STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator TYRRELL (Tasmania) (13:46): In my eyes, Tasmania always comes first, but we recently found out that Tasmania has ranked dead last in the Commonwealth Bank's rankings of each state, down three places in a single year. Unemployment has jumped from 3.8 to 5.1 per cent, the biggest rise in the nation. Fewer people and businesses bought from us this year than last year, with sales down by more than three per cent.

Every other state and territory held steady or grew, so we were the only state that went backwards. Here's the difference: one government is giving to Tasmanians; the other is taking away. The Albanese Labor government has delivered an additional $705 million for Tasmania's public hospitals, bringing the Commonwealth's total funding to $5.1 billion.

We've rolled out eight Medicare urgent care clinics, with more than 200,000 free visits, taking pressure off our emergency departments. This Labor government is funding new health hubs in Burnie and Smithton, bringing care closer to home. That is a government investing in Tasmanians.

The state Liberals have cut education. They want to cut $700 million from our health system. Bowel cancer is on the rise, but you might need to wait for 1,000 days to get a screening test in Tasmania.

That just isn't good enough. These are the sectors we know create growth. They're focused on cutting jobs, not creating them.

You can't build an economy by starving it. Yet, for a billionaire, the Tasmanian chequebook opens. We recently found out that one company effectively leases the MyState Bank Arena for less than 30 grand a year, less than it costs to rent a house in Glenorchy.

One government builds hospitals and clinics; the other builds sweetheart deals and starves the economy. Tasmanians deserve better. They deserve a Labor state government.