Michael Ferguson,Minister for Finance
Shane Broad's first Budget as Shadow Treasurer has already been a spectacular failure with a series of blundering radio interviews shredding any credibility he might have had on financial management.
On ABC Radio last night, Dr Broad was asked how Labor would do things differently, and he confirmed that Labor has absolutely no alternative plan.
Presenter: …what would you cut in the way of spending or how would you increase revenue?
Shane Broad: So we've had the Budget since one o'clock in the lock-up. So it's a bit early to say that. (ABC Radio Drive, 26/8/21)
And today on the Tasmania Talks radio program, Dr Broad demonstrated he had no knowledge of previous Budgets either, when he stated that there should be record spending "every year in health".
Under this Liberal Government, that has been the case, every year – unlike under Labor and the Greens who sacked a nurse a day for nine months and closed entire hospital wards.
After holding the Shadow Treasurer role for only a matter of weeks, Labor leader Rebecca White was keen to offload it to Dr Broad, and now we know why: it was a hospital handpass, while Ms White hasn't said a word.
Dr Broad and the Labor team might have spent the first hundred days since the election in a factional brawl, but that is simply no excuse for not doing the work required to be a credible opposition – given this year's Budget papers are all readily available online
After 2,722 days in Opposition, Labor has failed to deliver a properly costed and funded alternative Budget.
If Dr Broad wants to be regain any credibility, he must today commit to providing Tasmanians with Labor's alternative in Parliament next week – despite the fact we'll all know it will only be something he's cobbled up over the weekend.
