What the Tasmanian Liberals will do:

We are not satisfied with the level of return we are receiving from our Government businesses. We will establish a taskforce to report within 6 months on ways to improve efficiency and returns from all government businesses.

A key component of State sourced revenues is the returns the State Government receives from government business enterprises and state owned companies.

At a time when some Government businesses such as the electricity entities are dramatically increasing prices, this budget outlines that the returns from State Government owned businesses will decrease by more than $54 million in the 2009-10 financial year and in total by over $100 million in the three years to 2011-12 on what was originally forecast.

Furthermore the Budget is entirely silent on any initiatives to improve returns:

As the economic conditions improve, it is expected that financial returns from Government businesses will also improve, although it will be some time before income will return to the level experienced in 2008-09.
(2009-10 Budget Paper No. 1, page 4.21.)

This is not good enough.

We will establish a six member task force to assess and report on ways to improve efficiency and returns from all Government businesses.

The taskforce will comprise representatives of the Department of Treasury and Finance and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism.  It will also have eminent senior economic and management specialists with a proven track record in the private sector. The taskforce will receive an allocation of $250,000 and will receive administrative support from Treasury and Economic Development.

The taskforce will look at all Government businesses, including TasPorts and Forestry Tasmania.

Furthermore, a Hodgman Liberal Government will request that Aurora and Transend provide an extra $5.2 million in returns to Tasmanian taxpayers.