d wait and see what Saul Eslake comes back with.”

Independent Kristie Johnston said a selloff was “a lazy short-term option”.

“There are many reasons to oppose the sale of GBEs. A fire sale to pay for the Government’s financial mismanagement is just one,” she said.

“The sugar hit robs future generations of community assets, future revenue, and leads to increased costs and a decline in services.”

JLN MP Andrew Jenner speaks to the media on parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner said he had seen privatisation too often lead to service cuts and price rises.

“I’ve seen this before in Europe and the UK. Whenever you privatise a service, it’s the bottom dollar that counts, and not the actual customer,” he said.

“It all starts with great intentions but it just ends up in tears, because as soon as they get in, they cut the non-profitable runs — I’ve seen it with the trains in England.

“They’ve kept all the profitable ones, and who wouldn’t, but they are there to make money.”

Independent David O’Byrne said he remained sceptical about the plan.

“Well, I think the lived experience of Tasmanians and Australians and people around the world where monopoly government assets are privatised, services have diminished, the outcome is poor and the government has to come back in to fix it,” he said.

Independent MP David O'Byrne speaks to the media on parliament Lawns in Hobart on Wednesday March 5, 2025.

“There’s a reason why government own these assets. It’s because it’s because they need to be delivered appropriately to the Tasmanian people and just because you haven’t shown ministerial oversight, or you’ve got people in the job who are failing.

“It doesn’t mean you sell them.”

Originally published as Privatisation push met with opposition from majority of lower house