Government must explain sewer delay

The Tasmanian Liberal Government must explain why it is cheering from the sidelines on a critical infrastructure project it has neglected and left stalled for over a decade.

Today’s sudden enthusiasm for the Launceston Sewer Transformation would be laughable if it wasn't so serious. 

The Liberals first proposed this project in 2015. 

Infrastructure Australia told the government over a decade ago that the next step was to complete a detailed business case, but it looks like the Liberals simply never did the work.

Now, instead of delivering, they are outsourcing advocacy to the TCCI, pretending to "fight tooth and nail" for a project they left sitting on a shelf to gather dust.

This isn't a strategy, it’s an admission of failure.

If this project is the "significant economic multiplier" the Acting Premier claims it is, why has the government blocked Launceston’s growth for 11 years? Every year this business case was ignored is a year that Tasmanian families waited for new homes, local workers missed out on well-paid jobs, and the northern economy was left stuck in neutral.

The Liberals don’t need another press release, they need to explain why they spent 11 years failing to deliver the vital civic infrastructure Northern Tasmania deserves.