Mr Speaker

I do, at this point, want to reflect on the events of earlier this year, when a number of Tasmanian towns and communities were ravaged by devastating bushfires.

Our thoughts are still with those who suffered loss, and will be throughout what is to be a long recovery process.

We do acknowledge the incredible and courageous efforts of Tasmanian fire-fighters, police, state emergency services and volunteers, including those from interstate and New Zealand, to bring the recent fires in Tasmania under control in very dangerous and challenging conditions, and we extend our deepest gratitude to them for doing so.

This disaster revealed the extraordinary capacity of people to extend support to their fellow Tasmanians in their great time of need.

There was an overwhelming level of good will and community spirit shown by so many Tasmanians offering donations, physical assistance, cash and goods to help those who suffered loss, and we thanks those people and the various community and government organisations for their role in co-ordinating the effort.

And in the recovery effort, the response of Aurora Energy, contractors, local government and the various government agencies in restoring services and providing community support, was extraordinary.

We saw the initiative of so many Tasmanians who commenced local community and social media campaigns to help get goods, services and communications to those who needed it.

And we say that while the impact of these devastating fires will never be forgotten, neither will the enormous efforts of our emergency services, volunteers and the resilience of Tasmanian people.

THE LIBERALS' PLAN FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Mr Speaker,

The Liberal Plan is a plan to deliver a brighter future, and to build a Tasmania we can all be proud of.

It's a plan focused on economic growth – more jobs, more investment, a balanced budget and less red and Green tape.

It's a plan that rebuilds and invests in our essential services – health, education, and police.

A plan that will rebuild confidence.

And a plan that will provide the opportunity for people to live, work and raise a family here.

Unfortunately, yesterday the Premier failed to outline any plan. No plan whatsoever.

And as we enter another year, it is indisputable - the Labor-Green experiment has failed.

They aren't governing anymore, they are merely surviving.

Yes, they can boast that they are still a cosy coalition, but it’s a coalition of self-interest whose prime concern is its own political survival.

Mr Speaker,

My political opponent said yesterday that the government's results speak for themselves.

Well, it's a fact that this time last year Tasmania's unemployment rate was 6.7 percent. Now, sadly, it's 7.4 percent.

7800 full time jobs have gone since the Hon. Lara Giddings became Premier.

Our economy continues to shrink.

The recent economic report card from CommSec concluded that ‘Tasmania remains at the bottom of the economic performance table' lagging all other state and territory economies on half of the eight key indicators – economic growth, retail trade, population growth and construction work. Tasmania’s best ranking was fourth on equipment investment, and even then, that is still down on a year ago.

The budget is a mess, with the Labor-Green government on target to deliver Tasmania’s biggest ever budget deficit of $327 million dollars.

And it’s clear the Premier has abandoned the promise to deliver a surplus next year.

Business confidence is still at record lows, with the bulk of Tasmanian business people saying the government’s policies are actually working against them.

And for the first time in a decade, Tasmania’s population began to decline last year, as people leave the state looking for work and opportunities elsewhere.

The Premier said for this government the "results speak for themselves", and on these results it's clear; this government has failed.

It's one thing she has got right.

The Labor-Green experiment has failed.

THE NEED FOR STRONG, STABLE GOVERNMENT

Mr Speaker

The Liberal Plan is all about giving Tasmania change for a brighter future. It’s about building a Tasmania that we can all be proud of.

And it's about providing Tasmania with a strong, stable majority government. One with a clear and consistent agenda. One with a mandate to get things done.

Because stability and certainty in government is critical to growing the Tasmanian economy, and providing the right climate for business to prosper.

Business needs certainty to invest, and a stable government that speaks with one voice, not two, and sends a clear and unambiguous message that Tasmania is “open for business”.

Key to our Plan for a Brighter Future is to provide strong and stable majority government, so that we can get things done.

Now, Labor and the Greens claim their government is 'stable'. But there’s a difference between staying in government, and providing stable government.

And when you talk to people about what's important to them, it's the jobs of Tasmanian workers that’s important - not how long you lot can hold onto your jobs.

Tasmanians talk about wanting a government that has a clear agenda; that speaks with one voice; not one that is compromised and dependant on backroom deals.

But that’s what they’ve got.

And that’s what is typically wrong with minority governments. Minority governments are compromised governments that say one thing and then do another.

