Federal Labor has officially given up on Tasmania with confirmation the Federal Government will not make the Macquarie Point Urban Renewal Precinct exempt from the GST calculations in a shocking rejection from Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
After more than 12 months of leaving Tasmanians in limbo, Dr Chalmers has finally given us clarity which we simply do not accept and will challenge.
The Prime Minister must now explain to Tasmanians why he's allowed his Queensland Treasurer to grant the Olympic Games infrastructure in his home town of Brisbane an exemption but has not given Tasmania equal treatment. It was the Prime Minister himself who drew that comparison between our project and Brisbane's.
It's also clear that Brian Mitchell, Julie Collins and the Tasmanian Labor Senators have completely failed to have influence in Canberra – on roads funding, on irrigation funding, on health funding and now on GST.
Dr Chalmers still has an opportunity to overturn this cowardly decision. We will be seeking a discussion with the Federal Liberal Opposition Leader regarding future election commitments to Tasmania.
