UPDATE: On Tuesday afternoon, some hours after the media conference below, the Australian Labor Party’s national executive approved Tasmanian Dean Winter as a state election candidate in the seat of Franklin.
Transcript of media conference with Labor Leader Rebecca White at Glenorchy, 6 April 2021
Rebecca White
I’m joined here today by Ella Haddad who’s a member for Clark and candidate for the upcoming election and Mick who’s home we are at, to announce that an elected Labor government will invest $10 million in a solar panel and battery fund that would allow households to get a loan of up to $15,000 to put solar panels or batteries on their home to help with the cost of power bills. We know that many households are struggling with the cost of power bills. This is one initiative that will make an enormous difference to the costs of those power bills for households, enabling more people to purchase solar panels and to purchase battery technology to make sure they can get the benefits from that investment. This $15,000 loan program would be offered over a course of 10 years so people would have the first three years interest free, and then have the remaining seven years at a low interest rate through a loan program delivered by the government. This is a program that would assist in the very least about 1300 Tasmanian households to put solar panels on their roof and to install battery technology to make sure that they can lower their cost of living by having lower power bills. We know that so many Tasmanians are struggling with high power costs. And a lot of people have already got solar panels on their roof. So being able to invest in battery technology would help them to realise the value of that investment, especially since the solar tariff feed-in has been cut. And there’s also moves afoot to introduce a new solar tax federally, that would put a tax on the feed-in tariff rate going forward. So we we believe that investment in battery technology is the most sensible approach that we can take to help people realise the value of the investment they’re making in their solar panels, but also help them to lower the cost of living by lowering their power bills. Which is in contrast to the Liberal government which has cut the feed-in tariff rate, and of course is on an agenda to cut jobs from Hydro and on a program to privatise Hydro which would increase the costs of living and power bills for Tasmanians. I would like to invite Mick to speak with you all about what this means for him and what he’s noticed as a difference to his power bills since he’s installed this technology.
Mick
First thing I’d like to say is that my last power bill was $84 in credit. The panels over four and a half years has saved me 1000s of dollars and I recommend anybody else thinking of it to do it straight away.
Journalist
What kind of a difference does the storage make for you?
Mick
Batteries … I’ve got down worries about power blackouts, and so forth. It’s continuous power, had no problems with the fridges going off and the spoilage of foodstuffs and so forth. So the mind’s quite at peace throughout my time.
Journalist
Would it have made it easier for you, would it make it easier for other people to invest in solar if they were able to get it a $15,000 loan?
Mick
I think it’d be a tremendous idea.
Journalist
And have you been surprised with how good the solar panels have been? Did you think it would save you that much money?
Mick
I did think that there might be problems with maintenance, but everything is done remotely by the Tesla batteries and in four and a half years I haven’t one had one problem over that time.
Journalist
Did you make the decision to go with solar panels for economic reasons or environmental reasons?
Mick
I made the choice for solar panels for saving of electricity costs, for climate change, they were the main reasons.
Journalist
Thank you very much. Thank you.
Ella Haddad, Rebecca White, Mick.
Journalist
Can you just explain if this program is going to be means tested?
Rebecca White
Thank you. So that’s a $20 million loan program. And we will be looking at how we implement guidelines there. But we don’t want to disadvantage too many Tasmanian families from being able to participate in a program like this, because we know so many already have solar panels and for them to be able to realise the investment of that installing battery technology is a really sensible next step. So there will be guidelines that are attached to this program, but it’s estimated that families with an income of up to $200,000 would be eligible to apply.
Journalist
Do you have any estimate of the number of jobs to be created in the installation, for example, of these systems.
Rebecca White
I have to get back to you with the numbers on that. But yes, we can get you that information.
Journalist
Yesterday you said that the Dean Winter squabbling needed to stop and needed to be resolved and it hasn’t been resolved.
Rebecca White
I stand by the comments I made yesterday that this matter does need to be resolved. I have tried and others have tried through negotiations to resolve this issue. But it’s clear it requires stronger intervention. And I can confirm this morning that I wrote to the National Executive of the Australian Labor Party, asking them to endorse Dean Winter as a sixth candidate in Franklin. This matter does need to be resolved. And obviously it’s become quite important now that this is resolved before tomorrow’s close of nominations.
