Dr WOODRUFF (Franklin) - Madam Speaker, I want talk about the issue of the day for so many Tasmanians who care very deeply about this island and who put their heart and soul into working with their community to protect the places that they hold most valuable.
I am sorry Ms White is leaving because I want to speak about her party's backflip and the commitment she has made today sadly, it appears, but unsurprisingly, to walk away from the commitments the Labor Party made to all the people they met before the 2018 election and all the promises they made to support the community, to make sure that they would always be there, defending the right to appeal, defending the right for a community to have a say about their local development and standing up for Tasmanians on planning laws.
Today, Ms White has made it clear that she is prepared and is going to accept the major projects legislation -
Ms Butler - In principle. We have not even seen the last draft.
Dr WOODRUFF - Yes, I know. The principle is disgusting. It is absolutely offensive because it does every single thing that the Labor Party committed themselves not to doing in their 2018 planning policy, which mind you, is no longer available on the Labor Party's website. If you want to have a look at the Labor Party's planning policy, you cannot find the page. What a surprise, because it has some uncomfortable truths in it. It has a commitment that the Labor Party will not support giving calling powers to a single minister for projects such as high-rise developments; and the Labor Party will always protect third party rights of appeal for development applications.
Ms Butler - You do not even know what this bill looks like.
Dr WOODRUFF - The Labor Party has, they say, a proud history -
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER - Order, please.
Dr WOODRUFF - of working with local government to deliver positive outcomes for communities and that the people of Tasmania have every right to expect to be consulted and engaged on local issues.
Excuse me for feeling sick to the gut. Excuse me for feeling sorry for every single voter who met with a member of the Labor Party.
Ms Butler - We have not even read the last stage of the bill. It is not even available.
Dr WOODRUFF - The member for Lyons, Ms Butler, the member for Lyons, Ms White, the member for Franklin, Ms Standen, the member for Franklin, Mr O'Byrne - these are the people I was personally involved with, watching them speak to members of the public, wringing their hands with concern. So concerned, and 'Labor is listening'. I heard that day after day. These are the same people. This is the party that is the snake in the grass. This is the deceitful, treacherous, duplicitous party that is prepared to sell down every single conviction they ever once may have had and not even to have the guts to stand by something they said only two years ago.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER - Order, please. Can I just hear the member?
Dr WOODRUFF - This is the same member sitting over here guffawing. Ms Butler today put out a media release to Westbury residents signalling her continued concern about the prison when she knows full well that the Westbury prison is exactly the project that can get called in under the major projects legislation. How disgusting, Ms Butler, that you will sit there and say that while Labor supports development of a northern prison, it is not appropriate to force a decision on a community.
Today, Madam Speaker, on the same day that the Leader of her party commits to backing in the major projects legislation which will take away-
Ms Butler - In principle.
Dr WOODRUFF - Principle ends up being voting yes or no, Ms Butler. You are a parliamentarian. You do not get to sit on the fence any longer when it comes to this bill and the disgusting thing about this is Labor can do something about this. You can do something about this. You could grow a spine. Instead of being 'backflip' White she could actually be a leader of the opposition who stands for something, who is prepared to back the rights of the community to appeal, who is prepared to listen to all those groups. The Heritage Protection Society of Tasmania, all the fly fishermen in their hundreds and thousands, the Westbury community, East Coast Alliance and Cambria Green. Everyone in Lyons who is concerned about not having a say about developments.
What about the Hobart Not High Rise, what about the Launceston No High Rise groups? These are bodies who have had commitments made to them not only by this Premier. We expect them to sell the community down the river on this because they committed to the Property Council that they would do whatever they were asked when they came to government in 2014 and they have been pushing for that ever since. We expect the Government to do that and we in the community will resist that.
It is only the Greens who are consistent on this. The Labor Party just use. Time after time, they handpick a policy, they walk around the electorate, just like Mr Street said before, they find the issue that they can play the political game on. Well, this is not a game. This is really not a game, this is serious, it is a transformative change and the Labor Party stands between the people of Tasmania and this Government from selling away our land to foreign investors which they have been doing as fast as possible for the past six years and for selling away people's rights to have a say about Rosny Hill development, about the cable car. Let us forget the fact it has been to the [6:52:28] they are so concerned.
Ms O'Connor - They are so concerned about the cable car and they vote for it every time.
Dr WOODRUFF - There are so many developments that I have not had time to talk about on this because all of them will be captured. Lake Malbena, every single sodding one. Every single one. The criteria will be written by a hand-picked panel that the minister will make the decision about. The criteria will be written for each process, particular to each process, and there will be no right to appeal. No right to challenge the decision. Shame on you, Labor.
If only, Ms Butler, you actually cared enough about the Westbury community to go and challenge and just while I finish the scorecard that the Planning Matters Alliance gave to the three parties at the last election. Well, Madam Speaker, it needs to be rewritten because every one of these questions marks or ticks for Labor should be a cross.