Since Jeremy Rockliff announced his privatisation plans in March to sell off all bar one of Tasmania’s Government-Business Enterprises (GBEs) and State-owned Corporations (SOCs), unions have mounted a fierce campaign to keep public ownership of our public transport, water, and utilities. Thousands of emails have hit the inboxes of Liberal Cabinet members using our campaign tool calling on them to dump these proposals.
Alongside these privatisations, Jeremy Rockliff has also embarked on a ‘jobs freeze’ in the public sector, baked in a commitment to sack at least 2,500 public sector workers in last month’s State Budget, and continues to pursue privatising public services like the Lands Titles office and the twelve (12) public beds at Tolosa Street’s mental health facility.
It is only now, under the shadow of a possible election (that they could still avoid), has Jeremy Rockliff and the Liberals announced they won’t proceed with asset sales.
“Frankly, Jeremy Rockliff saying that he won’t be proceeding with privatisation cannot be believed and, even if it could, it doesn’t go far enough,” said Unions Tasmania, Jessica Munday.
“The community, and our members, will be rightly cynical about the timing of this announcement and the commitment underpinning it given it comes as the Premier is fighting for his political life. We’ve seen this Government pursue a privatisation agenda with vigor since November 2024. For those paying closer attention, they will know that the Tasmanian Liberals have a history of privatisations (see attached Unions Tasmania submission) which includes outsourcing security in courts, outsourcing tracks maintenance in our parks, and engaging non-government workers in triaging child safety calls. This is a government – and a Premier – that deeply believes in privatisation.”
“The Premier’s announcement today also fails to address the thousands of public sector jobs that he plans to cut and the privatisations that are already underway – like Tolosa Street – but that aren’t a GBE. He must immediately announce that there will be no privatisations of any public services, an end to the jobs freeze, and that he will abandon his economy destroying plans to sack thousands of Tasmanians who deliver our vital public services.
“Whether there is an election or not, Tasmanian unions remain committed to fighting for public services, public service jobs, and the public ownership of assets and government businesses that benefit our entire community,” said Ms. Munday.
For further comment: Jessica Munday 0417 454 809