Journalist
And have you heard back from the National Executive?
Rebecca White
National Executive meets this afternoon, it usually meets mid to late afternoon. So there will be an outcome from that meeting.
Would you like to see them endorsing Dean, what do you think he’ll bring to the table?
Yeah, so I’ll have written because this has gone on for too long. My approach has always been to try and build consensus and to negotiate the best outcomes for the Labor Party and of course the Tasmanian community, but it’s become quite clear that I’ve needed to intervene. And I have written and asked the National Executive to endorse Dean Winter as the sixth candidate in Franklin. I think that Dean would be an excellent candidate for the Labor Party. He’s a very popular local mayor in the south of the state. He’s worked incredibly hard during his term as mayor, but he’s also been a member of the Labor Party for 15 years. And he brings with him a number of qualities that would be of great benefit, not just for my Labor ticket and Labor Party, but for the community of Tasmania.
Journalist
All of those things about Dean were presumably true a month ago, why didn’t you stand up for him?
Rebecca White
I’ve always expressed my support for Dean Winter. He worked for me in my office. But I’ve also tried to work constructively to negotiate a consensus outcome. That has been my approach and that actually is just the way that I approach things generally. But it’s become quite apparent that this has to stop. So I have stepped in and intervened by writing to the National Executive today.
Journalist
(inaudible)
Rebecca White
I have had those conversations over the course of the last few weeks. So today’s announcement might come as a surprise.
Journalist
Obviously, we’re in the middle of an election campaign here. Are you frustrated because it’s kind of taken away from your job on the election trial, that’s causing a lot of attention to be taken away?
Rebecca White
Sure. Well, as I said yesterday, this does need to stop because the priority for me has been and remains focused on how we can improve Tasmania and improve access to quality jobs for people. Make sure they can access the health care they need. Fix the crisis that we’re seeing in housing. They are the issues that have been raised with me daily by Tasmanians, and have been for a number of years now. My focus has always been on what a Labor government can deliver to improve the lives of Tasmanians. And to make sure that we are working for Tasmanians every single day. There’s no doubt that the course of events of the last week have detracted from the commitment that I want to give Tasmanians, which is that a Labor majority government can deliver better outcomes than we’ve had over the last seven years under a Gutwein government. So that’s why I’ve intervened today.
Journalist
Are you worried that might tend to mean, may turn many members of the left faction against you?
Rebecca White
At the end of the day, I am standing to be premier of Tasmania. My job is to help to present the community and to present the best candidates for the Labor Party to take into a majority Labor government. We are a diverse party, we do have a number of different people who are representing their communities in this election, already seeking to be elected to the Tasmanian parliament. My job is to make sure that I present the best team and also the best policies to the people of Tasmania so that they can have confidence that a Labor government would deliver for them.
Journalist
Yesterday you shut down questions about this AWU letter and the Dean Winter issue saying that you were going to release a statement later. But you didn’t. Why not?
Rebecca White
Turns out other people don’t work as quickly as me. But the matter still hasn’t changed. In my view, my approach is the same. It does need to be resolved. And that’s why I’ve intervened today.
Journalist
Are you disappointed it didn’t come about yesterday. Did you want to kind of get it over and done with yesterday?
Rebecca White
Oh, there’s no doubt that I want this matter resolved. And I made that clear yesterday and I stand by those comments, other people don’t work as quickly as me. But we do have a situation now where the National Executive will be meeting this afternoon. And I’ve made my expectation very clear that Dean Winter be endorsed as the sixth candidate in Franklin.
Journalist
So is it basically an administrative issue that you weren’t able to supply that statement?
Rebecca White
No. You have a National Executive summit of people from right across the country, pulling a group like that together takes a little bit more time?
Journalist
They really don’t have a choice but to back you, do they, because if they reject your deal for this solution, that’s going to be a pretty big setback for you.
Rebecca White
Well, my expectation is that Dean Winter will be endorsed as sixth candidate for Franklin. I’ve made my position very clear. And I’ve had conversations with a number of people, because this does have to stop. It’s gone on for too long. And my commitment has always been to develop the best policies for the people in Tasmania and to deliver a majority Labor government. I want to be able to get on and do that job with the best candidates
Journalist
(inaudible) left to right. What are your thoughts on the pre selection process to get to this point?
