5 years ago
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE FOR HOBART CITY DEAL
THE HON ANTHONY ALBANESE MP
Tasmanians won’t be fooled by a Prime Minister announcing on the eve of an election a few sweeteners in the Hobart City Deal after five years of inaction and cuts.
Today’s announcement at Hobart Airport is the Government simply reversing a previous decision to make the airport operators pay for costs associated with becoming an international airport, such as provision of customs and Border Force services.
This was the same Liberal Government which cut Hobart Airport’s Australian Federal Police officers and even today wouldn’t fully commit to funding a permanent return of the AFP.
After five years of Macquarie Point lying dormant and disused, today’s funding is welcome. But it is too little, too late.
The last significant investment of Federal Government funding to progress this game-changing project was made by the former Federal Labor Government in 2013.
All we have seen at Macquarie Point is five years wasted.
A Labor Government will honour the elements of any signed City Deal if the money is the Budget but we will build upon it under our City Partnerships program, which will involve better consultation with communities through their local governments.
The Federal Liberals have been too distracted by chaos and division to focus on delivering for Hobart. Southern Tasmania has been left off the map under the Liberals.
They have a terrible track record of funding projects in Southern Tasmania - over promising and under delivering again and again.
Almost every major infrastructure project recently completed or underway in Greater Hobart is the result of the former Federal Labor Government’s funding commitments.
The public know they can’t trust the Federal Liberals to deliver on the Hobart City Deal for Southern Tasmania.
It will take a Shorten Labor Government to provide Tasmania with the infrastructure investment required to boost productivity and enhance Tasmanians' quality of life.
Today’s announcement at Hobart Airport is the Government simply reversing a previous decision to make the airport operators pay for costs associated with becoming an international airport, such as provision of customs and Border Force services.
This was the same Liberal Government which cut Hobart Airport’s Australian Federal Police officers and even today wouldn’t fully commit to funding a permanent return of the AFP.
After five years of Macquarie Point lying dormant and disused, today’s funding is welcome. But it is too little, too late.
The last significant investment of Federal Government funding to progress this game-changing project was made by the former Federal Labor Government in 2013.
All we have seen at Macquarie Point is five years wasted.
A Labor Government will honour the elements of any signed City Deal if the money is the Budget but we will build upon it under our City Partnerships program, which will involve better consultation with communities through their local governments.
The Federal Liberals have been too distracted by chaos and division to focus on delivering for Hobart. Southern Tasmania has been left off the map under the Liberals.
They have a terrible track record of funding projects in Southern Tasmania - over promising and under delivering again and again.
Almost every major infrastructure project recently completed or underway in Greater Hobart is the result of the former Federal Labor Government’s funding commitments.
The public know they can’t trust the Federal Liberals to deliver on the Hobart City Deal for Southern Tasmania.
It will take a Shorten Labor Government to provide Tasmania with the infrastructure investment required to boost productivity and enhance Tasmanians' quality of life.