Latest news with #Victorian
The Advertiser
7 minutes ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
Opposition pledges billion-dollar 'budget crisis' fix
Tasmania's alternative government says it will immediately save the state $1 billion if it wins next month's snap election. Having cited poor budget management when driving through a successful no-confidence motion against the government, Opposition Leader Dean Winter unveiled his repair plan on Saturday. The Labor plan is designed to immediately find $1 billion in savings, while it also commits, in government, to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Figures released by treasury on Wednesday forecast a worse financial position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget. Treasury predicted net debt would reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. Mr Winter said the "crippling" debt had put Tasmania into a budget crisis and required a change of leadership to fix. "Tasmania has gone from having the strongest balance sheet of any state or territory when the Liberals were first elected in 2014 (and have) taken Tasmania to be almost bankrupt," he said. "The size and scope of the problem is enormous. The Liberals and Jeremy Rockliff have been warned about this by treasury for at least four years, and they've done nothing about it." Labor plans to establish a debt reduction fund, audit the capital investment program and ensure public assets are not privatised to ensure revenue streams among other ideas. They also would establish an internal jobs market in the public service, designed to stop the growth of the workforce. "If we create more mobility in the public service, we'll get a public service that's more agile, it's about reorganising and re-prioritising and stopping the jobs growth, which is unsustainable," Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said. Liberal Treasurer Guy Barnett said the budget plan was "one giant con" because $171.5 million worth of cuts to capital works did not specify which projects. The government accused Labor of wanting to sell the state's stake in the Marinus Link that would allow Tasmania and its hydropower to become the nation's battery. "Dean Winter wants to sell a stake in Marinus (but) we are not going to … give effectively more control and more power of our power to the Victorian premier," Mr Rockliff said. The Liberals have pledged measures to cut spending in the public service but abandoned potential state asset sales as a means of paying down debt. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in majority. Tasmania heads to the polls on July 19. Tasmania's alternative government says it will immediately save the state $1 billion if it wins next month's snap election. Having cited poor budget management when driving through a successful no-confidence motion against the government, Opposition Leader Dean Winter unveiled his repair plan on Saturday. The Labor plan is designed to immediately find $1 billion in savings, while it also commits, in government, to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Figures released by treasury on Wednesday forecast a worse financial position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget. Treasury predicted net debt would reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. Mr Winter said the "crippling" debt had put Tasmania into a budget crisis and required a change of leadership to fix. "Tasmania has gone from having the strongest balance sheet of any state or territory when the Liberals were first elected in 2014 (and have) taken Tasmania to be almost bankrupt," he said. "The size and scope of the problem is enormous. The Liberals and Jeremy Rockliff have been warned about this by treasury for at least four years, and they've done nothing about it." Labor plans to establish a debt reduction fund, audit the capital investment program and ensure public assets are not privatised to ensure revenue streams among other ideas. They also would establish an internal jobs market in the public service, designed to stop the growth of the workforce. "If we create more mobility in the public service, we'll get a public service that's more agile, it's about reorganising and re-prioritising and stopping the jobs growth, which is unsustainable," Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said. Liberal Treasurer Guy Barnett said the budget plan was "one giant con" because $171.5 million worth of cuts to capital works did not specify which projects. The government accused Labor of wanting to sell the state's stake in the Marinus Link that would allow Tasmania and its hydropower to become the nation's battery. "Dean Winter wants to sell a stake in Marinus (but) we are not going to … give effectively more control and more power of our power to the Victorian premier," Mr Rockliff said. The Liberals have pledged measures to cut spending in the public service but abandoned potential state asset sales as a means of paying down debt. