Transcript of speeches made at the ‘Tally Room’ at the Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart, 1 May 2021. Speeches are presented in the order in which they were delivered on the night.
Rebecca White – Tasmanian Labor Leader
First as a reflection of our recognition of the deep history and culture of this island, I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners the palawa people of the land on which we stand today, lutruwita, and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge them Tasmanian Aboriginal people who have survived invasion and dispossession and continue to maintain their identity, culture and Aboriginal rights.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear tonight that we’ve fallen short of our goal to win majority Labor government. A short time ago I rang Peter Gutwein to congratulate him on his re-election and his impressive personal result. All around the country we’ve seen incumbent governments rewarded for their management of COVID-19. And there is no doubt that Peter Gutwein and our public health officials kept our community safe. And tonight’s result reflects that. Peter Gutwein did call an early election because he wanted this election to be about his management of COVID-19 and tonight’s outcome is a strong result for the Liberal Party and Peter Gutwein’s leadership. But this election has also seen the elevation of other issues that matter to Tasmanians. And it is so important that the government listens to the concerns that have been raised throughout the course of his campaign, because the stories of Tasmanians who have been left behind cannot continue to be ignored. I hope this campaign has been a wake up call for the Liberals that Tasmanians will not tolerate business as usual from the Liberal government. Tasmanians will not tolerate surgery waiting lists that are the worst in the country. They will not tolerate ambulance response times that are the slowest in the country. And they will not tolerate Tasmanians dying in the emergency department because they can’t access the health care they need. And Tasmanians will not continue to tolerate the endless infrastructure promises that are never fulfilled.
Just because we have fallen short of forming government at this election, it does not mean that we will stop fighting to make Tasmania a better and fairer place.
Labor put forward a positive plan at this election to create more jobs for Tasmanians, to invest in the essential services like health, and housing, education, and to make people’s lives better. I’m proud of the campaign that we ran, and for each of our candidates for their hard work. And I want to thank our incredible candidates who come from all walks of life and worked tirelessly knocking on doors, making calls, standing on street stalls, and meeting 1000s upon 1000s of Tasmanians. You should all be so proud of the way that you’ve run your campaign. I also want to thank very much the incredible volunteers who have been tireless in their efforts to support the Labor team this election, you truly are amazing.
And I want to acknowledge the members at this election who’ve lost their seats. And in particular, I want to acknowledge and to thank Jennifer Houston, a proud palawa woman who has dedicated her life to her community, and to thank her for her contribution to our party, and our parliament. And I also want to thank my friend Allison Standen, who’s been a champion for the people of Franklin, and hard working member of the Labor team. I don’t believe that this will be the last that we see of Allie, because she’s such a talent and someone who has so much to offer to the Tasmanian parliament. I also want to thank every member of our campaign team and in particular Steel Benson State Secretary for your leadership, not just during this campaign, but for many, many years now. And thank you very much for that and your friendship. I want to thank my incredible staff, many of you in this room with us today. I’m in awe of your work ethic, your dedication, your compassion, and your ability to deliver outcomes for people is inspiring, and it motivates me every single day.
I want to thank my colleagues, and I see some of them in this room. You are the best group of people I’ve ever worked with. We are a strong team and I know that together we’ll keep working incredibly hard for the people who put their trust and faith in us to represent them in the Tasmanian parliament. I’m incredibly proud to call each and every one of you a friend. The federal parliamentary Labor Party, and in particular, our federal Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, and members of his Shadow Cabinet who’ve joined us in this campaign trail here in Tasmania, your support, your friendship, and your interest in Tasmania, is well noted. We are so lucky to have a strong Labor movement across the country that comes out in force to support our Labor campaigns no matter where they occur. And I particularly want to thank Anthony for the work that he’s done to support the Tasmanian campaign this election. And, of course, my family. My husband Ross, and my dad are here tonight, my mum who’s looking after my beautiful daughter Mia. You put up with a lot. But you’re always save all my side, and I really couldn’t do it without you. So thank you so much.
