Transcript of media conference with Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor, Member for Franklin Rosalie Woodruff, candidate for Huon Gideon Cordover and candidate for Elwick Hannah Bellamy, Parliament House, 24 February 2022.
Cassy O’Connor
We’re really proud Rosalie and I have to stand here to launch the Greens candidates for the upcoming legislative council elections in Elwick and in Huon. We have standing with us today two outstanding Tasmanians, who have demonstrated commitment to human rights to being a voice for nature and for fairness. And what we know about the Legislative Council of today is that it is dominated by the major parties. It is dominated by parties that take money from corporate and vested interests, and we saw during the pokies debate, what this leads to: it leads to legislation that works against the interests of the Tasmanian people. We need voices for nature, for fairness, for action on climate, in Tasmania’s Legislative Council. In the outstanding Hannah Bellamy and Gideon Cordover we have two fantastic candidates, and I’m so proud as Greens leader that we have people of this calibre and integrity who are prepared to put up their hands to stand for the Greens in the Legislative Council.
Rosalie Woodruff
Gideon Cordover is a truly exceptional candidate and we are very excited and proud to have him standing for the greens for the seat of human in the Legislative Council. He’s been a councillor on Kingborough Council for nearly three years. And in that short time, he has stood head and shoulders above other councillors, showing he’s able to do the work of bringing people together to advance progressive, socially-just and a strong climate action agenda. He has been responsible for bringing forward Kingborough Council’s zero carbon date by 15 years by from 2050 to 2035. He brought forward the motion that the councillors supported to end an increase on pokies venues in the Kingborough region. He has been responsible for the push to have FOGO in Kingborough. These are critical local government issues. But they show that Gideon Cordover has a strong ability to work with other people to bring forward just, sensible and future-thinking actions to protect disadvantaged people in the community and the future of everyone in Tasmania. So we’re incredibly proud to have him standing for this position in the Huon.
Gideon Cordover
Thank you. It is a great pleasure to be standing for the Greens in Huon. And I’m standing because we need to take seriously health, housing and the environment. I’m standing for integrity, compassion, and action in the Legislative Council. We need to make sure that we get dark money out of politics.
I’m standing to make sure that when that draconian anti-protest legislation comes before the parliament, there will be a strong voice in the Legislative Council. Whether you’re on the blockades in takayna / Tarkine protesting against the destruction of Tasmania’s precious native forests, or whether you’re here at Parliament on the lawns campaigning for wage increases, you deserve the right to be able to peacefully protest in Tasmania.
And importantly, we need to get that dark money out of politics because when corporations are donating to political parties, they’re not doing it because they just love democracy. They are doing it because they want to purchase political influence. And that is what is eroding people’s trust in our democratic system. We need to focus on health care for Huon because how could it be – doesn’t it boggle the mind – that after two years of a pandemic, we still don’t have an urgent care centre for the state south and we still don’t have an ambulance station for the channel? This is why I’m standing for the Legislative Council.
Cassy O’Connor
I just say a few words about Hannah Bellamy. Hannah is a highly qualified lawyer with expertise in climate justice, environmental justice, and human rights. She’s travelled the world and come home to Tasmania, where she was born and bred. And now Hannah works in the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania as a lawyer. And as someone who’s been around politics, green politics, for a long time, when I look at people like Hannah Bellamy, who’s prepared to stand for the Greens in Elwick, I feel humbled and proud. And I also know that our future as a party and as a movement is in the very best of hands. So a few words, Hannah.
Hannah Bellamy
Thank you, Cassy. I’m so proud to stand here with Cassy and Rosalie and with my fellow candidate Gideon. It is an honour to represent the Greens in this upcoming election. As a person who was raised by a single parent, and as a survivor of domestic violence, I’ve seen first-hand how critical it is that we support the most vulnerable in Tasmania through a strong public and social network of services.
The people of Elwick deserve a representative that will stand up and fight for them rather than lie down and bow down to corporate interests and to dirty, dark money. It is a growing and diverse community. And it is dangerous to generalise it in terms that it has in the past. The people there need someone to stand up with integrity, and I will be that person. Thank you.
Journalist – Elliott
The seat was held by Bastian Seidel, who was quite well-liked in the community. What do you offer beyond what he was offering?
