[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_ABS Figures Shows Labor Squandered Economic Good Times_N McKim MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

LABOR SQUANDERED GOOD ECONOMIC TIMES

As ABS Stats Show More Households Reliant on Government Financial
Assistance

Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader

Monday, 24 August 2009
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today responded to the latest ABS figures that show
that there was a statewide increase from 31.5 per cent to 34.1 per cent
in the percentage of Tasmanian households reliant upon Government
Pensions and Allowances as their primary source of income over the
period from 2005-06 to 2007-08, as a shocking indictment on the Labor
government's inability to ensure that all Tasmanians benefited from the
good economic times.

Greens Leader and Treasury spokesperson Nick McKim MP said that these
figures highlight the urgent need for the Bartlett government to detail
a State Economic Recovery Strategy to ensure that the current economic
downturn does not further disadvantage Tasmanians doing it tough.

Mr McKim also said that there was a worrying trend in the figures that
show a growing divide between the State's urban centres and regional
areas with the latter experiencing almost a 3 percent increase in
government assistance reliance from 35.3 per cent to 38.1 per cent of
all households.

"Cost of living continues to soar under Labor, and Tasmania needs a
strategy to assist people, not just more rhetoric," Mr McKim said.

"11 years of hard Labor has seen the good economic times squandered as
highlighted by these disturbing statistics which reveal that before the
Global Financial Crisis hit there has been an increase of Tasmanians
reliant upon government pensions an allowances as their primary source
of income, and that the divide between urban and regional areas was
widening."

"There must be a State Strategic Economic Recovery Plan from Premier
Bartlett and Treasurer Aird that details how they intend to ensure that
the current economic downturn is not allowed to widen the economic
divide between Tasmanians."

"By squandering the economic good times, Labor has put Tasmania into
this mess, but it does not seem like we can rely on them to get us out."




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