Ferguson accuses feds of ‘dudding’ Tasmania when it comes to funding local projects
Treasurer Michael Ferguson has launched a blistering attack on the federal government — accusing it of “dudding” Tasmania by not funding more local projects.
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Treasurer Michael Ferguson has launched a blistering attack on the federal government — accusing it of “dudding” Tasmania by not funding more local projects.
Stepping up the escalating war of words with Canberra, Mr Ferguson called on the federal government to fund more local projects.
On Friday, Housing Minister Felix Ellis accused the federal government of short-changing Tasmania on housing, a claim hotly rejected by his federal counterpart Julie Collins.
Mr Ferguson returned to the theme on Tuesday.
“They’ve got to stop dudding Tasmania,” he said.
“We do want to see the Australian government actually stumping up and delivering on the things that we have put forward that are ready for federal money, like the LGH master plan, like the Federal Court in Burnie, like the Greater Southeast Irrigation Scheme.
“They completely ignored them in the recent budget.
“One can only hope – although it’s a cynical hope — that they do plan to commit to them at the upcoming federal election but the Australian Labor Party have got to stop dudding Tasmania and sending Tasmanians the bill for their own responsibilities.”
The federal government will make payments totalling $5.5bln to Tasmania in 2023/24 — around 3.1 per cent of federal revenue. The state is home to 2.1 per cent of the national population.
Federal payments rise to $5.8bln in 2024/25 and $5.9bln in 2025/26.
Mr Ferguson said the federal government should also step in and pick up the tab for the University of Tasmania’s proposed STEM Centre.
“We would like to see the Australian government actually start to look after Tasmania’s interest stop dudding Tasmania start investing in Tasmania,” he said.
“Tertiary Education is squarely a federal responsibility but we will do everything that we can as a state to encourage and support and nurture the goals of the University of Tasmania.
Labor’s Josh Willie on Tuesday said Mr Ferguson was preparing to hand down a horror state budget.
“I don’t believe anything the Liberal Party says about the state’s finances,” he said.
“They have completely wrecked the budget.
“We’ve got record deficit and debt not much to show for it apart from public services at breaking point, an economy that’s flatlining and Tasmanians leaving in droves so I won’t be lectured to by Treasurer Ferguson about the state’s finances.
Mr Ferguson rejected the commentary.
“Labor are just all grizzle. They lost the election, the Tasmanian people elected a Liberal government and they’ve supported our plan.”
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