Transcript of media conference with Clark independent candidates and federal Clark MHR Andrew Wilkie, Parliament Lawns, Hobart, 23 April 2021.
Andrew Wilkie
Well, thanks for coming out, obviously, to meet the all five independent candidates for the electorate of Clark at the forthcoming state election. I think this is a really exciting opportunity for the voters of Clark, and a really exciting opportunity for the state of Tasmania, we have five very strong candidates at a time when the party system is so obviously broken. And when there’s such a heightened interest in independent candidates, and doing something different. And that’s understandable that that mood exists in the community, because we’ve seen so many demonstrations of poor behaviour, and underperformance by the major political parties, and their members and their candidates, especially in the last what, three, four or five weeks. Remember, independents are able to follow their conscience, represent their community, say what they think, vote the way they choose, and I think be a much more effective representative of the community compared with members of a political party, which regrettably they’re told what to think, they’re told what to say, they’re told how to vote. They are mindless, and the party collectively is beholden very often to its major political donors. So you know, it is quite understandable that the community, frankly, have had a gutful of politics, politicians, and political parties. And although there’s never been an independent elected to the House of Assembly since they reduced the size of the Parliament, I think we have an unprecedented opportunity this time around for not just one, but maybe more than one independents being elected, to go into that place and to start cleaning it up. I’m really excited about this. So I’m very proud to stand with all five of these people, because I think all five are strong candidates. And I think there’s someone and something here for everyone in the community. Now, so we don’t have any fights over who goes next, I’m going to do this alphabetically, and flick to Mike Dutta.
Mike Dutta.
Mike Dutta
Andrew, thank you so much for organising this. For us, we have a lot of respect for Andrew, for his independence and his courage and confidence to speak out on issues. There’s only three or four points I want to make. Firstly, this is a defining moment in history. This is a defining moment because it will change the course of the political landscape of this particular state. And it is needed, it is required, and the people of Tasmania you have the power to change the course of history. Secondly, we need to change the paradigm shift here, quite deliberately and consciously. Because the political systems, the political parties, as you have heard, do not deliver for the people. They are governed and dictated and controlled and guided by big corporations. And so what I’m trying to say here is that it is time for each one of you to think carefully, think seriously, for independents. Independent candidates will bring about the change that this particular state requires. So a paradigm shift is very, very important. And the third point I want to make is this: that if I am elected with all the others, and if I don’t get elected, I hope that one or two of them will, we and I know quite surely and quite categorically that we will vote and stand for the community and with our conscience. Thank you very much.
Jax Ewin.
Jax Ewin
Thanks for having me. And putting up with all of my political shenanigans to date throughout the campaign. I’m super excited to be standing to make a difference for my community that I represent. I think that the voices of young people, of queer people, especially, and other marginalised groups, are just not heard. And I think it’s absolutely pathetic that we expect people who don’t have lived experience of marginalisation and adversity to make be making decisions on our behalf, without us. I think, you know, we’re supposed to be a government for the people and by the people. So I’m standing with my people to represent that. I’m standing for real action on the housing crisis. We have pathetic promises from the major parties that aren’t even going to meet the demands that the peak bodies are recommending. We need 10,000 homes, public and social housing homes over the next 10 years and they’re promising less than half of that. And I think, you know, we deserve better, we have to do better. So you need to vote better. Vote for somebody who’s going to listen to you and represent your needs and your interests, and not just a major party who looks like they’re nice and popular because they have the money of God only knows who because we don’t know who their donors are standing behind them. Tthe people have the power and that’s what this campaign is about. Thank you.
Lisa Gershwin.
Lisa Gershwin
Thank you, Andrew, really appreciate you calling this. The reason I’m standing for office is people like me have no voice. I have depression, I am autistic. I’ve been homeless. I get what it’s like to have no voice. And I represent people with no voice. You know, the the health system is in crisis, particularly the mental health system, the housing system is in crisis. And these crises have happened on the watch of the current government. And where’s the accountability? Where’s the plan to change these? As well, Richard Flanagan’s book has just hit the media. And it’s absolutely a media storm. Readable? Absolutely. And it’s a good example of the shambles that this state is giving all of this money and all of these exemptions and all of these subsidies to big businesses, at the cost of communities, our health, our housing, our transport. All of these systems are in trouble because of all this money going to big businesses that are just costing us more money, and affecting our health. Thank you.
