Image: parliament.tas.gov
The Tasmanian Government is to audit its public businesses and services as it eyes privatisation to reduce debt without raising taxes.
A specialist unit will audit all government programs to target waste and inefficiency, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff posted on Twitter (X) on Wednesday, March 5.
“If we find waste and inefficiency, it will be dealt with,” he posted.
“A comprehensive audit will assess every government program; if a program is not delivering with your taxpayer dollars or isn’t a priority for Tasmania, we’ll redirect the funds to where they’re most needed.”
The Efficiency and Productivity Unit (EPU) will report directly to the Premier and Treasurer, treasurer Guy Barnett says.
“We must ensure that every dollar spent is value for taxpayer money and we are not wasting resources on things that are not the priority,” he said.
“This unit will enable us to structure government more efficiently by better managing the capabilities and capacity of the workforce.
“By refocusing the state service on the areas that Tasmanians deem a priority, we will deliver service improvements for all Tasmanians in the areas they care about — like health, education, and child safety — without the need for additional spending.
Rockliff had earlier posted that his government will be “stripping back” as many licensing regulations “as we can get our hands on”.
“We will require that for every new law and regulation that gets proposed, one gets removed,” the premier says.
“We’ll be setting aside time in parliament to remove old laws that are outdated and unnecessary.”
PARLIAMENT ADDRESS
In his address to state parliament on Tuesday, March 4, Rockliff vowed to embark on the largest ever shake-up of government business enterprises (GBEs) and state corporations.
“We are investing record amounts in health, education and police on the beat but Tasmanians deserve a bureaucracy that is fit for purpose,” he said.
Tasmanian economist Saul Eslake will review all government business enterprises except for Hydro Tasmania, Rockliff says.
And he says the revenue from any “changes in ownership” (privatisation) will be invested into a future fund to allow them to clear their debt while not raising taxes.
“It will work in much the same way as an offset account on your home loan, paying down debt whilst investing for the future,” he says of the fund.
He detailed five main strategies:
- Reduce the number of business licences;
- Cut red tape via a portal for Tasmanians to report their experiences;
- Cut unnecessary legislation by dedicating parliamentary sitting days for removing legislation and requiring ministers and regulators to remove regulations for every new one they create;
- Audit Government programs and state service resources; and
- Privatise government entities and services.
The Tasmanian government’s revised estimates report, released last month, shows net debt is expected to reach almost $10 billion by 2027-28.
“This is an administration founded on a belief that wherever possible government should not compete with an efficient private sector,” Rockliff said in his address.
“Why should the government own businesses when there is not an overwhelming public benefit in doing so?”
