A collection of the state’s peak business and industry bodies have projected a united front on majority government, warning Tasmanians against voting for minor parties and independents.
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The coalition, which includes the Property Council of Australia, the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania, the Forest Industry Association of Tasmania and the Master Builders Association, spoke of the perceived ills of minority government on Tuesday.
It comes after Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey told his members in a newsletter that “a minority outcome would not be the end of the world”.
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But TCCI members have joined the industry coalition in speaking out against the idea of minority government.
Despite fresh EMRS polling suggesting the Liberals will secure a second term in majority, other opinion polls have pointed to a hung Parliament being returned at this state election.
Property Council of Australia Tasmanian executive director Brian Wightman, who was Attorney-General in the last Labor-Green minority government, said majority government was “incredibly important” for business confidence in the state.
“We don’t want to see the boom-and-bust cycle that we’ve seen in previous years,” Mr Wightman said.
“We want to see a prosperous Tasmania.
“That’s why we believe one coherent position for majority government is the most important thing for Tasmania’s future.”
Mr Wightman said he did not believe there were differing views in the business community on minority government, despite Mr Bailey’s statements.
”We believe that voting for one of the majors is the best chance of delivering majority government in Tasmania,” he said.
However, political analyst Richard Herr said minority governments had “typically been relatively successful” in Tasmania.
“They have been the periods of fertile change because the tribalised positions [of majority government] can’t be maintained,” he said.
