Liberals can't wash their hands of TasWater responsibility
Tasmanian businesses are being hit with massive TasWater price increases while Premier Rockliff and his Liberal Government refuse to take responsibility.
Across the State, businesses are being left to absorb huge increases to their TasWater charges, adding, in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars to their annual operating costs.
Yet so far, we've seen nothing but lip service from Premier Rockliff.
The Premier admitted TasWater's price increases were hurting Tasmanians and called for them to be paused in a media release, but he hasn't provided an update since.
What he neglected to mention was that his Government's representative voted to approve TasWater's corporate plan, which proposed a 40 per cent price increase alongside a 50 per cent increase in council dividends.
The Government cannot approve TasWater's plans behind closed doors and then wash its hands of the consequences when those decisions start hurting Tasmanians.
Under the Water and Sewerage Corporations Act 2012, the Tasmanian Government is a primary owner of TasWater, with significant influence over the corporation's strategic direction and planning framework.
Tasmanians expect their Government to use that influence and act in their interests.
Instead, they have a Premier asking TasWater to fix a problem his own Government helped create, and a Treasurer refusing to take greater responsibility for the Government's role as an owner.
The last thing Tasmanian families and businesses need is higher water bills and inflated housing costs.