Their political survival depends on backroom political deals and horse-trading; bringing with it uncertainty and confusion. Minority governments damage business confidence and they hurt the economy.

A Labor Premier once said: “If the Greens gain the balance of power, business will lose the confidence to invest in our state, and as a result, Tasmanians will start losing their jobs.” That Premier was Lara Giddings.

And this is the Premier who gives the Greens the luxury of choosing when they want to be part of government, or go back to being wreckers. She lets them walk in and out of Cabinet as they choose.

And at the last count the Greens have run away from the responsibility of cabinet a dozen times at least - on average once a month. You are kidding yourself if you think that provides the certainty and stability that business needs.

Now, more than ever, Tasmania needs a strong majority Government with a clear plan, and a clear agenda, to give Tasmania a brighter future.

WE’VE BEEN LISTENING

Mr Speaker,

Unlike the members opposite, we have been listening to Tasmanians.

We have heard from Tasmanians drowning in red and Green tape, forced to shed jobs as the economy flat-lines and investment dries up.

We have talked with Tasmanians struggling with the rising cost of living, or who are seeing loved ones fly out of the State for jobs.

We have listened to and heard from Tasmanians, especially elderly Tasmanians, who are unable to get decent access to healthcare because of Labor and the Greens’ heartless cuts,

Or who are worried about their safety because of the Minister for Police, Mr O’Byrne, is cutting frontline police numbers.

THE LIBERALS’ PLAN FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Mr Speaker,

Tasmanians tell us that they want certainty, and they want clear plans for the future.

So we have released our Plan for a Brighter Future, a plan to build a Tasmania we can all be proud of.

This plan is the most comprehensive plan ever released by an alternative government in Tasmania - with more to come.

In fact since releasing the Plan, with the Shadow Attorney-General, Vanessa Goodwin and my Shadow Minister for Children, Jacquie Petrusma, we’ve already announced another policy - to crack down on child sex offenders.

Importantly, we have also detailed just how we will pay for it all, by releasing a comprehensive alternative budget which includes $480 million of savings and cuts to government spending, which demonstrates that we will be strong financial managers, and that we will be upfront and honest about what we will do as a government.

Mr Speaker,

The Liberals’ Plan for a Brighter Future will:

* provide strong and stable government to get things done;

* make Tasmania attractive for economic investment and create jobs, by delivering certainty and cutting red and Green tape;

*  get budget spending under control;

*  build a modern economy supported by our competitive strengths; and

*  rebuild our essential public services - in health and police - and to invest in education to create a job-ready generation.

It will deliver economic growth, more jobs, more investment, balanced budgets, less red and Green tape, and a brighter future for Tasmanian families.

MAKING TASMANIA ATTRACTIVE FOR ECONOMIC INVESTMENT AND CREATING JOBS

Naturally, as a Liberal Plan, at its foundation is an agenda to grow the economy.

We understand that business and individuals are the true creators of wealth and jobs, and the best thing for government to do is get out of the way of business and not strangle it with red and Green tape.

Governments should provide the right environment for business to prosper.

So we will put up the “open for business” sign from day one.

As announced by my Shadow Planning Minister, Elise Archer, we will implement real planning reform with a single state-wide planning scheme.

We will crack down on the vexatious third party appeals that are roadblocks to development.

We will be strongly and unashamedly pro-development.

We will re-focus government onto the business of aggressively pursuing investment opportunities.

And we will reduce the number of government departments from nine to eight, putting each of the key economic drivers - infrastructure, energy, resources, and economic development – into one, new Department of State Growth.

We will create a high-powered position of Co-ordinator General to aggressively pursue those investment opportunities, and to facilitate major projects.

We will free Tourism Tasmania from its bureaucratic strait-jacket and position it as a results-focused, stand-alone agency with additional support for marketing our magnificent island state.

And we will get behind Tasmanian business.

Our policy to restore an International Shipping Service for Tasmania, developed by the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Rene Hidding, is a good example of just that.

It’s a policy which this confused government one minute attacks, but then in the next breath says they might actually adopt.

But they want to set up another committee, or have another expensive taxpayer funded study first.

And that’s the difference. We have listened and will act.

We don’t need a $600,000 study when we know that there is a market failure we need to address with urgency because it is crippling our economy. The loss of this service is directly costing Tasmanian business up to $40 million per year.

An immediate short term solution is needed to give us the time for a longer-term solution to be developed. We need to reconnect our island economy with international markets now.