Gideon Cordover
I think that we need to put a spotlight on health care. It is ridiculous that after two years of a pandemic that it takes weeks to book an appointment for a GP if you live in Kingborough or in Huon Valley. It’s not fair for the people of Huon, that when you call the ambulance you don’t have the confidence that there’ll be enough paramedics or vehicles to arrive there on time. I think whilst I commend what the current member for Huon has done, he was really monstered in my opinion by a party that didn’t support him. And I really think that if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that people don’t change that party, that party changes people. I want to be in the Upper House to throw a spotlight on health care, to give the people of Huon the health care that they deserve. And I won’t be in that same situation that I feel that the current Member for Huon was in where the party did not support him in order to achieve those positive health outcomes for the people of Huon.
Journalist – Emily Baker
(inaudible)
Hannah Bellamy
I would say that the community feedback in general is that there is a great sense of being let down, especially by the party that took a policy to the last election that would stand up against the pokies. And we saw last year that that absolutely didn’t happen. And there was mass resistance. As a candidate for the Greens, we do not stand for being bought by large political donations. We’re a party of the people. And I’m standing there for the people representing them and their needs and what they have specifically said that they require to be a healthy, happy community.
Journalist – Emily Baker
(inaudible)
Hannah Bellamy
Yeah, so again, I would reiterate that it is quite a dangerous thing to try and generalise Elwick by the changing demographics. So yes, there has been a large influx of young families, new international migrants and a growing arts and food scene, which brings a lot of positives. But in that, there is a lot of there are a lot of people in our work that suffer great disadvantage. And these people have been left behind by current political discourse, and they’re not being represented. Thank you. All when you deciding to enter, say, politics versus something you’ve always sort of aspired to. It was definitely a turning point. For me. It’s something that I’ve thought about. And I would say that, like most Australians, I would echo that there’s been great despair in state and federal politics of the current elected MPs that letting down people day in and day out. And I was standing there, and I just felt that I couldn’t stand any longer and watch this happen without using my voice.
Tasmanian Times
A few years ago, the average age of the LegCo members was about 150. Recent elections – Meg Webb, Jo Palmer, Bastian Seidel – brought that down. Do you think it’s a good thing to have some younger people in it?
Hannah Bellamy
I absolutely do. Yes, completely. Our community isn’t just made up of people who are 105 years old. Our community is young, we’re diverse. We’re changing, Tasmania is changing every single day. And we need to have houses of politics that absolutely represent this diversification.
Journalist – Emily Baker
(inaudible)
Cassy O’Connor
We’ll be engaging deeply within the communities of Huon and Elwick, but we’ll be doing it in a COVID safe and respectful way. We recognise that people don’t want to see unmasked candidates and door knockers at their doors. So we’ll be door knocking with our masks on keeping a safe distance. But it’s totally possible to have really engaging conversations with electors in a COVID safe way.
And we think that all political parties and candidates running in these Legislative Council elections need to do so in a COVID safe way, so they’re not putting the people that they’re engaging with at risk. But there’s nothing stopping us. And in fact, we are looking forward to and have already started having really engaging conversations with communities across Elwick and Huon.
Journalist – David Killick
The Greens have never had a member in the Upper House. How do you rate your chances in either of these?
Cassy O’Connor
Well, it’s a very fluid time that we live in. And while the Greens have not yet had a member elected to the Upper House, it is time and we think we’ve got such outstanding candidates that we’re in with a strong chance. We think that there’s deep frustration in the broader community of Tasmania about inaction on climate, social injustice, the terrible way that the pandemic has been handled, the lack of vision for the future of communities in Tasmania, so we are going for these seats to win them.
Journalist – Elliott
I think one of the other candidates, Toby Thorpe, he’s obviously got a reputation for climate activism so are you worried that will take away some of your votes.
Cassy O’Connor
No. Toby’s a very good person and a highly respected climate activist but Toby’s mistake is that he’s running for the Labor Party and, like so many good people before him, ultimately the Labor Party machine will chew him up and spit him out. The Labor Party will not let Toby Thorpe speak his mind on issues like climate, or pokies, for example, so we hope those electors in Huon and Elwick recognise when they vote Green, they’re voting for candidates with absolute integrity, who are not compromised by the old parties, the dirty money that they take, the lies that they so freely tell. We offer something fresh and honest and gutsy and values driven.
