More Liberal cuts laid bare

The Liberals are now in their 13^th year of office, and Tasmanians are paying for the waste amassed over that time through cuts to essential services.

Right to Information documents obtained by Labor show that the Department of Justice has been subject to Budget Efficiency Dividends, also known as cuts, totalling $9.3 million per annum from 2026-27, up from $2.9 million three years earlier.

The cuts include worrying reductions to Safe at Home family violence services and Legal Aid – which the department notes will “impact on the services provided to the Tasmanian community”.

The documents show that the department’s Finance Director appeared blindsided by the cuts, noting the figures were provided with the “Department having no time (to) consider what these actually mean for us”, and that the allocations appeared “arbitrary”.

The RTI also details how the Liberals’ controversial vacancy control measure is being used to cover unachieved savings, with nearly 40 prison officer roles left unfilled while Eric Abetz continues to cut the department’s budget.

A briefing note within the RTI states that "The Department delivers a number of services to the Tasmanian public across all of its outputs which will make ensuring there is no negative impact on the outcomes of frontline services very challenging,”

This is despite Treasury’s principles stating the Budget Efficiency Dividends “must not negatively impact on the outcomes of frontline services.”

After 13 years of the Liberals, Premier Jeremy Rockliff has put Eric Abetz in charge of cutting jobs and frontline services to pay for their waste, and Tasmanians are paying the price.