ABC 936 State-wide Mornings with Leon Compton – Wednesday 11 September 2013 [transcript]
Leon Compton: Half of the Greens vote disappeared in Tasmania at the federal election. So what does that mean in a State sense? Five seats are held by the Greens in the State’s Lower House at the moment, but if the results were replicated come March next year then Greens representation would be very different indeed. Leader of the Tasmanian Greens and Minister in the current minority government, Nick McKim joins us.
Nick McKim: We need to acknowledge obviously that there were a number of people who previously voted Green, who chose probably for a range of reasons not to vote Greens this time. We need to acknowledge that that happened and respect the message that we have been sent through the ballot box. We need to commit to engaging, to listening to people and understanding why so many people chose not to vote Green.
It is a very strong message to us. We want to really listen and see how we can serve the Tasmanian people better and I am committed to that.
Leon Compton: What was the message?
Nick McKim: It was a federal election and people vote on federal issues, and in State election on State issues. But it would be dishonest of me to sit here and say: I don’t think that the Tasmanian context had anything to do with the result. I think it probably did, in some people’s minds. We need to understand that message, not blame others, accept responsibility … and recommit our efforts to … to engaging with the Tasmanian community.
Leon Compton: What were people saying, you must have some idea? Was it a referendum on the Forestry Deal?
Nick McKim: Well, certainly not from my point of view, and not from what I was hearing on the ground. I, … I have no doubt that some people did vote on that issue, particularly in regional Tasmania. There were other issues… we’ve got an economy in transition here in Tasmania and as a result of that we have a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the country, and typically incumbent governments will get punished more severely in those circumstances. We’ve got Andrew Wilkie running in Denison – and congratulations to Andrew for an outstanding win. Certainly that peeled quite a few points off our [Green] vote in Denison, and impacted on our State vote.
I need to re-double my efforts to communicate our values and policies and try to get those votes back for the Greens.
Leon Compton: Are you worried the rise of the Greens might be over?
Nick McKim: (Laughs) Yeah, look, I’ve been around for quite a while in Tasmania, Leon and I’ve heard people writing off the Greens on multiple occasions and they’ve been wrong every time. I don’t believe the rise of the Greens is over… sometime in the future the Greens will form a Government in Tasmania.
…
There is only one Party that understands sustainability, and that is the Greens. … I will do everything I can to convince people our values as a Party are mainstream values; that we have the policies that are relevant to them and will make improvements to their quality of life.
…
Nick McKim: The State election will be fought on very different grounds than the federal election, I think. You mentioned forestry earlier, I think that’s one area where obviously there’ll be a lot of interest.
Tasmania’s unemployment rate is too high. That will be part of the conversation in the lead up to the State election. The transition in the Tasmanian economy that’s actually been underway for probably up to a decade now, and probably has got about a decade to run. This is a transition to an economy that the Greens have been calling for, for 20 years; it’s happening right now and in fact we are right at the crux of the transition now. And the current State Government is managing Tasmania through the crux of this economic transformation that, I believe, will lead to sustainable jobs growth and increases in prosperity for Tasmania – including regional Tasmania.
Leon Compton: Some people claim that that proposition is a lie – that we are an economy in transition. … Where is the evidence that the economy of Tasmania is growing out the other side of all this?
Nick McKim: Well, there is plenty of evidence that the economy is in transition. Access Economics made that very clear at the jobs forum we had in Launceston a few weeks ago. But in terms of growth areas – I mean tourism, … increases in confidence in the agricultural sector; massive investment into irrigation schemes to help farmers diversify. A diversified economy is a more resilient economy in the face of global market fluctuations and fluctuations in exchange rates. … There are a range of areas in the Tasmanian economy that are growing … building on the areas where we are different and gives us a strategic advantage – like our ‘clean, green clever and creative’ reputation.
Leon Compton: If Tony Abbott moves to wind back elements of the Tasmanian forestry deal – those that can be controlled from Canberra – what will you do?