We started this campaign with the promise that Labor could work hard every day for Tasmaniana. We may have fallen short of winning government this time around but I want to thank all of those Tasmanians who put their faith in Labor. We won’t let you down. We will continue to work hard each and every day. And we will keep standing up for those Tasmanians who deserve a fair go. Thank you everybody.
Cassy O’Connor – Tasmanian Greens Leader
I respectfully begin by acknowledging Tasmania’s first people the palawa pakana, who shaped and nurtured this island’s landscape for tens of thousands of years.
From putalina to kunanyi, kutalina to wukalina and takayna. Everywhere you look are the signs of a people have lived deeply connected to nature and this island for millennia – in the open plains and grasslands, in the fire-born giant regnans towering over younger rainforests, in tool scatters across all parts of this island.
You can read this island’s long human story in the coastal middens, and rock depressions where women slept with their children, before all was taken away with the arrival of the English and their guns.
To the proud and wily Aboriginal warriors who fought for their country, to elders past and present and those who will come, I pay deep respect.
The Greens will keep fighting for truth, Treaty, Justice and the return of lands.
What a beautiful autumn day. We’re back, the Greens are back in town.
On behalf of everyone who worked so hard on this campaign, I want to warmly thank every Tasmanian who put their trust in us today. We will not let you down. We have never let you down.
We’ll keep being your voice, a voice for your children and grandchildren, for the wild places and creatures, and for what makes this beautiful island we share unique in all the world.
We’ll be your voice for a greener, fairer Tasmania, and a cleaner democracy, and a fierce one at that.
To the people of Clark, who have again voted Green, thank you. It is the honour and privilege of my life to be your representative in parliament. I will be so proud to continue that service.
And congratulations to my fellow Clark candidates for helping to make this the most fascinating and, as it turns out, most critical race of this election.
To the Premier Peter Gutwein, congratulations on being resoundingly re-elected to Bass. You took a gamble on an early poll and you can’t yet be sure it will pay off. If it doesn’t, it’s up to you what happens next. I hope you find a way to make it work for our island and its people.
Congratulations, Rebecca White, I really admire your guts. Congratulations for giving it a red hot go and for gaining momentum in the last couple of weeks. I hope you and your precious little baby get a well-earned rest in the days ahead.
To everyone who ran for elected office in this campaign, good on you. It takes real guts to put yourself forward to face the slings and arrows, knowing that all that effort may not bear fruit.
But long live Tasmania’s democracy. When the people speak, we must obey. I am so proud of the campaign the Greens have run at this election. We’ve given everything we’ve got and then some.
We were out there from day one ready with great candidates, so much positive energy, and a hopeful vision for Tasmania’s future. We knocked on thousands of doors in five short weeks, and we’ve heard the mood for a greener, fairer Tasmania.
Unlike our petulant winner-take-all colleagues in the Liberal and Labor parties, the Greens will always respect the will of the people.
It is the Tasmanian people who decide who governs Tasmania, not the Premier, or the leader of the Opposition. It’s the people who decide.
The Greens have won back Clark and Franklin with strong swings, and we are still in the race for Bass. There’s been a solid swing to the Greens right across the island.
We set out to make this campaign about creating a greener, fairer Tasmania, turning a social and economic crisis into a reset that creates the future so many Tasmanians, particularly young people, are yearning for.
There is no going back to normal because normal wasn’t working. We can do so much better by this beautiful island and its people.
More than 120,000 Tasmanians live in poverty. Children are going to without. Our hospitals are in dire straits. The rental and housing supply crisis is pricing Tasmanians out of their own paradise, and increasingly onto the streets.
And nature is under assault with a renewed level of almost gleeful intensity under the Liberals.
Our mighty forest carbon banks are being flattened and burned and sent to China as chips.
Our native species are being driven to extinction. The world’s fastest parrot, the exquisite and miraculous swift parrot, is now said to be reduced to 300 individual birds.
Once pristine marine waters are being privatised and filled with fish shit, chemicals and marine debris by a rapacious industry that wants to double in size over the next 10 years. Not on our watch.
We have to create a new future where nature is respected and protected. And where no one is left behind. Only the neo-liberals in both the old parties will tell you it isn’t possible. It’s about the choices government makes.
