Twitter thread – Jeremy Rockliff, 13 February 2024
— untitled —
This afternoon I met with my team to discuss the failure of former Liberal MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander to commit to a new, enduring agreement.
It was unanimously agreed that in the light of this, it was appropriate for me to request the Governor to call a general election. So that’s what I’ll be doing.
The only way to restore the stability and certainty Tasmanians need is to re-elect a majority Liberal Government.
Mercury front page for Wednesday 
Media release – Rebecca White MP, Tasmanian Labor Leader, 13 February 2024
After 10 years of Liberals, it’s time for a better future
Following seven months of telling Tasmanians there would be no early election, Jeremy Rockliff has finally come clean about his true intentions.
After two weeks of dithering since trying to be the tough guy to John Tucker and Lara Alexander, the Premier has never looked weaker.
After 10 years of the Liberals, Tasmanians want urgent action on the cost of living. They want to pay Tasmanian prices for Tasmanian power, and they want a plan to set Tasmania up for the future.
Tasmanians want a health system which meets their needs, they want better access to housing and they want their children to get a good education.
It’s time for a better future for Tasmania, and the only way to secure that is to vote Labor.
Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MP, Greens Leader, 13 February 2024
Tasmania to Head to Early Election
This is the second term in a row we’ve seen a Liberal premier call an election a year early purely for the sake of their own political self-interest. So much for ‘stable majority government’.
However we got here, we’re now in an election campaign that’s an exciting generational opportunity for real and lasting positive change.
The Greens are ready to go, and we’ve already been getting really good feedback from the community about our vision for Tasmania.
With a new government and the Greens in balance of power, we’ll fight for real action on the cost of living and housing, climate change, health, and environmental protection.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 13 February 2024
Old Parties Will Lose Ground
The Liberal and Labor parties will lose ground at this state election and deserve the thrashing voters will give them, former state and national Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
“Both the old parties want more unpopular logging of native forests, fish pens in our inshore waters and foreign-owned mines in wild and scenic Tasmania. That’s last century thinking for this vibrant, natural island state. So is subsidising foreign multinational exploiters, for example through the Marinus cable, at the expense of health, education and transport: that will be a big vote loser in 2024.”
“The Liberal and Labor parties calling for stability is like the mafia calling for law and order. They are both riven with petty divisions and are bereft of new ideas except those dictated by the big end of town. They will go backwards this time. Expect to see the Greens gain more seats and more independents,” Brown said.
Editor’s note: And in case anyone has a short memory:
James B
February 13, 2024 at 19:58
As previously stated in other posts, an election is not necessary!
Rebecca White would now be legally able to ask the Governor to form a minority Labor Government. This could save the taxpayer a fortune, and do so with the support of the cross-bench! If they don’t then it would suggest that it is happy to waste the public’s time and money.
An election will not bring stability to Tasmania with its 35 seats, the Lambie network and new cross-bench seats with smaller quotas, and with money wasted that could have been spent on more hospital beds!
Chris
February 14, 2024 at 09:16
We should remember, if the Liberals are successful in getting back, that the nephew of Otto also wishes to prolong his illustrious career in politics. I plead for all sensible Tasmanians to place him last.
We all know the influence he has had in the LNP/IPA party as well as the MIS schemes disaster, and if the Libs retain government he will aspire to lead us as per the right-wing nut jobs in the IPA.
The many points hereunder appeared in the IPA Review.
1 Repeal the carbon tax, and don’t replace it. It will be one thing to remove the burden of the carbon tax from the Australian economy. But if it is just replaced by another costly scheme, most of the benefits will be undone.
2 Abolish the Department of Climate Change
3 Abolish the Clean Energy Fund
4 Repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
5 Abandon Australia’s bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council
6 Repeal the renewable energy target
7 Return income taxing powers to the states
8 Abolish the Commonwealth Grants Commission
9 Abolish the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
10 Withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol
11 Introduce fee competition to Australian universities
12 Repeal the National Curriculum
13 Introduce competing private secondary school curriculums
14 Abolish the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
15 Eliminate laws that require radio and television broadcasters to be ‘balanced’
16 Abolish television spectrum licensing and devolve spectrum management to the common law
17 End local content requirements for Australian television stations
18 Eliminate family tax benefits
19 Abandon the paid parental leave scheme
20 Means-test Medicare
21 End all corporate welfare and subsidies by closing the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
22 Introduce voluntary voting
23 End mandatory disclosures on political donations
24 End media blackout in final days of election campaigns
25 End public funding to political parties
26 Remove anti-dumping laws
27 Eliminate media ownership restrictions
28 Abolish the Foreign Investment Review Board
29 Eliminate the National Preventative Health Agency
30 Cease subsidising the car industry
31 Formalise a one-in, one-out approach to regulatory reduction
32 Rule out federal funding for 2018 Commonwealth Games
33 Deregulate the parallel importation of books
34 End preferences for Industry Super Funds in workplace relations laws
35 Legislate a cap on government spending and tax as a percentage of GDP
36 Legislate a balanced budget amendment which strictly limits the size of budget deficits and the period the federal government can be in deficit
37 Force government agencies to put all of their spending online in a searchable database
38 Repeal plain packaging for cigarettes and rule it out for all other products, including alcohol and fast food
39 Reintroduce voluntary student unionism at universities
40 Introduce a voucher scheme for secondary schools
41 Repeal the alcopops tax
42 Introduce a special economic zone in the north of Australia including:
a) Lower personal income tax for residents
b) Significantly expanded 457 Visa programs for workers
c) Encourage the construction of dams
43 Repeal the mining tax
44 Devolve environmental approvals for major projects to the states
45 Introduce a single rate of income tax with a generous tax-free threshold
46 Cut company tax to an internationally competitive rate of 25 per cent
47 Cease funding the Australia Network
48 Privatise Australia Post
49 Privatise Medibank
50 Break up the ABC and put out to tender each individual function
51 Privatise SBS
52 Reduce the size of the public service from current levels of more than 260,000 to at least the 2001 low of 212,784
53 Repeal the Fair Work Act
54 Allow individuals and employers to negotiate directly terms of employment that suit them
55 Encourage independent contracting by overturning new regulations designed to punish contractors
56 Abolish the Baby Bonus
57 Abolish the First Home Owners’ Grant
58 Allow the Northern Territory to become a state
59 Halve the size of the Coalition front bench from 32 to 16
60 Remove all remaining tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade
61 Slash top public servant salaries to much lower international standards, like in the United States
62 End all public subsidies to sport and the arts
63 Privatise the Australian Institute of Sport
64 End all hidden protectionist measures, such as preferences for local manufacturers in government tendering
65 Abolish the Office for Film and Literature Classification
66 Rule out any government-supported or mandated internet censorship
67 Means test tertiary student loans
68 Allow people to opt out of superannuation in exchange for promising to forgo any government income support in retirement
69 Immediately halt construction of the National Broadband Network and privatise any sections that have already been built
70 End all government funded Nanny State advertising
71 Reject proposals for compulsory food and alcohol labelling
72 Privatise the CSIRO
73 Defund Harmony Day
74 Close the Office for Youth
75 Privatise the Snowy-Hydro Scheme