Tyrrell secures GST exemption for stadium money

Senator Tammy Tyrrell, Independent Senator for Tasmania, has secured an exemption for $240m in federal funding for Macquarie Point from Tasmania’s GST allocation.

“Tassie’s state budget will be $220m better off because of this. That's how much of a hit Dean Winter said Tasmania's schools, hospitals, roads and energy bills would be taking if I hadn't managed to carve-out the stadium money from our GST distribution."

“Politicians of every colour have banged on about how terrible this funding deal was for Tassie. State Labor whined, State Liberals pouted, federal MPs and senators tut-tutted how dreadful it all was but it took an independent Senator to get it done. That's the value of someone who doesn't have to worry about pleasing a party room and is here only for Tasmania.

“Tasmanians shouldn’t be punished for a stadium they didn’t ask for in the first place by receiving less money for essential services. Less GST meant less money for hospitals, less money for education and less money for roads.

“When I was a single mum, everything I owned - from furniture to baby clothes and nappies - was from garage sales and ads in the paper. When you don’t have a lot, you learn how to stretch every single cent to cover the must-haves. The Macquarie Point stadium isn't a must-have in the state budget. And if we’ve got to have one, it’s important to me that Tasmanians aren’t losing out on essentials because of it.”