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in majority. Tasmania heads to the polls on July 19. Tasmania's alternative government says it will immediately save the state $1 billion if it wins next month's snap election. Having cited poor budget management when driving through a successful no-confidence motion against the government, Opposition Leader Dean Winter unveiled his repair plan on Saturday. The Labor plan is designed to immediately find $1 billion in savings, while it also commits, in government, to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Figures released by treasury on Wednesday forecast a worse financial position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget. Treasury predicted net debt would reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. Mr Winter said the "crippling" debt had put Tasmania into a budget crisis and required a change of leadership to fix. "Tasmania has gone from having the strongest balance sheet of any state or territory when the Liberals were first elected in 2014 (and have) taken Tasmania to be almost bankrupt," he said. "The size and scope of the problem is enormous. The Liberals and Jeremy Rockliff have been warned about this by treasury for at least four years, and they've done nothing about it." Labor plans to establish a debt reduction fund, audit the capital investment program and ensure public assets are not privatised to ensure revenue streams among other ideas. They also would establish an internal jobs market in the public service, designed to stop the growth of the workforce. "If we create more mobility in the public service, we'll get a public service that's more agile, it's about reorganising and re-prioritising and stopping the jobs growth, which is unsustainable," Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said. Liberal Treasurer Guy Barnett said the budget plan was "one giant con" because $171.5 million worth of cuts to capital works did not specify which projects. The government accused Labor of wanting to sell the state's stake in the Marinus Link that would allow Tasmania and its hydropower to become the nation's battery. "Dean Winter wants to sell a stake in Marinus (but) we are not going to … give effectively more control and more power of our power to the Victorian premier," Mr Rockliff said. The Liberals have pledged measures to cut spending in the public service but abandoned potential state asset sales as a means of paying down debt. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in majority. Tasmania heads to the polls on July 19. Tasmania's alternative government says it will immediately save the state $1 billion if it wins next month's snap election. Having cited poor budget management when driving through a successful no-confidence motion against the government, Opposition Leader Dean Winter unveiled his repair plan on Saturday. The Labor plan is designed to immediately find $1 billion in savings, while it also commits, in government, to put any windfall tax revenue gains towards debt reduction. Figures released by treasury on Wednesday forecast a worse financial position than estimated in the May 2025/26 state budget. Treasury predicted net debt would reach $13 billion in 2027/28, above the budget forecast of $10.2 billion. Mr Winter said the "crippling" debt had put Tasmania into a budget crisis and required a change of leadership to fix. "Tasmania has gone from having the strongest balance sheet of any state or territory when the Liberals were first elected in 2014 (and have) taken Tasmania to be almost bankrupt," he said. "The size and scope of the problem is enormous. The Liberals and Jeremy Rockliff have been warned about this by treasury for at least four years, and they've done nothing about it." Labor plans to establish a debt reduction fund, audit the capital investment program and ensure public assets are not privatised to ensure revenue streams among other ideas. They also would establish an internal jobs market in the public service, designed to stop the growth of the workforce. "If we create more mobility in the public service, we'll get a public service that's more agile, it's about reorganising and re-prioritising and stopping the jobs growth, which is unsustainable," Shadow Treasurer Josh Willie said. Liberal Treasurer Guy Barnett said the budget plan was "one giant con" because $171.5 million worth of cuts to capital works did not specify which projects. The government accused Labor of wanting to sell the state's stake in the Marinus Link that would allow Tasmania and its hydropower to become the nation's battery. "Dean Winter wants to sell a stake in Marinus (but) we are not going to … give effectively more control and more power of our power to the Victorian premier," Mr Rockliff said. The Liberals have pledged measures to cut spending in the public service but abandoned potential state asset sales as a means of paying down debt. The Liberals (14 seats) and Labor (10) face an uphill battle to reach the 18-seat mark required to govern in majority. Tasmania heads to the polls on July 19.
Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Nightmare 'smelly' village where locals clog toilets so sewage doesn't bubble up
One resident in a nightmare Devon village has had condoms wash up in her garden as furious locals live with sewage and foul smells all while battling against plans for more homes in the area People living in one countryside village have claimed they are forced to live with a constant stench and have been urged to stuff duvets down the toilet to stop sewage bubbling up. Parish councillors in the village of Feniton in Devon have launched a scathing attack on plans to build a new housing development as they warn the village's crumbling infrastructure can't take any more. The controversial plans for up to 60 new homes, submitted by South West Strategic Developments Ltd, have led to sharp criticism from Feniton Parish Council. Chairman Martyn Smith said the proposals fly in the face of concerns over the village's sewer and traffic chaos. He said: 'We've got sewage coming up in people's toilets, it's bubbling out onto the roads — and there were even condoms hanging over the edge of a pipe discharging into a flood alleviation ditch. That's how bad it is.' The village, he told DevonLive, has been battling speculative development for over a decade. A 2014 public inquiry, dubbed a 'super-inquiry', saw multiple large-scale housing proposals refused by a planning inspector who deemed Feniton an 'unsustainable location'. 'Since then, we've tried to rebuild some normality,' said Martyn. 'But even the one small scheme that was approved — 34 houses — ended in disaster. The builder went bust, the homes were left half-finished, and the site turned into a rat-infested eyesore for years.' The council's strongest objections now centre on the overloaded Victorian sewage system, which they say was never upgraded to cope with the rapid housebuilding around the station. The main treatment facility — known as the Feniton sewage treatment works but located at Buckerell — is one of the worst polluters on the River Otter, councillors say. ' South West Water have admitted they've had 14 reports of sewage backing up,' said Martyn. 'But we believe it's more than that. Residents are being told to shove old duvets down the toilet to stop sewage coming back up. That's not a solution — it's madness.' Cllr Chris Wilkins, who lives in the Burlands, an area already affected by the issue, said the situation was often dire during heavy rain. 'The lady at number one has had sewage, condoms — all sorts — come up in her garden. She has to knock on doors begging neighbours not to flush their loos. And of course, the smell is horrendous.' Cllr Pam Rink added simply: 'It smells all the time. Even when it hasn't rained. With any more building, it just isn't going to cope.' According to councillors, the problem has reached far beyond homes and into the environment. A flood alleviation scheme — intended to help with surface water — is now reportedly receiving sewage too. 'There's a pipe pouring foul water into the stream,' Martyn said. 'We saw condoms hanging off it. South West Water say it's not their fault — they claim someone's illegally connected into the surface drain. But that's just deflection. They don't want to take responsibility.' He described meetings with senior South West Water officials — arranged by local MP Richard Foord — as fruitless. 'They might as well be MPs themselves, the way they dodged every question. We asked what they'd done about the sewage being reported repeatedly. They admitted the reports but gave no answers. Nothing.' The council said the water company had even blamed agricultural run-off for pollution in the River Otter. 'That's utter nonsense,' Martyn added. 'They've no evidence. It's just Teflon-coated spin.' Beyond sewage, traffic and transport were also major sticking points. Green Lane — where the proposed development would connect — was described as 'incredibly narrow', with two tight railway bridges and a single-lane bottleneck into the old village. 'You can only get one car down there,' Martyn said. 'When you reach the bottom, it's a blind junction and you just edge out hoping no one's coming. Add another 100 cars — because the average is 1.6 cars per household here — and it's going to be a nightmare.' Cllr Wilkins agreed: 'It's not just cars — it's delivery vans, Amazon drivers, everything. The roads can't take it.' While the council has accepted that some future development may be necessary, it insists the Burlands Mead area — already approved for 35 new homes — was always seen as the most viable location. But even that has now exposed critical infrastructure weaknesses. 'There's no school space. The train only stops every two hours. The bus to Ottery runs once a day. And all the shops, GPs and services are outside the village,' said Martyn. 'People move here for the rural setting, not because it's well connected.' In a statement, South West Water said: 'We recognise the concerns raised by Feniton residents and parish councillors and have met with them to discuss these issues in detail. 'We have investigated reports of sewage problems in the village and carried out maintenance to address blockages. 'We continue to work closely with local authorities and developers to ensure the sewerage system can support future housing, with infrastructure improvements planned as required. We remain committed to protecting the environment and supporting the Feniton community.' SWSD said: 'The application has made in line with the draft allocation of the emerging East Devon Local Plan. South West Water is a consultee in this process and have raised no objections to the proposals. They outline that improvements are already being progressed to address the community concerns around the existing systems and increase its capacity.'
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Human remains found in search for missing Sunbury man, male suspect arrested by police
A man has been arrested after human remains were discovered in relation to the disappearance of a Victorian man. Sunbury man Joshua Bishop, 23, had been missing for a month after last being seen by his housemates about 9.30pm on May 27. He was reported missing two days later. On Saturday, police executed a search warrant at a home in Erinbank Crescent in Westmeadows where they found human remains. The human remains have not yet been identified but police believe they may belong to Mr Bishop. Detectives arrested a 27-year-old man at the scene and he is expected to face questioning on the remains. The Missing Persons Squad is leading the investigation, which remains ongoing. Anyone who has information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Human remains found in search for missing Melbourne man
Police have found human remains in the search for Joshua Bishop, a Victorian man who has been missing for a month.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Human remains found in search for missing Melbourne man
Police have found human remains in the search for Joshua Bishop, a Victorian man who has been missing for a month.