The Greens choose a climate safe future for all our children and grandchildren. We choose a greener, fairer future, because that’s what every Tasmanian deserves.
We’re the only party that took a climate plan to this election. That is a shameful indictment on the two parties that have asked Tasmanians to let them run the state for the next four years, as the climate keeps warming and the urgency grows.
It’s past time they woke up to the challenges and to the opportunities ahead. This little island of ours, with its extraordinary natural riches, its clever, resilient people and strong sense of community, can show the world how it’s done.
Step one, we have to stop logging and burning our life-giving forests.
It is a massive, loss-making crime against the planet and future generations. It’s immoral to desecrate and to destroy such wonders.
We need to protect what is left and to restore what is lost.
On a stressed planet, protection and restoration are the future. And it’s where the green jobs will be found. In climate action, there is hope in abundance. And that’s what the planet and young people need right now.
We also took to this election a comprehensive plan to drive a housing-led recovery with 8000 new energy efficient, affordable homes in a decade and a skills drive in green building and construction.
And unlike our major party colleagues, we told Tasmanians how we would fund this critical social infrastructure. We’d tax the big corporates that have been given this island’s wealth, the people’s wealth, at bargain basement prices.
InTasmania, big mining, logging, fish farming and gambling, pay some of the lowest royalties and license fees in the country.
So do the developers moving in on our public lands and protected areas. This is robbing the Tasmanian people blind, usually at the expense of the environment.
If the mining industry had paid even the national average in royalties over the past 10 years, the state budget would have been $460 million better off.
People of Tasmania, you are being ripped off by both the major parties who are taking their corporate donations, then trading your treasures for trinkets.
The Greens have the courage to stand up to the power and the influence of the big corporations. We always have. We always will, you can count on it. Just as you can count on us to stand up to bullying foreign powers, who see this island as a nice morsel for the taking.
You can count on us to defend this island’s sovereignty and democracy every day of the week, and we will always be fierce human rights defenders.
We’re truth tellers. It’s what we do.
The backdrop to this election has been a pandemic and a Premier who listened to the advice of experts and got us through. But it’s also been seven long years of the Liberals in government. On every key social metric, Tasmania is going backwards.
Throughout this campaign, the social and economic crises of health and housing were the issues on the lips of every voter we spoke to.
People are dying on elective surgery waiting lists and in our emergency departments, because the Liberals in government have been more about spin than substance in health.
Homeless teenagers are sleeping between the bins in shopping centre car parks, families with children are sleeping in cars on old forestry roads, and old people with nothing or no-one under bridges and in bus shelters.
And under the Liberals, our forests and marine waters are under increasing threat from corporate greed, while the wilderness is being gifted to private developers who see places like Halls Island, and the beautiful South Coast track, as the last free real estate. Well not on our watch.
We hear some Liberals gloating about the state’s climate record while they accelerate native forest logging. Tasmania’s status as a net carbon sink is the result of decades of commitment and heart from the broader conservation movement and civil society, and the Greens’ hard work to protect this island’s extraordinary carbon rich forests.
Plenty of voters we spoke to during this campaign understood very well that neither the Premier nor any of his ministers ever told them what casino pokies tax rate they’ve negotiated with the Liberals’ major donor, the Federal Group, following the end of the monopoly deed and extension of pokies in pubs and clubs for the next 20 years.
This secret deal is likely to cost the state budget, in lost revenue, hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s money not going into our schools, hospitals, new homes and community services. An honest answer to that question really mattered in this campaign. And because the Premier didn’t tell Tasmanians before they went to the polls, he will have no mandate for whatever deal was struck.
Of course, Tasmanian Labor with its secret MOU with the gambling industry isn’t much better. Nor is their enduring attachment to loss making native forest logging and industrial fish farm expansion all over our beautiful coastline.
And to be fair, neither is their Liberal-lite threat to crack down on Tasmanians, who take a stand in defence of wild Tasmania.
Communities coming together to defend their place and way of life are ignored and demeaned by both the major parties as a matter of routine, whether it’s over forests, fish farms, the wilderness, or a monstrous mega development at Cambria Green or a prison in a nature reserve at Westbury.
