Get real: Richard Herr
What Rene reckons:
Media Release
RENE HIDDING, MHA
Leader of the State Opposition
Wednesday January 18, 2006Labor’s claims on no “coalition” with the Greens have no credibility until Lennon and every Labor candidate commits to signing a guarantee committing to governing in majority or not at all
Opposition Leader Rene Hidding today said that Paul Lennon’s claims that he would not enter into a “coalition” with the Greens had as much credibility as his statement that he didn’t receive free hospitality from Crown Casinio, because he was still refusing to sign a pledge guaranteeing this in writing.
Mr Hidding said it had now been a year since every member of the State Liberal Team signed a guarantee committing them to governing in majority or not at all. Every Liberal candidate has also, as a condition of their endorsement, signed this pledge.
Members of the Labor Opposition espoused the benefits of signing a similar pledge to the people in 1994, Paul Lennon being one of them.
But this pledge has not got a scrap of validity any more because it referred only to an election ten years ago, not the one we are facing in 2006, and because only one or two of the Labor MPs who signed it then are still around. Labor MPs elected since 1994 such as leadership aspirants Bryan Green and Paula Wriedt have never signed such a guarantee.
Despite repeated calls from the State Liberals for Premier Lennon to commit himself and all his Labor colleagues and candidates to a pledge, Premier Lennon has point blank refused.
“Tasmanians are coming to understand that they simply cannot believe a word this arrogant loose-with-the-truth Premier says, and his claim that he would not enter a “coalition” with the Greens is obviously just another case in point.
“It is also telling that Premier Lennon only used the word coalition, when he knows that there are different forms of alliances that he would be actively considering. Would he enter into a Labor Green Accord, or alliance, or minority government with the Greens?
“Mr Lennon must not be allowed to get away with using weasel words as Michael Field did prior to the Labor Green Accord.
“The key question that Premier Lennon must answer today is whether or not he or any of his candidates would form a minority Government with the Greens.
“And if Premier Lennon’s answer is still no, he needs to put this promise in writing to the Tasmanian people by getting every one of his Labor colleagues and candidates, and himself, to sign a pledge stating that Labor would govern in majority, or not at all.
“Until the Premier and his colleagues do this, they simply cannot be believed.”
Mr Hidding said it was a fact that only the State Liberal Team had guaranteed to govern in majority, or not at all.
“The State Liberal Team’s position is crystal clear. We will not govern in minority with the Greens or anyone else and we would not do any deals with the Greens or anyone else, including any form of alliance, accord, coalition or other form of arrangement.
“The State Liberals understand that minority government with the Greens would be an unmitigated disaster for this State.
“Peg Putt, as Deputy Premier, would force up taxes, legalise hard drugs, and put a stop to any potential development or investment on the horizon, especially the pulp mill.
“Nick McKim as forestry minister would ensure this industry was wiped out.
“And Kim Booth as Primary Industries Minister would ensure that no water developments ever saw the light of day.
“Tasmania cannot risk a return to the dark old days of a Labor Green Accord.
“Premier Paul Lennon must today commit to signing a pledge committing himself and every one of his Labor colleagues to governing in majority or not at all.
“A failure to do so by the Premier would only further demonstrate the fact that nothing he says any more can be believed because he is deceitful and has no regard for the truth.”
