Media release – Independent candidate for Clark, Sue Hickey, 20 March 2024

Tasmania’s wasted years neglecting sustainability platform

Tasmania has wasted the opportunity of the past four years because the State Government failed to adopt a sustainability vision, a key recommendation of its own Premier’s Economic and Social Recovery Advisory Council (PESRAC).

The expert Council was established in 2020 to provide advice to the Government on strategies and initiatives to support the short to medium, and the longer-term recovery from COVID-19. It made a series of recommendations on measures to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and recover from it.

Independent candidate for Clark, Sue Hickey, said while some initiatives had been implemented, the Liberal Government had neglected the recommended sustainability policy platform that might have responded to cost of living pressures, the housing crisis, transport issues and the footprint of tourism numbers on our environment.

“Nothing is more important, particularly for younger Tasmanians and future generation, but the Government set it aside,” Ms Hickey said.

“It had also failed to review the Southern Regional Land Use Strategy that was last reviewed in 2012 and was no longer fit for purpose.”

Ms Hickey said the review was vital to provide the evidence for amending local government planning zones to ensure appropriate and needed development.

“This is a critical issue, particularly for Clark and the south of the state as more than 60 percent of Tasmania’s population growth over the past five years has been in the southern region,” she said.

“The reality is that Tasmania wasn’t ready to meet the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic.

“The Liberal Government basked in its election win of 2014, went to sleep in 2018 and rode on Peter Gutwein’s COVID wave in 2021.

“Now we have another election and in desperation to win votes, virtually everyone who draws breath is being promised a prize, all at taxpayers’ expense.

“This is irresponsible in the extreme and seriously detrimental to Tasmania’s long-term economic and social sustainability.”

Ms Hickey said Tasmania urgently needed a fit-for-purpose sustainability vision that sets the state up for the future.

“We need a planning system that is agile and responsive not a bureaucratic defence of the status quo.

“We need a tourism vision that is grounded in community engagement so we can feel proud of our natural assets and not a tourism strategy that is confined to corporate demands. We need a tourism strategy that Tasmanians need rather than what the corporates want.

“We cannot afford to neglect the limitations of our sustainable assets.

Ms Hickey said all the party promises made at this election need to assessed not just financially but on the basis of their sustainability for the long-term.

“We need to build a better and sustainable Tasmania for our children and children’s children, and immediately commence redressing the past four years and longer of failure.”

Read the fine print! How the Liberals will avoid delivering on their promises.

Tasmanian voters and organisations being promised largesse by the Liberals are being urged to read and listen carefully to the party’s announcements before they count on the election pledge being delivered.

Independent candidate for Clark, Sue Hickey, said while all political parties had a history of promising much at election time and then deferring, delaying, or not delivering on their commitments, the Liberals were taking the trickery to new heights.

“All their media statements contain the words ‘a re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal Government will deliver …..’ ‘or a re-elected majority Liberal Government promises…’,” she said.

“There are two clear promise-breaking outs contained in those few words,” Ms Hickey said.

“Firstly, if the Liberals are not in the majority after the election, which is the most likely outcome, and they form a minority government, they will claim their promises are voided.

“Secondly, should Jeremy Rockliff be replaced as leader, another likely happening as it is well known that the hard right faction already has the numbers to install Michael Ferguson to head the party, it won’t be the Rockliff Liberal Government, so it can ditch everything and claim that technically, they are not breaking promises.”

Ms Hickey said the Liberals had history in promising the world and then failing to deliver.

“Remember the promised underground bus mall in Hobart, the duplication of the Midland Highway and the second bridge across the Tamar in Launceston, now trotted out again, provided the Federal Government stumps up the money.

“But this time, they’ve taken it a step further by including weasel words in all their announcements so they can get out of honouring the promises if things don’t go their preferred way.

“This must be the most cynical example of political deception in recent memory and Tasmanians need to be aware.

“Tasmanians should read the fine print and not be surprised if the Liberals renege on their promises,” Ms Hickey said.