Nick McKim: Well, we won’t support that. The crucial part of this agreement from the Greens’ point of view is to protect those forests that have – for many decades – been deserving of protection, but have actually been trashed. But ultimately the TFA was in the best interests of Tasmania even though there were aspects of it that we didn’t agree with, because it does give us the opportunity to move past the conflict and the division that has riven our community for decades, and has actually held Tasmania back. …
Leon Compton: Let’s look at the vote in Lyons – an enormous swing against your Party and against Dick Adams, the incumbent. He got voted out on close to a 14% swing. Doesn’t that tell you that the people in Lyons are voting against this forestry deal?
Nick McKim: Certainly as I’ve said, I accept that a number of people would have voted on the basis of forestry but, ahh… but… something being popular doesn’t equate… a policy being popular does not equate necessarily to that policy being ‘right’. And we know that the fundamental issue for the industry and jobs for the forest sector in Tasmania is the market didn’t want our product as it was delivered under the old failed business model. And it’s no use producing something if you have to pay people to buy it… or to take it away. And that’s what’s been happening for far too long in Tasmania. And the TFA – imperfect though it is – is an attempt to come to grips with that, and to find a solution that allows for the protection of those magnificent forests that the majority of Tasmanians want to see protected. But also allows the industry to go forward in way to access their markets and have a reasonable shot at selling their products for a reasonable dollar – and therefore the jobs become more sustainable.
Leon Compton: You are now a party of Government and, at different times, a party of Opposition. But of course the threat is that if you don’t get what you want in the political argument over forestry that it will be back to conflict and division of the past … protests against Tasmania in the international markets; the protests here in Tasmania at work sites. Is that the threat from your party, if you don’t get what you want?
Nick McKim: No, it’s certainly not a threat. I mean, the environment movement has been very clear about this, Leon. Ahh… if the, ahh… agreement falls over; look the environment groups, some of them are in Asia now with the Premier; talking up, ahhhh… the Tasmanian industry into the markets. But the environment groups have been very clear, if the agreement falls over they’ll be back over in Asia alright, but they’ll be sending a very different message to the markets. And that’s simply a statement of fact.
Leon Compton: Will you be there with them?
Nick McKim: Well I’ve done no market-based campaigning in my life, Leon. The last time I was active in the forests was back in the 1980s when I was arrested at Farmhouse Creek. I mean, my job now is to lead a political party. But I wouldn’t rule out at some stage in the future being involved in efforts to protect Tasmania’s forests if, if that’s what we need to do because with dangerous climate change coming down the line there is simply no good reason to log Tasmania’s high conservation value forests – it doesn’t pay money, ahhh…it’s not worth it financially, it’s massive ecological impact and it emits millions of tons of Carbon a year, which quite simply is irresponsible.
Leon Compton: There is this perception that there will be a split between Labor and the Greens in the next few months to allow you to run on your own issues between now and the election. Is some sort of confected split going to happen?
Nick McKim: Not that I’m aware off Leon, I mean as I said earlier, I am, and always have been, committed to co-operative politics and working constructively. That’s still the case. You know, you’d need to ask Labor how they are thinking about things. … We’ve genuinely tried to work constructively in this term of government. Ultimately the Tasmanian people will get their say on everything that’s happened in the last 4 years as we move towards the State election and I look forward to continuing the conversation.
From here:
http://blogs.abc.net.au/tasmania/2013/09/mornings-on-demand-wednesday-1192013.html?site=hobart&program=hobart_mornings
• ABC: Report finds Tasmania’s June retail quarter nation’s worst
• ABC: Tasmania dubbed the ‘rotten apple isle’ in health rankings … as … • Jobless rate continues to climb … as … • Politicians trade blows over Tasmania’s rising jobless rate
• Peter Brohier, Bass Strait: The Tasmanian Government can act right now
• Lara Giddings: Environment Groups Join Overseas Promotion of Forestry Industry