It’s a policy that the Tasmanian Exporters Group has said is “just what we need at this time.”

And the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association also welcomed the policy saying “farmers would like to see a similar response from the Giddings Government.”

Mr Speaker,

The Liberals will always back our small businesses - the engine room of our economy.

My Shadow Small Business spokesman, Adam Brooks, works closely with the small business sector to develop policy that will make a real difference for them.

Like a Local Benefits Test for government purchasing to ensure Tasmanian businesses are given a fair go when tendering for State Government contracts.

And programs to help business innovate and access new markets.

To make it cheaper and easier to run a business in Tasmania, by reducing the burden of red and Green tape by 20 percent within four years of the election.

In government we will immediately conduct an annual audit of red and Green tape, and require that all new legislation be accompanied by a Regulation

Impact Statement to ensure that the amount of regulation is minimised - to make it easier to get business done.

Mr Speaker,

This is a policy which ‘would strike a chord’ with business, according to the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who also said that “Interstate and overseas experience has demonstrated the value of setting targets to reduce red tape in line with this proposal.”

And our ‘Backing Small Business Policy” was backed by the Small Business Council, which described it as “a positive vision.”

Mr Speaker,

When we recognise that government intervention is needed to re-boot the economy and build confidence - we will act - as we did last year when we proposed a $270 million economic stimulus package.

Again, it was a policy direction which Labor and the Greens attacked, then finally, got on board with, but six months later and with a much smaller package.

I have to say, we are quite happy for you to keep taking up our policies – but just do it sooner and do it properly!

GET BUDGET SPENDING UNDER CONTROL

Mr Speaker,

Importantly, we will get government spending under control.

The Shadow Treasurer, Peter Gutwein, has consistently demonstrated his exceptional understanding of the state’s finances and how we would manage them.

Contrast this to the current Treasurer, Lara Giddings who has no financial credibility.

After delivering record deficits totalling more than half a billion dollars in the past few years, she refuses to rule out more.

And this year the government is on target to deliver the biggest ever deficit in Tasmania’s history – a whopping $327 million.

They have overspent by more than $1.2 billion over the past six years.

And Labor, assisted by the Greens, have also spent the entire $1.5 billion in the Superannuation Provision Account - money that was set aside to pay for the superannuation entitlements of public sector workers. So it will be future governments and future generations of Tasmanians who will now have to find that money.

This government – this Premier – cannot make any claim to be a good economic manager. You simply cannot trust this government with money.

Mr Speaker,

On the public sector, we have consistently said that the size of the public sector does need to be reduced, and that government spending must be reined in.

A government must spend within its means.

So we will get budget spending under control with an approach that establishes and maintains the right-sized public service - one that the state can afford and that delivers for Tasmanians, avoiding blow-outs in the size and cost of government.

Last year, in our Alternative Budget, we made it clear that we would reduce the size of the public service by an additional 650.

But back when the Premier proudly announced that she was to slash thousands of public service positions right across the board, we said we did not agree with that plan.

I said then that it will compromise the Government's ability to deliver essential services such as health, education and law and order for Tasmanian families. Services we know are already under great strain.

But also, and as was confirmed at the time by Access Economics, the cuts proposed - and even the mere threat of these cuts - would have significant negative impacts on the economy.

As Access Economics said, it will cause uncertainty, reduced confidence and a consequent reduction in spending – and all at a time we could least afford it.

It was the wrong approach. Economists warned it would have negative economic impacts, but Ms Giddings did it anyway. Again, it demonstrates what poor economic managers this government are.

And now the Premier has said she will remove her threat of forced redundancies from above the heads of Tasmania’s public servants.

I expect the Premier would have noticed, when she read the Liberals' Plan for a Brighter Future, that we have already committed to no forced redundancies for public servants.

So again, welcome aboard! But heaven knows how much damage to the economy you’ve done in the mean-time.

Again, we don’t mind you taking up our policies, you should just do it sooner!

BUILDING A MODERN ECONOMY, SUPPORTED BY OUR COMPETITIVE STRENGTHS

Mr Speaker,

In our plan we recognise, and embrace, the things we are good at - our competitive strengths - agriculture and aquaculture, tourism, energy, and the resource sectors of mining and forestry.

Of course we should look for new opportunities, but we must value what we already have and what we are good at - and build on these strengths.