Rebecca White
What do you mean?
Journalist
in terms of do you think it’s (inaudible) flawed. Or what are your thoughts on it?
Rebecca White
There’s a number of issues that were raised in the AWU correspondence. I’m not going to go into the details of that those matters, the National Executive can examine and make a decision on in relation to the matter of Dean Winter. My position has been made very clear to them this morning.
Journalist
Dean Winter could have made this problem go away. So why are you backing a candidate who’s tuned the first week of your campaign into an absolute shambles?
Rebecca White
Well, I wouldn’t categorise it that way. In the first instance, Dean had every right to nominate as a candidate. He’s been a member of the Labor Party for 15 years. He’s a popular mayor in the south of the state. And he did nominate and there was a ballot that was undertaken. And it was a result from that. But as a consequence of that, there’s obviously still been a lot of concern across the community. And I’ve listened to that concern. And that’s why I’ve taken a step to intervene today.
Journalist
Yes Dean Winter obviously has been a popular mayor, but he wasn’t selected in that process. Do you think that Tasmanians can have faith that the right people are getting to the ballot?
Rebecca White
I haven’t had complaints about anybody else.
Journalist
Peter Gutwein’s made $460 million worth of promises in the first week of the campaign. Can we afford that?
Rebecca White
I think most Tasmanians would be asking why Peter Gutwein hasn’t invested this money into the health system before today? They’ve had seven years to fix the problems in health. And in fact, what’s happened is they’ve gotten worse. And there’s no doubt we need to see greater investment in Tasmania’s health system. There are far too many people living in pain, and in some cases dying because they can’t access the surgery they need or get an ambulance in time. So I think the really significant question that needs to be answered by Peter Gutwein is why now and why not when you were Premier of the state and you had the opportunity as Treasurer over seven years to make these investments when you have known for that long that nurses have been under pressure. Patients have been put at risk, and you didn’t do what you could have done at the time.
Journalist
Does the fact that we look like we’re taking on more debt, and spending more money that we don’t have, point to cuts in other areas and that we might have a really tough budget later in the year?
Rebecca White
There’s no doubt that the impact of the downturn across the economy has had an impact on budgets right across the nation. And I expect that we’ll see the same here. Treasury’s due to release an updated financial statement in coming week to reflect the changes that we are all expecting to see from both the state of the state announcement that was made by Peter Gutwein as well as any other changes in forecasting, that will be very insightful. And from that we’ll be able to make an assessment of what the budget might look like when it’s handed down later this year.
Journalist
Has Labor announced its final candidate in Braddon yet?
Rebecca White
We haven’t quite, but it has kind of been.
Journalist
Would you like to share that?
Rebecca White
I cannot. Look I know a lot of people are very interested in this matter. But the fact is, people do have jobs. And given that the election was called very early, because Peter Gutwein had given up on doing his job, there are organisations and engagements with employers just have to be dealt with appropriately. And I hope the people can understand that. But by the close of nominations tomorrow, all of our candidates will be announced.
Journalist
We’ve just heard of another rape claim from the LGH. Do you think it’s good enough that that doctor is still registered (inaudible) somewhere else.
Rebecca White
That case that’s been in today is incredibly distressing. And unfortunately, we can expect to hear more stories like that, as the Commission of Inquiry begins its work and as the findings from the Royal Commission that were was held federally start to impact here in Tasmania. The estimate is that as many as 3000 Tasmanians might have a story that comes from that Royal Commission. So today’s story is just another terrible example of an abuse of power, the assault and abuse of a young child, and the fact that person, the perpetrator, is still working in conditions where there might be having access to young children or vulnerable people is a worry, and I think that needs to be looked at very quickly.
Journalist
Just quickly on the AWU point, are you backing what the AWU said, or have you made a decision independently of that?
Rebecca White
So the AWU raised a lot of issues in their letter. I’m not making comment on those issues. What I have said in the intervention that I’ve asked the National Executive to make is to endorse Dean Winter as the sixth candidate for Franklin.
Tasmanian Liberals:
