Michael Ferguson,Minister for Finance
Labor has reached a new low by attacking Tasmanian workers and their families, for the sake of petty politics and headline grabbing.
Labor's relentless attacks on Tasmanian businesses are recklessly damaging reputations and to now criticise workers for taking up part time work reeks of a deliberate attempt to set workers against their employers.
Labor's Michelle O'Byrne should apologise to the thousands of Tasmanians working flexible hours for suggesting their jobs are somehow of lesser value or importance.
Every one of the record 256,000 Tasmanians in work are playing their part in helping to make Tasmania's economy the strongest in Australia - something the Labor-Green Government could never deliver.
There are more Tasmanians in work than ever before, with 21,100 more jobs created since we came to office, and 1,600 new businesses, providing new employment opportunities.
Tasmanians have not forgotten that under the former Labor-Green Government, 10,000 Tasmanians lost their jobs, the state-wide unemployment rate at one point hit a whopping 8.6 per cent and our state was driven into recession.
Nor have they forgotten that when Labor ran out of money, Michelle O'Byrne sacked a nurse a day for nine months, and David O'Byrne sacked 108 Police Officers, all signed off by Rebecca White who was a member of Labor's Budget razor gang.
Under the Labor-Green government, business confidence hit absolute rock-bottom, investment dried up and Tasmanians left our state in droves.
The figures Ms O'Byrne is quoting are people who wouldn't have had jobs at all under a Labor-Green government.
Shame on Labor for undermining Tasmanian businesses and those who have a job and the families supported by these businesses and jobs.
We will continue to deliver our plan to grow the economy and create even more jobs for Tasmanians.