Unlike Labor, we won’t indulge ourselves in that futile obsession to unearth the next “big thing”, or to find that silver bullet.

We trust business and industry to know the markets, and where their opportunities best lie. It is not for government to make that decision for them.

And unlike Labor, we certainly won't lock up our resources, or take those market opportunities away, for political self-interest or as part of some dodgy political deal.

Already 44 percent of the State is locked up, by far and away the most of any state. Yet Labor and the Greens now want to take it to over half of the state with the forest deal.

Our Regional Development spokesman, Mark Shelton, knows the importance of resource based industries to Tasmania’s regional communities.

And we believe enough is enough. For Tasmania to be more self-reliant, we need to use our natural resources. A majority Liberal Government will provide certainty by saying no more lock-ups.

We will give those industries certainty, including legislative security for our forest industry and mining, where we lead the way in opposing the lock-up of the Tarkine.

Instead of abandoning our resource sectors, we will invest and grow our resource industries into innovative, modern industries that all Tasmanians can be proud of.

In agriculture, Shadow Minister Jeremy Rockliff has outlined our Agri-vision - a plan to grow the value of the agricultural sector tenfold by 2050.

And tourism, as one of our greatest competitive strengths, will be a high order priority under a government I lead.

We have a bold vision to significantly increase the number of tourists coming to Tasmania, with a clear commitment to provide extra funding to better market our state.

Mr Speaker, our plan is about building a modern economy for the future.

And renewable energy will be one of the most sought-after commodities of the future economy.

Tasmania has significant natural advantages because of our high rainfall, consistent wind resources and already established substantial Hydro and wind-generating assets. The Liberals’ Plan for a Brighter Future, thanks to Shadow Minister Matt Groom, includes making our case for a nationally-funded second Basslink to capitalise on our state’s renewable energy advantage into the future.

And we will actively pursue opportunities for biomass and biofuel, using wood waste and residues from the forest floor.

The Liberal Plan also includes passing on our carbon free advantage to small business and households, helping to make Tasmania the most competitive place in Australia to do business, and putting downward pressure on the cost of living.

How can anyone possibly justify Tasmanians paying a 5.2 percent increase in their power bills because of the carbon tax, when we operate almost entirely on carbon-free hydro energy?

Especially when, as Mr Groom has pointed out – the whole point of the carbon tax is to transition us to renewable energies, like Hydro.

Let’s be clear. This is not a so-called ‘windfall’ to Tasmanian taxpayers. It’s a tax being paid by Tasmanians through higher power bills.

And worse, as we learned last year, Victorians are able to buy their electricity off our very own Momentum Energy without having to pay the tax. And while Tasmania’s bigger businesses don't pay it, it's wrong that Tasmanian households and small businesses still pay it. Where's the fairness in that? We won’t stand for it. We will hand it back.

REBUILDING OUR ESSENTIAL HEALTH AND POLICE SERVICES, AND INVESTING IN EDUCATION

Mr Speaker,

Importantly, our Plan for a Brighter Future begins the task of rebuilding our essential public services – rebuilding our health and police services, and investing in education to create a job-ready generation.

In government, we will immediately begin the task of rebuilding our police service, which now has fewer frontline police officers per capita than we did 14 years ago.

Our Healthy Futures framework sets out ten key strategies for building a better health system with an immediate injection of funds to significantly reduce hospital waiting lists and improve the quality of life of thousands of Tasmanians, by ensuring they get their operation sooner.

And in education - a subject that my Shadow Minister, Michael Ferguson, and I are most passionate about, there is no greater investment than in our greatest asset, our people - especially our young people.

And in order to secure sustained economic growth we need to improve our educational outcomes, and be a more productive place.

We must ensure that when our kids leave school they have the education and the skills to be more productive contributors to our community.

But sadly, Tasmania’s education standards are simply unacceptable.

We have the lowest year 12, or equivalent, completion rate of any state in Australia.

Less than half of Tasmanians have a post-year 10 qualification, yet 86% of jobs require this level of educational attainment.

Alarmingly, figures just released show that just 13 percent of Tasmanian male students in remote areas complete year 12, compared to the national average of 59 percent.2

And disturbingly the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that half of the Tasmanian population are functionally illiterate.3

This is utterly unacceptable. A business as usual approach is utterly unacceptable.

Our Plan recognises that investment in education is an investment in the lives of Tasmanians, and the Tasmanian economy.