And if Peter Gutwein or Rebecca White think threatening the nastiest, most corporatist anti-protest laws in the country will stop Tasmanians from bodily defending their place, they are very slow learners.
It won’t. No bad law will stop Tasmanians from defending our glorious forests from the bulldozers and the napalm, nor will it stop young people striking for a safe climate, nor will it hold us back. You can be sure of that.
To our members and supporters who’ve been such an important part of growing the Green vote this election, thank you. You gave this campaign real strength and visibility, and you give us motivation every single day.
To our wonderful candidates who made up the most diverse, inclusive ticket any party has ever taken to a Tasmanian election, thank you.
My friend and colleague, my rock, but just terrific and talented Rosalie Woodruff, in Franklin, who has romped home to a solid win in Franklin.
Big-hearted Liz Johnstone in Lyons, I know how hard you worked, and how much you love Lyons and its people.
Jack Davenport in Bass, a man truly of the people has run a cracking campaign and is still in the race.
Dr. Darren Briggs in Braddon, our doctor, healer and big Green thinker. Braddon’s a hard slog for the Greens, but Darren gave us his all.
And my big green-hearted running mate in Clark, Vica Bayley. I felt stronger. standing within your calm and helpful aura. We all did. Thank you.
To our campaign manager Deb Rees, there just aren’t the words. You pulled this together so magnificently. Just looking at you some days made me believe everything would be alright on the night. Thank you, thank you wonderful Deb.
An enormous thank you to our incredible little team. My mighty Green wing woman Alice Giblin. Our policy genius Thomas Whitton, and our talented parliamentary crew of Will Greer, Steve Wright, Jo Bull and Millie Knott and our volunteer, Sandy Bowden. Eddie Gray, thank you for your sterling effort, you made a real difference to this campaign.
To the campaign organising team, Kristian, Callie, Danny, Bridget, Jordan and Nina, I still can’t believe what you pulled off in such a short time. I am in awe and deepest gratitude.
To our secret weapons for good, the Young Greens. You have been catalytic in this campaign. Catalytic to its energy, its colour and its purpose. I am humbled by your faith and your dedication.
When I look at you, Young Greens, I know the future of our great party is in the best of hands. It fills me with hope.
I also want to thank those of you from the environment and community groups who stood with us because you’re brave and you believe in a greener Tasmania. Thank you. It made a real difference to us.
And last, but almost most, my dear friends and family, my darling Nick, my firstborn, Lachlan, who is watching from New Zealand, and Conor, Jasper and Stella, who are up here giving me strength tonight.
So what’s next? Well, we’ll stay true. And here’s our message to the next Premier, whoever that might be. Stop trying to destroy the joint. Be part of creating a greener, fairer, kinder future.
I’m blessed to have many conversations with Tasmanians in my wonderful job and this is what I know. From all corners of the island and all walks of life. Tasmanians just love this place. They love it’s wild beauty, the wilderness on all our doorsteps. How lucky we are.
People want the old parties and their corporate cronies to stop trying to squeeze the goodness out of this lovely island. They want governments that can see past the dollar signs, who can see what it is we are stewards of, our heart place, Tasmania, an island like no other.
They want to be led by people who understand how rare and precious our island is. They want decency and integrity in politics.
That’s why we’re here. It’s why we’ve been here for the past 38 years, staying true to this beautiful island and its people. We are the Tasmanian Greens and we are here to stay. Thank you.
Peter Gutwein
Thank you very much. Ladies, gentlemen. Can I begin by first acknowledging the Tasmanian Aboriginal people, their elders past, present and emerging? I’d also like to begin by acknowledging my political opponents Ms White and Ms O’Connor. This has been a hard fought campaign. And whilst we sit at different places on the political spectrum, I know from our work together – especially early last year when Tasmania was in the grip of the virus in those first couple of months – that both of you, like me, are dedicated to serving the Tasmanian community. And I wish you both well into the future.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, what a night. What a night and whilst whilst we have won this election convincingly, it appears increasingly likely that we will also be governing in majority. And whilst obviously there’s some counting to be done, it would be an absolute honour and a privilege to be given that opportunity by the Tasmanian people. And we came to government in 2014, under the leadership of my good friend, Will Hodgman. And for the first six years, we worked hard. We fixed the budget, we rebuilt our finances. We invested record amounts into essential services.
