Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader
It is a great honour and an enormous responsibility to take on the Leadership of the Tasmanian Greens. I very much look forward to the challenge.
The task ahead is to continue to stand up for this beautiful island and its people, to articulate a vision for a prosperous, sustainable future, to hold government to account and build the Green vote across Tasmania.
The Greens in Tasmania have a proud history of defending Tasmania's wild places and the clean, green brand that underpins our economy and growing international reputation.
We want to continue to deliver Green outcomes and to be recognised as much for what we propose as what we oppose.
We're not interested in being oppositional for opposition's sake. Where the government is moving in the right direction, we'll say so, as we've done on the key issues of health reform and family violence.
We are also committed to working cooperatively with the Liberals and Labor to secure meaningful outcomes, including land returns and Constitutional recognition, for the first Tasmanians.
Where the government is the right track, we will back them in. When they're on the wrong track, we will take them on as we always have, with everything we've got.
We will continue to challenge the Hodgman Government over its hard-hearted budget priorities that put roads before disadvantaged Tasmanians.
We will be unrelenting in defending to the World Heritage Area from the government's plan to allow logging and mining in the wilderness and open up our National Parks to increased private development.
The Greens will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in this term of government. As always, we will punch well above our weight standing up for Green values in Parliament and in the public debate.
Ms Dawkins, Mr McKim and I are looking forward to the return of Parliament on Tuesday. I am particularly looking forward to hearing our newly elected Member for Bass outline her vision for Tasmania when she delivers her inaugural speech on Tuesday.