Sue Hickey.
Sue Hickey
I think one of the saddest moments I experienced in parliament was when I came in on a division and a senior member of government turned around to me, opened up his phone and said, ‘the whip says vote no’. It was an awful moment because I realised this minister had not even been following the debate, was simply following instructions of the party on this particular issue. The trouble is, we have a lot of people on the back bench who just go along with what they’re told, they don’t challenge it, they don’t stand up for it. And they don’t use their conscience or their heart to vote against it if they believe it to be wrong. So as an independent, I now have the choice and the bravery and everything else I need to be able to call out bad behaviour in Parliament, and to challenge poor law, and to make sure that we negotiate much better outcomes for the people in Tasmania in our health, housing, transport, and all the other major decisions and that everything is transparent and accountable.
Kristie Johnston.
Kristie Johnston
If we want the same result in health and housing, if we want pokie machines entrenched in our communities, then we can vote the same way we always have done. But we can make one May Independents Day, we can actually change the outcome for people in our community, and have strong independent voices in Parliament speaking up about the issues that matter to our community. We can make sure there is transparent government, there’s government held accountable, we can bring the issues to the parliament that the community really are concerned. So one May, we can support independents, we have a strong independent field here. We can do deep things differently. And we can expect and demand a different outcome to what we’ve had over the last decades.
Journalist
(inaudible)
Lisa Gershwin
We can all speak to that. Particularly because I’ve been homeless, I feel very…a little bit too much lived experience in that space, that actually does humble me. But it also gives me that inside view. Look, independents offer voters a real choice. And because we’re not beholden to a party line, we can say what needs to be said. And when it comes to these really big issues, like health and housing, homelessness, mental health, you know, these systems that are in crisis, things need to be said. The government needs to be held to account, changes need to occur. Independents, have that voice to say, ‘Ah, wait a minute, that doesn’t pass the that doesn’t pass the pub test’. We can say that, whereas the parties can’t.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
I think that question deserves a response from everyone maybe? .
Sue Hickey
Quite clearly the independents if they get the balance of power will hold the strongest form of governance. They can actually hold the government to account, they can negotiate with both sides of the Parliament to get the best outcomes for the law. And they can get changes. So for example, if I was elected as an independent, and I had the balance of power, I would be challenging the government to actually name up housing and health as the first priorities with transparency on top of that, and better access for transport. But I would make sure that it was a public document signed off by the government, and witnessed, with transparent, accountable and achievable timelines. No more of these promises and lies and then not delivering anything.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
You struggled to do that from inside the Liberal Party. How are you going to do it from the outside?
Sue Hickey
Well, because I was always in this balance, trying to remain a member of the party and do the right thing. And I’d accepted I was getting people criticising me because I wasn’t, you know, doing what I was told. But my conscience was really playing up with me. And I was saying, ‘How can this happen on my watch? How can I go home tonight worrying about Mrs. So and So in this dreadful house, or Mr. So and So who’s sleeping on the floor of somewhere or couch surfing or whatever was going on.’ And I got to the point where I got really fed up, and I started calling out very publicly about the housing situation. I said the government didn’t give a shit about housing, I challenged it every single day of my three years, I did get Oakley Court completely renovated. And that is now a happy place for people to live and much safer. But my job isn’t finished, I have got lots more to do. Whether I’m elected or not, I will still be challenging the government of the day, every single day of my life, to make sure that we have dignity for people who don’t have the luxuries that some of us have. They can’t afford to feed their children, they don’t know where their next job’s coming from, if they’ve got a roof over their head tonight. Or if they’ve got someone in their family who’s affected by mental health or drug or alcohol issues, there simply is not enough support, the government’s focus has been on roads and bridges, and not enough on social issues.
Journalist – Judy Augustine
What’s the idea here? Is it to get as many independents as possible in, or to raise awareness of issues and put pressure on the government?
Jax Ewin
Why not both? I mean, you know, like, there are five of us here. You could elect all five of us, how awesome would that be? We’ve demonstrated, you know, our ability to work together despite we’re all coming at everything from very, very different perspectives. But that’s how you build really strong policies by bringing all these people together and actually making decisions that are a consensus view that represents, you know, maybe not the entire community, but a pretty good representation of the community is a lot broader than you know, the old white guys in suits with money and backing and power and privilege, you know. Sorry (to Andrew Wilkie). But you’re you’re one of the good ones. You’re an exceptional one, you get a little hat.