And then two things changed. Firstly, Will Hodgman retired last January. My colleagues elected me to be the next leader of the Liberal Party and Premier of Tasmania. I said, I said then that I would lead a government of conviction, of compassion, and one of opportunity for all. And that my vision for Tasmania was to ensure that no matter who you are, no matter where you live, your circumstance or background, I wanted the opportunities that are available and as strong growing economy that we have to be available to you, and that we will take the steps to ensure that you could grasp them.
And then, and then secondly, coronavirus emerged as a threat to our health and to our economy. And we all had to work even harder. I want to thank Tasmanians for the way that they worked with me and with the government. How they helped their neighbours, how they helped the state over the last year to get on top of that deadly virus. The decisions I had to make as Premier have been among the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But Tasmanians worked together. And as a community we succeeded. Tasmania, Tasmanians, regardless of religion, of race, of politics, circumstance or background, held up their hands to each other in the most extraordinary and outstanding display of the common humanity that I’ve ever witnessed. And I want to say to Tasmanians: thank you for that. Because in doing so, we turned Tasmania and one of the safest places in this country and without doubt one of the safest places on this planet
And as a result, confidence increased. Our economy is now one of the fastest growing in the nation. Jobs have returned to pre pandemic levels and even today I’m pleased to say that there are more Tasmanians in work right now than what they were before the pandemic hit. We must now build on that success. It’s time for Tasmania’s next chapter. To build on the 100 years of Hydro development as we assist the country to transition to a lower emissions energy situation and step boldly into the new energy revolution of green hydrogen. To train and skill Tasmanian workers, young or old in cities or in regions, for the multitude of jobs that we have available in our strong growing economy. To become the go-to state when thinking about innovation, smart manufacturing and enterprise. To build a health system that Tasmanians can be proud of. And I can assure Tasmanians that health will be better. To keep delivering more housing solutions because every Tasmanian deserves a roof over their head. And to build better schools, and better education outcomes. Because every Tasmanian kid deserves the best start in life that we can give them.
I have never been more positive about our state’s future than I am right now.
And I’ve never been more certain that our state’s best days are still in front of us. I look forward to working closely with my Liberal colleagues and the new members of my parliamentary team. They are a dedicated and talented bunch of individuals; I’ve worked with some of them for nearly 20. They work hard. They deliver. They have Tasmania’s best interests at heart and they will continue to do so.
I want to thank those people associated with the Liberal campaign who did such a fantastic job. The state president Rod Scurra, the state director Stuart Smith, who just seems to work 24/7, and especially the hard-working campaign team, thank you so very much. Elections are tough and Hare-Clark is brutal. And to the fantastic, talented candidates who supported our team, but weren’t successful this time round, thank you for your hard work and thank you to the teams that supported you. To my own loyal staff, who are so well led by the best Chief of Staff a Premier could ever ask for in Andrew Finch. Thank you. I won’t name the rest of the team but you know who you are. You stood up during COVID and you’ve stayed standing up and I’m immensely proud of you all.
I do want to mention one special individual that’s been with me for nearly 20 years and that’s Dorothy D’Hayes. She began this journey with me when I first entered parliament. Your loyalty, passion and hard work never ceases to amaze me. Albeit at times you do get a little passionate. A little too passionate I should say. Lastly and most importantly to my family. My wife Amanda, my children Milly and and Finn. You keep me centred and you keep me focused. I love you and I’m so proud of you. This is a tough job. Those that have been in it for a while understand that you can’t do without your family standing behind you. Without your family carrying you at times. I just want to say to mine, I could not have asked for one better. Thank you so much.
In finishing, thank you Tasmania for the trust and faith that you’ve placed in me and the Liberal Party. I know today many people will have voted Liberal for the first time. I will not forget the faith you’ve shown and I will not let you down. We will govern for all Tasmanians regardless of who you are, regardless of where you live, regardless of your circumstance or background. And once the count is completed, we will get straight back to work and ensure that together we secure Tasmania’s future. Thank you very much.
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