Premier Will Hodgman must heed the serious lessons to be learned from the Queensland state election, which saw a first term Liberal majority government unceremoniously booted from office, Greens Leader Kim Booth MP said today.
“It is not only at the federal or interstate level that the Liberals are on the nose. Mr Hodgman needs to take a long hard look at his government’s poor reputation for arrogance and secrecy,” Mr Booth said.
“Everywhere I go, people raise with me their concerns that this Liberal government is out of touch, secretive, and untrustworthy.”
“People had thought the days of cronyism, deals for big business mates and corporate welfare had been well left behind for Tasmania, but in less than a year, the Hodgman Liberals have dragged that dark cloud back over the state.”
“We are seeing broken election promises such as the commitment to end public subsidies to Forestry Tasmania overturned with $50 million provided, and thousands more public sector workers facing losing their jobs than the 500 Mr Hodgman took to last year’s state election.”
“People want, and deserve, greater transparency, genuine consultation and collaboration, and for Tasmanians to be prioritised by government rather than their big business mates.”
“We have seen the Hodgman government try and adopt much of the Campbell Newman songbook, with his targeting of the public sector, his anti-environment and anti-community ideological attacks.”
“Mr Hodgman needs to read and consider these political tea leaves. To try and dismiss this groundswell of rejection by the Queensland electorate of the strategies he has tried to emulate here, will only increase the disconnect and disquiet already growing amongst many Tasmanians,” Mr Booth said.