Will Hodgman

A majority Hodgman Liberal Government will focus on providing Tasmanians with the essentials they expect and deserve – health, education and public safety - and we will do so by making cuts to luxuries we now cannot afford.

Because Labor and the Greens have wrecked the budget, delivering frontline services and supporting frontline jobs must always be our top priorities. 

The Ten Days on the Island Festival costs taxpayers $1.25 million each year. In the current climate, Tasmania cannot afford it.

Funding in future for Ten Days on the Island will be halved in the Liberal Alternative Budget. Next year’s festival will be the last under the current arrangement.

While we strongly support the arts, this Festival has now been running for over a decade, and we believe that it’s time it became more self-sustaining.

I am confident it could continue into the future, but less dependent on government funds.

Contrary to media reports, I do not have any issues with any previous events at the Ten Days on the Island Festival.

The real issue is that Labor and the Greens have wrecked the Budget and we need to prioritise the frontline over luxuries. We can't continue to fund Ten Days to the same level that we have in the past.

My challenge to Lara Giddings in Thursday’s budget is for her to follow our lead, and put frontline services and jobs first.