Journalist – Emily Baker
Dirty money buys a lot of billboards. How will you deal with that given you’ve also go candidates in the federal election, and …
Cassy O’Connor
We’ll be right. We’re fundraising as we speak, and our loyal members and supporters will contribute to the funds that we allocate to these Legislative Council campaigns. Remember, however, there are spending limits on Legislative Council campaigns. So I don’t think we’ll see the rivers of dirty money going into these campaigns that we’ve seen in the last two state elections simply by the nature of the fact that they’re Legislative Council campaigns. But you you win or lose these campaigns through engagement, through talking directly to voters and offering them a vision for the future, which is honest, and fresh, and rich with integrity and decency. And that’s what we’ll be doing.
Journalist – Bob Burton
There’s no requirement for Legislative Council candidates to disclose political donations; will the Greens candidates be disclosing donations above $1500 in real time?
Cassy O’Connor
Yes, that is our policy.
Tasmanian Times
Aquaculture and its effects as pollution – noise, physical pollution in waterways – has been a big issue in southern Tasmania. It’s been one of the big controversies over the last couple of years, but it’s also going to be an issue in coming years. And that’s the sort of thing that LegCo would be assessing, legislation to create new fish farming zones etc.
Gideon Cordover
Yes, thank you for the question. On the Kingborough Council, I’ve been a very strong voice, trying to protect our coastal areas and the communities that live around them from the deleterious impacts of the salmonid industry. Where it works, it works inland in closed loop systems. But where it doesn’t work is when it is exploiting the natural environment and disturbing those communities. So I campaigned strongly in the recent by election when I was running for mayor to have salmon farms pay council rates; I don’t understand why other businesses in the community have to pay rates, but they somehow get a free pass. Irrespective of what happens, we have now seen this shift to multinationals and big firms where they are putting the dollar before communities. And so if you look at a company like JBS whose track record is so abysmal, whether it’s bribery scandals overseas, whether it’s environmental scandals, we need to keep a close eye on these multinationals and on the industry in general to make sure that we can have a sustainable industry that is sustainable both for people and for the environment.
Journalist – Emily Baker
(inaudible) What do you make of Mike Pavan moving over to run NRE?
Cassy O’Connor
Well, that’s interesting. The first thing I want to say is that there are huge question marks over the government government’s decision to abolish Communities Tasmania, this is the former Department of Human Services. This is the front facing department for tens of thousands of Tasmanians. And what does it tell Tasmanians about this government’s prioritisation of community and public services when they’re prepared to abolish Communities Tasmania, it is a disgrace. And as a former Minister for Human Services, I am deeply worried about the message that this sends to tens of thousands of Tasmanians about how the government simply deprioritises their services and their needs. And I think it’s disgraceful. As for Mike Pavan running Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Look, I think ultimately, that’s a matter for the Premier to answer to. There are huge question marks over Mr. Pavan at the moment, and we have a Commission of Inquiry process, which is underway. It’d be really interesting to understand what the selection process was for the head of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania and ultimately wouldn’t you want someone there who had a track record in land and environmental management and sustainability? Again, I think this sends the wrong message to Tasmanians who care about the natural environment and looking after this beautiful island.
Journalist – Emily Baker
(inaudible) … DPAC will take on some of the other responsibilities, Housing has become a statutory authority. There’ll actually be more power in these forms. Why don’t you agree with that?
Cassy O’Connor
It’s really important, in my view, that you have an agency which has a general responsibility for the delivery of community and human services, where you have people in that agency who are experienced and dedicated to delivering community services. When you break up an agency like Communities Tasmania, you actually disempower those different parts of the agency that when they work together, can work really well for the people of Tasmania. This is an unprecedented move; Communities Tasmania, should be intact. The people who receive services and supports through Communities Tasmania should be respected by making sure that those services come under the one roof where you have public servants in that agency who dedicate their professional lives to community services. What we’ve got here is a fragmentation and disempowerment of community service delivery in Tasmania.
Journalist – Emily Baker
It sounds like Housing Tasmania’s role will expand. Moving beyond just public and affordable and social housing, if that’s appropriate.
