This coming week, the Liberal Government will hand down its first budget, targeting a return to surplus in 6 years.
On the budget settings of the former Labor-Green government, a surplus would not be achieved for at least 10 years.
However, we will not rush to a surplus faster than the economy can cope with.
The simple fact is Labor and the Greens wrecked the economy. We are starting to see positive signs since the election of the majority Liberal Government, including in retail turnover, business confidence and building approvals.
If we rush to surplus too early, we will kill off the green shoots and that would hurt the economy even more.
That's why we are taking a measured approach to the budget. August 28 will be about striking the right balance.
We will deliver on our election commitments, creating jobs to bring down the unemployment rate and deliver important projects to the community.
We will fix the Labor-Green mess by improving the bottom line at the same time as we grow the economy.
The pay pause is a key component in cleaning up the Labor-Green mess. This measure will save 500 of the 1,000 Labor-Green job cuts embedded in the budget.
You can't build a strong economy on shaky foundations. That's why this budget will lay new foundations for the future.
We have already announced a thorough overhaul of our health system to give Tasmanians the healthcare they need and deserve.
We are reforming the planning system to remove the obstacles that hold up investment and we have created the Department of State Growth to have a single, focused, driving force for economic investment.
This will not be a slash and burn budget. It is not a budget to be afraid of. It is the budget Tasmania needs to get us back on track and deliver the changes Tasmanians voted for.