Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased to be standing before you today as the lead candidate for the seat of Denison.
This is a real change in direction for me. As a career public servant for most of my life, and with 30 years in policing, I have never before been a member of a political party.
Changing circumstances have now freed me up to pursue an invaluable opportunity to represent the people of Tasmania.
My husband Colin and I gave very careful consideration to this new direction in our lives. We have lived all around this country, but over the last 4 years we have fallen in love with Tasmania and enjoy a quality of life here not available anywhere else in Australia.
You may think that I am a recent “blow-in” mainlander. That is not the case. Like Clive Palmer, whose mother was born in Penguin, I am proud to have 3 generations of forebears from Tasmania. My great great grandfather Thomas Murphy came to Tassie in 1855 from England on the ship The Indian Queen and worked as a sub-Inspector of Police at Invermay (Policing must be in the genes!). His son Henry, my great grandfather, was a saddler and worked in Elizabeth Street, Hobart. My grandfather Raymond Murphy, who joined the Navy and moved to Sydney, was born right here in Hobart. I understandably have a strong degree of emotional attachment to this place.
Like many other Tasmanians, we are saddened to see our great Island State on its knees, particularly in an economic sense.
Jonathan West recently stated:
The underlying problem is simple but intractable: Tasmania has developed a way of life, a mode of doing things, a demographic, a culture and associated economy, that reproduces under-achievement generation after generation.
Of greater concern are West’s comments in the same 2013 Griffith Review essay (On Obstacles to Progress and What’s Wrong with Tasmania, Really?). He states:
Tasmania ranks at the bottom among Australian states on virtually every dimension of economic, social, and cultural performance: highest unemployment, lowest incomes, languishing investment, lowest home prices, least educated, lowest literacy, most chronic disease, poorest longevity, most likely to smoke, greatest obesity, highest petty crime, worst domestic violence. It seems not to matter which measure is chosen, Tasmania will likely finish last.
This has to be of enormous concern.
The history of a cosy Island State scarred by divisive and polarising issues and lacking too often over the years in honest, open and accountable government is of great concern to me.
I believe that I have built a strong reputation for integrity and moral courage. I have proven that I am one to fight for what I believe in and to say what needs to be said.
I have some strong views concerning the future of Tasmania.
For instance, it will be absolutely essential for Tasmania to have a fiercely independent, properly resourced, carefully structured and empowered anti-corruption body. We need a body that engages with complainants and has a strong and effective focus on investigation, as well as prevention and education. I believe we need a proven and tested model and something along the lines of an ICAC – an Independent Commission Against Corruption.
In Tasmania, we should not be afraid of using the “c word” – “corruption” -where it is warranted. In this respect, definition is all too important but “corruption” can clearly cover issues such as process corruption and noble cause corruption.
What’s more important than the labels that we might choose is community perception, and trust and confidence in our politicians and government.
The Palmer United Party to date has promised you a strong and growing economy. My entry to the team will provide a much needed focus on important social issues, including the need for greater integrity in government and a just and fair society.
I also realise the essential nature of accessible and affordable health care and the importance of primary, secondary, tertiary and adult education. I strongly support life-long learning.
In fact, I believe the four goals in life are to live, to learn, to love and to leave a legacy …
I firmly believe that entering politics is an ideal opportunity to make a difference and to leave a meaningful legacy.
I believe that with my many qualifications, my well established and publicly stated values of integrity, justice and humanity and my rich and diverse life experience, I can bring new energy, ideas and optimism to our State.
My husband, Colin, is involved in an expanding small business here in Tassie so I have a first-hand appreciation of some of the issues that face this critical sector.
It is up to us as Tasmanians to get ourselves out of this current mess. PUP is providing the impetus to do so by breaking the two major party duopoly that has strangled this State.
In recent years, under Labor and the Greens, we have gone backward in so many ways. One only has to consider the frightening literacy rates and the high dependency on social welfare to realise the enormity of what needs to be done. More of the same will lead to disaster. Short term, band-aid solutions are not the answer.
I stress – Tasmanians cannot afford to embrace more of the same. Something has to change – quickly and radically. As Lara Giddings said famously in December 2010, there is simply no hay left in the barn. The Tasmanian economy has been “robbed” by past Governments, even leaving government employees’ superannuation in a parlous state. The State has in effect been locked up – stifling ideas, opportunities and innovation. Development has stalled and investors have gone elsewhere. We need to lure them back!
PUP is the key to unlocking this State’s vast potential.
This is a wonderful State which has so much to offer in so many ways. It is time for Tasmania to shine once again and stand proud amongst its fellow States and Territories. We must be united once more with the rest of Australia and function as one nation in what is an increasingly global and competitive society. We must overcome problems such as the cost of freighting goods across the Bass Strait.
The Palmer United Party is about bringing us all together to achieve. It is about fostering an inclusive, fair and progressive society that works hard and achieves results, so that we and our families, and future generations, can enjoy a good and safe quality of life.
I will also bring a strong emphasis to community safety, child protection, addressing alcohol and drug fuelled violence and law and order issues. I will endeavour to address the causes of the problems rather than just the symptoms. It must be about draining the swamp rather than simply swatting the mosquitoes. We need evidence-based approaches and real, long-term solutions.
I am looking forward to working with the Tasmanian Palmer United Party leader Kevin Morgan and the soon to be announced Tasmanian PUP team to bring about much needed change in Tassie. With support and guidance from our Federal leader and MP Clive Palmer, Senator elect Jacqui Lambie and the balance of power in the Senate, PUP has a real opportunity to leverage the Commonwealth in advancing Tasmanian interests. The synergy in this relationship will be enormously beneficial for our State.
We need Tasmanians’ support and commitment for positive change. On 15 March 2014 remember it’s your support that will make the difference.
Vote 1 Barbara Etter for a BEtter Tasmania!