The Liberal Plan includes extending Tasmania’s high schools to year 12, to keep our students - especially those in remote and regional areas – engaged longer in their education.

It’s an investment in lifting our productivity. As prominent economist Saul Eslake has noted, Tasmania’s most persistent economic problem is the fact that our productivity is around 10 percent below the national average, resulting in lower skills, lower wages and lower living standards. Mr Eslake also notes that productivity could be substantially lifted if we increased our Year 12 completion rates. 

So we will extend our high schools to year 12, to keep our students, especially those in remote and regional areas, engaged in education.

Instead of a post-year 10 strategy, we will implement a post-year 12 strategy.

We won’t close Colleges, rather, they are an integral part of our plan to ensure student choice.

We will start by expanding the offering of vocational, year 11 and 12 subjects in rural and regional high schools

It will not be easy, but we must continue to challenge the terrible notion that school finishes at year 10. And this policy we will be driven by what is best for Tasmanian students.

We will also create a modern-day TAFE system, and will work closely with the University of Tasmania to attract students from interstate and internationally to expand our capacity as an exporter of education.

Mr Speaker, education is a centrepiece of our Plan for a Brighter Future and building a Tasmania we can all be proud of.

A BIG TASMANIA

Mr Speaker,

In addition to making Tasmania more productive, we do also need to tackle the issue of our population and the demographic time bomb.

There are serious issues with our skewed demographic profile, and it has long been a key part of our economic development policy to tackle this.

The simple fact is, Tasmania needs more people – more skilled young people – if we are to grow.

To be clear - as I've said previously - this is not a debate about wanting fewer people of older years coming to Tasmania - we need more people of all ages.

But it is about needing to fill the gaping hole of too many younger people leaving our state.

Also, as I have consistently said, this is not about wanting to keep Tasmanians here. It is about giving them more reasons and more opportunities to stay here.

But if we want a brighter future we must start attracting more skilled young people and families to Tasmania instead of waving them goodbye at the airport.

The sad fact is, under the Labor-Green minority experiment, our population growth has ground to a halt.

For the year to 30 June 2012, Tasmania’s population grew by a mere 800 people, or just 0.16 percent and 713 more people moved interstate, than moved here.

During the same period, Australia’s population grew by 1.61 percent - ten times the Tasmanian growth rate.

In the June quarter last year, Tasmania’s population actually fell by 130 people, as the number of Tasmanians leaving for interstate in search of jobs out-stripped the natural increase and migration from overseas.

And our median age has increased to 40, the highest of all states and territories.

16 percent of our total population are aged over 65, compared to 14 percent nationally. And by 2020, 20 percent of our population will be aged over 65, which is significantly higher than all other states.

Population growth is essential to economic growth.

It is one of the most critical challenges facing the state and which must be addressed. It can’t be ignored or swept under the carpet any longer.

The government set up an advisory council in 2006 which has identified and provided reports and studies on our demographic challenges, but what policies or strategies has the government implemented to address them?

In 2008 Treasurer Michael Aird said there would be an update every two and a half years. But it hasn't happened.

It appears as if the Demographic Change Advisory Council itself has disappeared.

There's still a website, but the most recent document on it is a media release from then Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Scott Bacon in 2010.

There is no doubt, this Government has dropped the ball on population, just like it has on so many other things.

Mr Speaker,

To borrow a phrase, I do want to see a Big Tasmania.

A Big Tasmania is essential for a prosperous Tasmania. If we want to stand tall and proud as a state, we need a bigger population base to generate the wealth, the jobs and opportunities to grow our economy and increase standards of living.

Mr Speaker,

There is no silver bullet to population growth, but there are five fundamentals which underpin our plan for a Big Tasmania.

They are:

1. Set a measurable, achievable target

Firstly, in setting that population target.

It is important to set a target so that government and the community are focussed on achieving it.

Setting a target is also critical to ensure planning for sustainable population growth, particularly in the important areas of infrastructure, urban planning, and provision of essential services.

And importantly, it needs to be an achievable target. That’s why we have set a target of 650,000 by 2050, because we know, with the right settings and right policies, it can be achieved.

This is an ambitious, but achievable target above the medium growth projections of both the Demographic Advisory Council and the ABS.

Key bodies, such as the Property Council and the Housing Industry Association have welcomed setting a target.

2. Grow the economy and create jobs

There is no doubt that more jobs and more investment opportunities will attract more people.

