Libs and Labor clash has $100 dining vouchers scheme suspended due to election

The state government has condemned Labor after the suspension of a $100 hospitality voucher scheme because of the snap state election.

Minister for Hospitality and Small Business Jane Howlett and Sylvie owner/chef Martin Dreyer at Sylvie in Hobart on Sunday, June 22, 2025.

The state government has condemned Labor after the suspension of a $100 hospitality voucher scheme because of the snap state election.

Successful applicants for the $10m Eat Local Stay Local campaign were to have found out this week.

Instead, it has been put on hold pending the outcome of the election.

Minister for Minister for Hospitality and Small Business Jane Howlett said Labor did not support the scheme, which she said was “a vital family cost-of-living measure”.

“Now that we’re in caretaker mode, these vouchers will not be occurring,” she said.

“If a Liberal government is re-elected in a few weeks time, we’ll reinstate those vouchers straight away.

“We know that Dean Winter does not support small business. He does not back businesses in around Tasmania.”

Martin Dreyer owns popular Hobart restaurant Sylvie. He said the vouchers would have provided a welcome boost to winter trading.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty and especially now in Tasmania there’s even more uncertainty regarding this new election and just the economic situation makes it very hard for people to justify spending and going out,” he said.

“It definitely would have gotten people in, and it would have definitely made a difference, just in terms of getting patrons in.

“I’m not a very political person, but I can definitely tell, just judging from the number of bookings we get, that it’s definitely dropped off following the announcement.

“There’s definitely a lot of uncertainty and I don’t think that’s good for anyone.

Labor leader Dean Winter said it was a bit rich to portray the scheme as tackling the cost of living.

“The tourism voucher scheme was never about cost-of-living, it was about the Liberals trying to make amends for catastrophically stuffing up the Spirits,” he said.

“When they finally admitted the Spirits would be six years delayed, the Liberals tried to solve the problem by spending $10m of taxpayers’ money on dinner vouchers — during a budget crisis.

“No responsible government would ever do this.

“Let me be clear: Labor won’t just delay the vouchers, we will scrap them. It is reckless spending our state cannot afford and is part of the $500m in savings Labor has already identified to start fixing the budget.”

Originally published as Libs and Labor clash has $100 dining vouchers scheme suspended due to election