BARRY PRISMALL Examiner
FORMER Liberal Premier Robin Gray has called for a recession “war cabinet” of Liberal and Labor Ministers if there is a hung Parliament after next year’s State election. In explosive comments, bound to offend his Liberal colleagues in Opposition, Mr Gray has told The Examiner there was no difference between the Liberal and Labor parties, and a coalition cabinet of the major parties would be preferable to another disaster with the Greens holding the balance of power.
“There is virtually no difference in the attitude and aspirations of the major parties in Tasmania, as distinct from interstate. Both have a wish to do their very best for the State and their policies in government are hardly different,” Mr Gray said.
“If neither the Liberal nor Labor parties win an outright majority at the March 2010 election, there should be a coalition between them. It is the only way. The alternative would be too damaging in the current precarious economic climate,” he said.
The Gray coalition model involves the party which wins the most votes at the election providing the roles of premier and six ministers. The minor partner in the coalition would provide the roles of deputy premier plus up to four ministers.
When told of Mr Gray`s comments Premier David Bartlett ruled out doing deals with the Liberals or the Greens.
“Only the Labor Party, based on all on the polls, is in a position to form a majority government and that is what we are aiming for. There is little attraction in doing any deal with the Liberals,” Mr Bartlett said.
Opposition Leader Will Hodgman said his objective is to deliver a Liberal Government which is both stable and responsible.
“I cannot foresee a day when the Tasmanian Liberals would go into any sort of coalition with the ALP. Labor’s lack of ethics and standards, alone, would rule that out,” Mr Hodgman said.
Greens leader Nick McKim said Mr Gray forgot that a minority government including the Greens had the difficult task of rescuing the State’s economy after the Gray Government left such a mess in 1989.
“I welcome Mr Gray’s recognition that the recession warrants a war cabinet style approach, as that is exactly what I called for earlier this year, when I called for the three political leaders to work together in such a war cabinet style to guide Tasmania through these difficult economic times,” Mr McKim said.
Mr Gray said there were precedents to his scenario. In 1991 the Tasmanian Liberal Opposition successfully protected the Field minority Labor Government from threats of a no confidence motion moved by the Greens, in order to ensure that forest resource security legislation was passed by the hung Parliament.