Cassy O’Connor
Housing Tasmania should be there to deliver social and affordable housing to the people of Tasmania and oversee policy development that delivers an increase in the supply of housing. If you take away that social contract responsibility of Housing Tasmania, what does it become? A development agency, that’s what it becomes. Housing Tasmania has to be there, particularly in a housing crisis, with a very singular focus on people who have been priced out of their own paradise, who can’t afford to pay the rent. Housing Tasmania for 70 or 80 years now has fulfilled an essential community service in making sure that we’re building homes and we’re finding homes for people and advising government on delivering sustainable supply. If you make housing Tasmania a developer, and that already started, when it was given to the minister, Minister Ferguson, then it loses a very large part of its social obligation. It just becomes a big development agency. And really, you know, that’s kind of what you’d expect out of a neoliberal government that created this housing crisis, that has driven the waiting list to its highest level in 10 years, that makes false promises about increasing supply. Why, you’ve got people in two and three bedroom homes who are paying five, six and seven hundred dollars a week rent. that’s happened on the Liberals watch and doing this to Housing Tasmania will make it worse for Tasmanians, who are looking for a secure and affordable home.
Journalist – Emily Baker
Do you think the timing is convenient? With the Commission of Inquiry coming up, convenient for Mr Pavan himself and the department.
Cassy O’Connor
Well, I’m not going to specifically talk about Mr Pavan in relation to the Commission of Inquiry. But it is well understood that Communities Tasmania is a central focus of the Commission of Inquiry, its mismanagement of child safety, its mismanagement of youth justice and the Ashley Youth Detention Centre. Communities Tasmania, it doesn’t matter if the government pulls it apart to try to hide it in other agencies. Communities Tasmania is a central focus of the Commission of Inquiry into historical sexual abuse and abuse of children and young people in Tasmania, try to hide it in other agencies doesn’t hide that truth.
Journalist – David Killick
There’s been talk of winding back the mask mandates, is that something which (inaudible)
Rosalie Woodruff
This is dangerous talk from the Premier and it’s totally delusional. It runs at complete odds with the evidence that Omicron is spreading strongly in the community. So far this week we’ve had about 50% increase on last week’s average number of cases, cases knocking for the last three days in the 850s. This is not a crisis which is waning. And it shows a total disregard for people who are most vulnerable, people living with disabilities, people who are immune compromised, and all children under 12 who are not yet vaccinated. We have an unvaccinated school population and a Premier who was talking about removing the mass mandates. This only satisfies one group, and that is the relentless pushing from the hospitality and tourism industry to just let it all go back to so-called normal. Well, so-called normal will mean there’s two classes of people in Tasmania while there’s an Omicron pandemic: the people who will be forced to stay at home, and the people who will be allowed to go out drinking in bars without any impediments.
The idea – even the Mercury editor was spinning this idea – that it should just be left up to individuals to make these decisions and that we need to just like move on as though we can detach ourselves from reality. Well, the reality is there’s a large number of outbreaks in schools. The whole of the student population in Tasmania is not vaccinated fully. And we have large case numbers that have been increasing this week, not going down. So why was it okay to have mask mandates last week when cases were an average of 550, but they’re talking about getting rid of them this week, when they’re in the 850s? There’s no logic there. There’s just a self interest from different sectors and the Premier seems to be bending to their will just as he’s done when he opened the borders prematurely.
Journalist – Elliott
(inaudible) … do you see this announcement potentially causing distress in the community when people see the major departments getting changed, and they’re not entirely sure why?
Cassy O’Connor
Well, yes, and I think the issue here is that the case has not been made to smash apart Communities Tasmania and impact on the lives of tens of thousands of Tasmanians, Tasmanian people. It defies logic that you would pull apart an agency like Communities Tasmania, who has such a singularly important front facing role in service delivery. So, you know, this is on the Premier. It looks, smells and feels like a neoliberal agenda, to disempower community service delivery. And we saw it when the whole public service review was set up. I mean, it wasn’t set up to improve the delivery of public services. It was set up to create a ‘more efficient’ public service and that is code for winding back services and taking government out of people’s lives, which is what conservative governments do, because fundamentally, they don’t believe in governing. That’s the problem with these people.