Tasmanian Times
Andrew mentioned the downsizing of the of the House from 35. Is returning it to 35 members something you support, as the lower quotas needed would presumably make it easier for independents to get elected?
Jax Ewin
Yeah, and I mean, it’s widely viewed within the academic community certainly that, you know, the downsizing of Tasmania’s parliament was one of the worst decisions for democracy that Tasmania has done. So yes, I think… I’m seeing nods around me.
Sue Hickey
And that was a corrupt decision to get rid of the Greens, which didn’t work.
Jax Ewin
Yeah. Good try guys. Try again. Next time. Yeah, we get better proportional representation, more of the community represented.
Journalist – David Killick
The major parties of pushing this line that minority government is unstable government. What do you say to that?
Mike Dutta
It’s a very good line. It’s a very good line, but it’s not truthful. It has holes, if you analyse it, in fact, what they’re saying that they are the only ones who are capable. It’s tantamount to being so arrogant, that’s not respecting the view and the will of the people. So for me what we need to understand from the very start, it’s the will of the people. It’s not me dictating as to how you should vote. For me even to suggest that you only vote for me and not the other independents is totally wrong. It’s immature, it’s unhealthy, it’s a very narrow way of looking at it. So what I’m saying is that for these two parties to make that call, really is very, very immature, Don’t fall into that trap. They want to suck you in. But you have played this game with them before, you have a choice.
Journalist – David Killick
There’s a lot of, I guess, disillusionment with the major parties out there and people sort of trying to think who they vote for. What is the case in general for independents as opposed to major party candidates, and had for major parties really failed to solve these crises in health, housing and the like.
Kristie Johnston
Certainly there is great deal of disillusionment in the community with the major parties. I feel like the major parties have turned their back on the community. Whether it be with health and the crisis in our health system, whether the long elective surgery waiting list, whether it be the housing crisis at the moment where we have so many Tasmanians who simply can’t afford to put a roof over their head, public transport, the lack of investment in public transport issues. They really do feel the community that the major players have turned their back on them, they are looking for something different. They feel very frustrated, and they are quite excited by the opportunity to vote differently, this particular election. As I say, one May can be Independents Day, it can be the opportunity of this community to say ‘we’ve had enough, we’ve had enough of both major parties, trying to pull the wool over our eyes and pretend that things are getting better’. They’re not getting better, we want a different outcome. And we could put different people in the parliament to be our voices of the community, to say about the issues that matter to us, and to make sure they’re heard, and they resolved.
Sue Hickey
And also, can I just say that minority governments work very successfully in New Zealand, Canada, and Denmark, and also in the ACT, which is a very accountable government. So there’s nothing wrong with having minority groups in the parliament who can negotiate much better outcomes.
Mike Dutta
At a local level, you know, you will find at the City Council, if I may use that as an example. You know, we have the Greens, we have the Liberals, and we have an ex Labor person, and you have diversity of ideas and diversity of people sitting on that and making decisions. It works. And I’m sure it’s going to work.
Journalist
(inaudible)
Mike Dutta
Yeah, yeah, I was given $500 $200 $100. And I returned them to these very generous donors. And my reasons are these. Firstly, I think we need to have a level playing field. And you know, very clearly, evidence is very, very substantive with regards to this, the big corporations, big businesses who support the big political major parties, and we have no show in the case. So I think we need to create that level playing field for everybody. Secondly, if you receive the donations, there is that obligation sometimes. And what happens also, evidence is very clear, that there is an influence on policy decisions and how policies are made. And as for me, this is undue influence, and it is unacceptable. So therefore, I think, don’t accept donations. Why should they? And I think it is very important for me, and I’m sure the others as well, thank you.
Tasmanian Times
Very few people are elected with a quota in their own right and do in fact get over the line with preferences. Is there a plan to generate a cross-flow of preference between the independents and if so how?
Kristie Johnston
Look, the people of Tasmania can make their own decisions. And that’s the beauty of independents. We’re not suggesting that they vote for anyone particular, but that they have the intelligence and we respect the voter to make their own decisions about where their preferences go. So whilst we all encourage everyone to vote one for each of these independents here today, it’s really important that the power is with the people and that is exactly where it should be. And that’s why on one May they can’t make it Independents Day. The power is with them that they can choose when they go to put their numbers against that ballot paper who they want representing them.