More highly skilled jobs will attract more highly skilled people.

Economic growth, job creation, increasing our productivity and lifting our education standards is at the heart of the Liberals’ Plan for a Brighter Future - as is making Tasmania the most attractive place to do business and creating the environment for people to invest and create jobs with confidence.

3. Provide certainty for industry

Certainty is essential for investment and jobs growth.

It’s no coincidence that the last time Tasmania had sustained population growth was when we had a stable majority government.

Only the Liberals are in a position to form the stable, majority Government needed to provide this certainty.

4. Provide quality frontline services in health, education and public safety

16

After jobs, the second thing people will look to when weighing up whether to settle in Tasmania or not is the ability to access quality frontline services in health, education and public safety.

The Liberals will rebuild our essential services in health, education and public safety.

5. Put downward pressure on the cost of living

And to make Tasmania an attractive and affordable place to live, it’s important that government take every possible step to put downward pressure on the cost of living.

As the only state in Australia to operate on almost entirely carbon-free Hydro power, by handing back the carbon tax, we will ensure that Tasmania offers amongst the lowest power bills in the country.

Mr Speaker,

The issue of population is a big issue, it is a tough issue, but it’s vital it be addressed for Tasmania to have a brighter future.

It is an issue that is too important for our future for it to be derailed by cheap politics and scare campaigns. And it is time, as a community, that we had a sensible and reasoned discussion about it.

As Liberals, we fundamentally believe in economic growth. And for strong economic growth, we need strong population growth. It creates new demand and new jobs. And it creates a vibrant and more outward-looking society.

TRUST

Mr Speaker,

The year ahead is a very important one for the people of Tasmania.

As will be the decision they make at the next election.

I can assure the people of Tasmania that their alternative government will continue to work tirelessly to give them the change we need for a brighter future, and to help build a Tasmania we can all be proud of.

Now, my political opponent wants to make this a question of who you can trust.

Well I say, bring it on.

Let’s talk about trust.

Who do you trust to deliver decent health services – Labor and the Greens, who have sacked 287 nurses, or the Liberals, who will invest an additional $76 million in elective surgery?

Who do you trust to protect your safety – Labor and the Greens, who have sacked over 100 frontline police officers, or the Liberals, who have a plan to rebuild the police force?

Who do you trust with education – Labor and the Greens, who have sacked 270 teachers and teachers’ aides, and tried to forcibly close 20 schools, or the Liberals, who will invest in education to create a job-ready generation?

Who do you trust to manage the budget – Labor and the Greens, who have wrecked the budget, plundered the superannuation fund, and delivered over half a billion dollars in deficits? Or the Liberals, who have demonstrated our financial responsibility, and will fix the budget mess?

Who do you trust to grow the economy and create jobs?

Labor, who have sold their principles and Tasmania’s future to the Greens, in order to stay in power - and will do so again, given half a chance?

Mr Speaker,

The Premier has repeatedly said the current government will go full term.

But, as is typical of this shambolic government, the Acting Leader of the Greens, the Hon. Tim Morris recently spilled the beans following the so-called 'divorce' between Federal Labor and Federal Greens when he revealed that "Probably the traditional method would be to pick a fight rather than declare the marriage over. We are considering our options”.

It will be an attempt to differentiate themselves in a scramble for votes. This once again demonstrates that it's all about political manoeuvring and backroom politics.

And again it shows: how can you trust this government?

Tasmanians will not be fooled by a manufactured split or ‘fight’. Everyone knows, if given the chance after the state election, Labor and the Greens will jump straight back into bed together.

Last election, Labor promised over and over again – “There will be no deals” “No Deals”! But they did one.

Each member of the Labor team - from Lara Giddings down - signed a pledge saying "Labor will not enter a coalition, accord or deal with another political party in order to achieve or retain government."

So Tasmanians will know what to expect when they hear Lara Giddings say “There will be no deals under the Government I lead.” They know her word is worthless.

At the last election I said “no deals”. And I did no deals. So when I say, “there will be no deals with the Greens” – Tasmanians know that my word is my bond.

So I say to the Premier – if you want to make the coming election about trust – bring it on!

Conclusion

One thing is crystal clear: the Labor-Green minority experiment has failed.

Tasmania does need a change for a brighter future.

Tasmanians do want a Tasmania we can all be proud of.

And only the Liberals have the Plan to deliver it