Only one ‘sacred cow’ in government’s privatisation plan

Every government business enterprise except Hydro Tasmania will be considered for sale as part of the government’s privatisation plan, Premier Jeremy Rockliff says.

Dean Winter Labor leader. First sitting day for the House of Assembly in the Tasmanian parliament for 2025. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Every government business enterprise except Hydro Tasmania will be considered for sale as part of the government’s privatisation plan, Premier Jeremy Rockliff has revealed.

In parliament on Wednesday, opposition and crossbench MPs accused the government of acting without consultation and without a mandate from voters — and causing unnecessary anxiety among those working in GBEs.

In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Mr Rockliff identified a number of GBEs the government might sell to create a Future Fund to offset debt, which is spiralling towards $10bn. The included the MAIB, Metro Tasmania and TasNetworks.

On Wednesday, the Premier clarified that 14 of the 15 government businesses were potential sale candidates.

“Hydro is the sacred cow [but] I’m not ruling anything in or out. Why would I?” he said.

“We will look at every single government business enterprise, examine every single GBE — whether it is best to keep in government ownership or sell that asset and invest into a Future Fund.

“Where there is competition with the private sector and the private sector can deliver better services and we can offload that asset into a Future Fund for the future, then that should be considered.”

Deputy Premier Guy Barnett with Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Rockliff said the government would maintain the services provided by government business enterprises with guarantees written into their sale contracts.

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry backed the Premier’s plan.

“Tasmania deserves nothing less than a Government with an ambitious reform agenda and that’s exactly what we saw today,” TCCI chair Wayne Davy said.

“This is without doubt the most ambitious, reform-oriented State of the State speech in over twenty years and the TCCI supports what Premier Rockliff outlined.”

During a fiery question time on Wednesday during which Speaker Michelle O’Byrne threatened to walk out if MPs didn’t behave, Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the government had not mentioned privatisations at last year’s state election.

“You have no mandate,” she said.

“There has been no conversations with Tasmanians who own our GBEs to sell off what generations of people have built up and funded.

“Your 2030, strong plan makes no mention of cutting the public sector or privatising assets and services.”

Labor’s Dean Winter used his State of the State reply to heap scorn on the government for running up record debt — and vowed to oppose privatisations.

“How will Tasmanians ever be able to trust them again when they’ve racked up $10 billion of debt?” he said.

“When the Liberals tell them their only plan for the future is higher power prices, higher car regos and higher bus fares, and selling off the businesses that pay for schools and hospitals?

“Mark my words: I am going to take you and your party apart for the financial damage you have inflicted on Tasmania.”

Mr Winter said a Labor government would axe consultants and end wasteful contracts, ban pork barrelling and get Treasury to identify and end failed programs.