Health, education and Northern Tasmanian economic development dominated Thursday night’s Bass candidates debate in Launceston.
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Medicare changes and budget pressures on the Launceston General Hospital, Gonski school reform funding, and the University of Tasmania’s Inveresk redevelopment emerged as hot topics.
Federal Labor has pledged $150 million for university redevelopments in Launceston and Burnie which has not yet been matched by the government this election.
However, Bass Liberal MHR Andrew Nikolic said the party was a strong proponent of the plan and that it was discussed at a recent Tasmanian Economic Council meeting.
He said the project was important to boost the state's university enrolments which were comparatively low to mainland figures.
Mr Nikolic said the party had previously put $190 million on the table for the project, as part of a $400 million for the state, under the government's planned higher education reform package which was blocked in the senate.
He said he "lived in hope" that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would say more about funding before election day.
Bass Labor candidate Ross Hart said the redevelopment was “absolutely essential” for Northern Tasmania.
“Quite frankly, I don’t know why we are waiting for a commitment (from the government),” Mr Hart said.
“My hypothesis is that there will be a price to pay and that price is deregulation.”
On discussions on health, Mr Nikolic said Labor’s insinuation that the Liberals wanted to privatise Medicare was “a bald-faced lie” and that it was only privatising the payment system to bring it into the 21st Century.
But Mr Hart said the proposal would see the service eroded and then privatised by stealth, adding that the new payment system would unleash personal and financial data to a private company.
On education, Mr Hart said that Labor would commit to year 5 and 6 Gonski reforms but Mr Nikolic was more weary, saying that Labor’s previous commitments to the program was based on “aspirational funding”.
The end of the debate was marked by a series of quick questions where Mr Nikolic and Mr Hart shared common ground on the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, although Mr Hart believed that users should be permitted to grow their own.
On same-sex marriage, Mr Nikolic said he supported traditional marriage but if Bass electors voted for change through a plebiscite, he would vote accordingly.
Mr Hart said he supported same-sex marriage but change should decided in parliament and not through a plebiscite.
