Labor slams $100k bridge launch party, while govt says it’s on budget
At a time when the Rockliff government has placed privatisation on the table, Labor claims they’re throwing a $100k party to open the Bridgewater Bridge. The government breaks down the spend.
Politics
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A $100,000 party to launch the Bridgewater Bridge is a waste of taxpayers’ money at a time of budget crisis, Labor says.
Parliament has heard the grand opening of the bridge around the middle of the year will include live music, face painting and the opportunity for the public to walk over the bridge span before it opens for traffic.
The opposition pointed to a tender awarded by the Department of State Growth to Launceston company EventSphere in January for “event management Services to the Principal for the opening of the new Bridgewater Bridge”.
The contract value is stated on the government tenders website as being $99,500.
Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said the spending was extravagant.
“Premier Rockliff’s $100,000 Bridgewater Bridge opening party is a perfect example of why Tasmania’s budget is completely blown on his watch,” he said.
“The Premier has wrecked the budget so badly that he’s flogging off Tasmania’s assets to pay his credit card bill and cutting 2,500 workers from the public service.
“But at the same he’s implementing a blanket hiring freeze across the public service, he’s dishing out $100,000 to an event planner to hold an opening party for the Bridgewater Bridge, which is $200m over budget and a year late.
“This kind of waste is clearly a bridge too far. What a slap in the face to Tasmanians.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the bulk of the money allocated for the opening would go towards a “free community thank you celebration”.
Just $30,000 had been set aside for the official opening, he said.
“The additional $70,000 will largely go towards a free community thank-you celebration in Bridgewater to be held immediately prior to opening the bridge, targeted at the communities surrounding the project that have been impacted by our works for the past five years. There has been significant disruption.
“Where possible, goods and services will be sourced locally from the communities that we have been working in, and this includes things such as food, live music, security, face painting, children’s games, AV equipment, shuttle buses to take people onto the bridge, marquees, and advertising.”
A government spokeswoman said a Launceston-based event planning business has been given $24,500.
“Mr Willie’s claim that the [Bridgewater Bridge] project is over budget is false,” she added.
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