Press Conference, Parliament House
Monday 30 November 2009
TOPICS: Premier’s back-flip on water and sewerage, Federal Liberals.
Please note this transcript is not formally proofed.
Will Hodgman:
Obviously we will need to digest what’s been announced here today. Obviously we will want to see exactly what’s been proposed here. I must say we have little confidence that this Government can manage its affairs, or indeed implement its policies effectively and efficiently, so we will need to have a close look at what’s been proposed here. Obviously we also will want to see exactly what the Premier is doing and why. But in our view, this is another clear instance of David Bartlett performing another spectacular back flip and once again responding and reacting. Look what happens when you get a bad poll, look what happens with an election just a few months around the corner. Suddenly, Government policy changes dramatically. David Bartlett and Michael Aird have been saying for months that people just need to suck this up, it’s all necessary and there is no alternative, but with an election on the horizon and a bad poll, look what happens. David Bartlett once again shows himself to be spineless and quite prepared to alter Government policies, particularly for his own political interest. This isn’t about looking after Tasmanians who have been hit hard by these reforms, this is about David Bartlett’s electoral prospects in March of next year and it highlights what a fraud he is and how spineless he is. We have been arguing with him for some time and he needs to take very seriously how his reforms are affecting Tasmanians, so we will look closely at what’s proposed here, and if this does alleviate the stress on Tasmanian households, that will be a positive thing, but we are far from convinced that this Government can manage its own affairs properly, particularly when it deviates its core so dramatically, in such a short period of time.
Journalist:
Do you expect the 5% cap which is the main feature of it, is 5% instead of 10% cap to be a decent change, will make a difference to people’s bottom line?
Will Hodgman:
Well for months Bartlett and Aird have been arguing that these reforms are absolutely essential, that Tasmanians just have got to suck up these bills, and bare the pain. So it’s a dramatic back flip from the Premier now. At least he has woken up to the fact that his Bills are causing pain and Tasmanians are hurting as a result of the increased cost of living, and this is another example of where Government policy has not been implemented well, and as a result we have got Government with its hand in the hip pocket of Tasmanians. So we will need to look very closely at what’s proposed, where the money is coming from, how and why is it that the Government has changed its policy so dramatically, but the clear conclusion you can draw from this is that after a bad poll, an election just a few months away, David Bartlett sniffs the political breeze, and once again, he is quite prepared to put his principles up for sale, because he has changed his position quite dramatically.
Journalist:
If the Government is capable of shouldering this extra 5% or the $9m a year, should they have done that in the first place?
Will Hodgman:
Well exactly right. I mean our call has always been for the Government to just draw breathe and see exactly how much these reforms are impacting on Tasmanians, but it has been Michael Aird and David Bartlett who’ve said that there are no alternatives, and it’s just a fact that Tasmanians are going to have to live with. Well they have changed their tune I believe for political reasons, but it does beg the question, why is the Government so capable of deviating so dramatically when it has spent months and in fact, thousands and thousands of dollars telling Tasmanians that this is what needs to happen. We’ve never been convinced that Tasmanians should be stung so hard, and we have argued for a full review of what’s been implemented and also for the Government to take action on reducing the cost to Tasmanian consumers. David Bartlett is slippery, he is spineless and he is performing the most spectacular back flip today.
Journalist:
After 2013 I think, there doesn’t seem to be any real certainty about what the cap is going to be or anything like that, is that sort of indicative that this is been put together on the run?
Will Hodgman:
The Government has thrown its plans out of the window and really only cares about the short term, because there is an election that they want to win, so they will do whatever it takes, and if it means buying back the votes of Tasmanians they’ll do it, albeit at the expense of a policy they have been arguing for, for months, they have spend thousands of dollars in advertising to Tasmanians about why it is necessary, but obviously Mr Bartlett has been told by his colleagues that his reforms are stinging Tasmanians. Householders are doing it tough, and the message has been getting through to us loud and clear. We have been telling the Government, but obviously David Bartlett has woken up to the fact as well, and is now taking some action.
Journalist:
If you inherit these issues in Government, do these sort of changes they sound like the sort of things you were going to do anyway, to ease the burden?
Will Hodgman:
Well we’ve argued for measures to reduce the burden on Tasmanian businesses and households. We have said that we understand that the reform program has been poorly implemented, and that no amount of Government spin and advertising is going to lessen the burden on Tasmanian households, particularly and businesses as well. But we have said that we want to look very clearly at what the Government’s doing, and we want to understand why it is they feel that these reforms and these initiatives are necessary now, after arguing so hard for months, why they are changing their position at this late stage, and we will have a lot more to say on water and sewerage. We want Tasmanian households and businesses to know that for the long term on a sustainable footing, we have the right processes and mechanisms in place to ensure that Tasmania benefits.
We shouldn’t have a situation where a Government is so prepared to change its policy, almost overnight, simply because there is an election on the horizon. That’s not showing leadership or vision, that’s all about political opportunism. David Bartlett is desperate and this is another illustration, and there has been plenty already, where he has totally flipped his position, he is becoming the consummate expert and I wouldn’t surprise me to see him lining up in a gymnastics team at some point, he is quite extraordinary and adept. But the guy has no scruples at all, he is showing himself to be spineless politically, but in the process how much money has been spent by the Government in trying to spruik these reforms, how much time and effort is been spent by Government arguing that they were necessary and that there were no alternatives , now with an election just a few months away and David Bartlett realises that it is starting to sting, he kicks into gear, but we will look very closely at the detail of this, and we are not convinced it goes far enough. Our position remains that the entire reform process, poorly implemented by this Government should be reviewed, that there is a better way and we will announce our policy in the near future on that.
Journalist:
Can I just ask you on a different issue? Do you have a preferred Leader for your Party Federally?
Will Hodgman:
Look, I have made some comments about this last week. I am prepared to let them sort out their own affairs and obviously I will be looking forward to doing what I need to do and that’s telling Tasmanians what our policies are, in the run up to the next election in March. Getting on with the issues that are affecting Tasmanians, and that’s what I am totally focussed on.
Journalist:
In a Tasmanian perspective, would you like to see the ETS passed as quickly as possible? Do you support Mr Turnbull’s feelings on that, or towards the other camp?
Will Hodgman:
What happens in Canberra in the Liberal Party is a matter for them, and I will allow them to get on with sorting that out and the legislation which is before the Federal Parliament, we will look at constructively and we will work with that. This is a Federal issue and I am convinced that Tasmanians appreciate that what happens in Canberra is quite distinct to what I need to be getting on with down here in Tasmania, and that is setting a clear policy agenda, being positive and constructive and engaging in positive policy debate.
Will Hodgman MP Leader of the Opposition
