Shadow Treasurer Rob Lucas said today Liberal Leader Iain Evans had announced the establishment of a Waste Watch Committee to target Rann Government waste over the next four years.
“Mr Rann and Mr Foley have had $2.3 billion more to spend this year than the former Liberal Government had in its last year and yet no-one can see $2.3 billion worth of improvements in hospital, school and police services,” Mr Lucas said.
“The simple answer as to what has happened to this $2.3 billion is that the Rann Government has wasted most of the increased revenue it has collected from GST and property taxes.”
Some of the many examples of Rann Government waste are:
• $100 million extra for opening rather than fixed bridges in Mr Foley’s electorate
• $31 million on tramline extension to North Terrace
• 9000 extra public servants – only about 1500 of which are doctors, nurses, teachers and police
• massive cost blowouts of hundreds of millions of dollars in capital works projects such as road works and hospital redevelopments.
• big increases in government advertising costs
• concealing details of millions being spent on consultancies by reclassifying them as contractors.
• big increases in government ‘spin doctors’ and Ministerial staff
The Waste Watch Committee will also be working with all Shadow Ministers to identify areas of low priority spending for a Liberal Government in preparation for policy development and costing for the next election.
Other members of the Waste Watch Committee will be Martin Hamilton-Smith, Stephen Griffiths and Mark Goldsworthy.