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Premier Misses Opportunity to Replace Groom


Cassy O'Connor MP  -  Thursday, 18 February 2016

Tags: Bushfires, Renewable Energy, Basslink, Parks, Environment, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Cabinet

Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader

The Premier has missed a golden opportunity to place the Energy portfolio in the hands of a competent Minister in this time of energy crisis.

Matthew Groom has demonstrated beyond doubt that he is not up to the job.

Mr Groom's failures as Minister cut across all his portfolios.

Already caught out once misleading Parliament over an MOU with UTAS, Minister Groom has recently made misleading statements in the energy portfolio. 

Beyond greenhouse emitting diesel generation, Mr Groom also still has no plan to secure Tasmania's clean energy future.

Mr Groom has embarrassed us before the United Nations with his flawed, pro-development, pro-logging Draft World Heritage Management Plan.

In recent weeks, Mr Groom arguably failed to fight for more remote fire-fighting resources in to the TWWHA until well after the bushfires were out of control.

Mr Groom has set up a dodgy and opaque Expressions of Interest process through the equally opaque and costly Office of the Coordinator General.

Mr Groom has also embarked on a project to gut the Tasmanian Heritage Register in a process that seems to be becoming less transparent by the day.

It is time for Mr Groom to spend some quality time on the backbench. 

With his Cabinet shuffle-lite, the Premier has let down Tasmanians who are looking for leadership in these key portfolios.