Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 4 May 2022
New Premier, Same Redundant Legislative Agenda
We hoped the newly convened Parliament would help chart a greener and kinder future. Unfortunately, what we seem to have is the same tired old Liberal government rehashing tired old legislation.
Like a dog returning to its vomit, Minister for Unlawful Activities, Guy Barnett, has resumed his favourite pastime – vilifying and attempting to make criminals out of passionate, future focussed Tasmanians. This time by introducing the Police Offences Amendment (Workplace Protection) Bill 2022, otherwise known as the Anti-Protest Bill.
The irony can’t be ignored that this is occurring at the same time the Government introduced the Forest Practices Amendment (Validation) Bill 2022 – the Liberals’ bill designed to paper over the cracks of decades of illegal logging.
The anti-protest laws will impose heavy fines and jail terms on forest defenders and climate change activists and potentially anyone who protests about planet destroying activities, on public or private land.
This draconian legislation paves the way for dodgy corporations like JBS, the Brazilian Butchers, to destroy our waterways and trample workers’ rights – as they are world-renowned for doing.
If legislated, it’s a guarantee more climate-saving, carbon-rich forests will be flattened and incinerated while brave forest defenders have their lives derailed by criminal convictions. Workers’ rights will go down the drain, unchallenged, and champions for fair workplace conditions will be fined and jailed.
If passed, prisons and courts will surely swell with passionate and caring Tasmanians, whose conviction to their cause far outweighs their fear of arrest.
We know the Liberals are doggedly pushing their assault on Nature and democracy, but what will Labor do?
If the Labor Party support this legislation they will betray a core principle of their movement – the right to peaceful assembly.
We implore Labor to stand up to the dinosaur Liberals, out of touch as they are with the crises afflicting our planet and which affects every element of our lives, whether it’s the climate and bio-diversity emergency, workers’ rights or the cost of living.
Protest triggers change, and the right to protest is a human right – one every member of Parliament should be protecting.
Rosalie Woodruff MP, Justice spokesperson, 4 May 2022
Dark Money Doesn’t Phase Minister
The Attorney General Elise Archer MP has refused to refer JBS’ purchase of Huon Aquaculture to the Australian Federal Police, despite overwhelming evidence the proceeds of crime have been used to fund its corporate expansion into Australia’s protein market.
The corporate protein behemoth, JBS, owned by the two Batista butchers from Brazil, has been exposed internationally for a litany of scandals.
Four Corners has documented the Batista brothers’ self-confessed bribery in Brazil was used to obtain cheap finance to purchase companies in the United States and Australia.
The US Department of Justice has uncovered numerous violations of fraud, bribery and other violations of US Federal Laws by JBS. The company pleaded guilty to US foreign bribery charges. An FBI investigation found it paid millions of dollars to corrupt Brazilian officials to obtain financing to buy American companies.
It follows, that Australia should expect similar standards from this company.
The Brazilian butchers have been charged or convicted of price fixing, environmental vandalism, and illegal meat production through deforestation of the Amazon. They have an appalling record of workplace negligence around the world, including in Tasmania.
The use of the proceeds of crime to fund a venture is illegal. How can we have confidence in the Attorney-General, our first law officer in the state, when she isn’t interested in scrutinising the purchase of a major Tasmanian business by corporate criminal cowboys?
Dean Winter MP, Leader of Opposition Business, 4 May 2022
Tasmanians can expect same secrecy and lack of integrity from Rockliff
The Rockliff-Ferguson Government is the same old secretive government Tasmanians have unfortunately come to expect from the Liberal Party.
Premier Rockliff claims he wants to lead a government with integrity, yet he refuses to address or clear up the scandals in his government.
Today in State Parliament he refused to establish an independent inquiry into the alleged conflict of interest of Jane Howlett when she was Sports Minister.
If there is nothing to hide, Mr Rockliff should follow his words about integrity with actions and clear this matter up.
Premier Rockliff has also refused to rule out that the former chief of staff to Peter Gutwein will be appointed to a plum job managing this government’s proposed $750 million floating stadium.
Jeremy Rockliff cannot claim to lead a government with integrity when he is acting exactly the same as his predecessors.
Media release – Rebecca White MP, Labor Leader, 4 May 2022
Premier stumped by basic budget question
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has fallen at his first Question Time hurdle, completely unable to outline the impact of yesterday’s interest rate rise on the economy and the budget.
After a 40 day absence from Parliament following the resignation of his predecessor Peter Gutwein, Mr Rockliff was immediately stumped when asked about the impact of the first rate rise in more than 11 years.
What Tasmanians needed to hear is what his government will do to help Tasmanians struggling more and more with the cost of living.
The chaos of the Rockliff-Ferguson government has contributed to an ongoing worsening of the Tasmanian economy, with the latest CPI data showing the highest inflation in over 20 years at 5.8 per cent, well above the national average.
And while the cost of living soars, a record number of Tasmanians are moving to the mainland, business and consumer confidence is falling, the Tasmanian budget is weighed down with record debt and more taxpayer money will now have to be spent on interest repayments.
The Rockliff-Ferguson government does not have a plan to ease the cost of living for Tasmanian households.
This is not what Tasmanians voted for a year ago.
Media release – Nic Street, Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly, 4 May 2022
Labor’s disgraceful waste of Question Time
Labor’s disgraceful personal attacks in Question Time today demonstrated that they have no intention of climbing out of the gutter and confirmed that they have no plan and offer absolutely no alternative for Tasmanians.
After complaining about having no Question Time yesterday, the Opposition Leader then used her Question Time today to ask one solitary question about policy, followed by a stream of gutter-style personal attacks on individual members and even more disgustingly used individual family members as political weapons.
The disgraceful personal attack tactics from the Opposition today are disappointing but unsurprising as they reflect the “toxic environment” more broadly in the Labor Party, which former Labor Huon MLC Dr Bastian Seidel said was the reason behind his shock resignation last year.
In contrast to the Opposition, the Government has a strong agenda in both houses of Parliament including important legislation dealing with the economy, changes to land tax and duties to deliver our foreign investor surcharge commitment, our resources sector, Criminal Code amendments, stronger workplace protections, addressing driver distraction and speed enforcement, and our family violence and searches in custody reforms.
