THE state Liberals are not doing enough to lock in the 2018 election.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They will have to ramp up the brand. The government is too Hobart-centric, when common sense should tell it that the party traditionally wins government through Northern seats.
Newbies Sarah Courtney in Bass and in Braddon Joan Rylah and Roger Jaensch, have no profile. Sarah Courtney has the potential, but probably through the competitive nature of the Hare Clark system you only ever hear from ministers Peter Gutwein and Michael Ferguson.
She puts out the odd press release, doing the government's dirty work, and attends functions, but beyond that she is being left to her own devices and business networks. This may save her, but no thanks to the Liberal Party or the government.
Hobart-centric government minders should note, that in the two Northern electorates and Lyons, if less than 20,000 voters had behaved differently on polling day in 2014 the Libs would not have won 15 seats.
In the Southern electorates the Libs managed three seats in Franklin and two in Denison. In both electorates they were outpolled by the non Liberal vote, but certainly they won't repeat the achievement of five southern seats in 2018.
The government has placed a lot of faith in strong financial management and while this has been exemplary, budget management alone, glorified book-keeping, won't win elections.
The other strategy involves maintaining a small target. So small at times you can hardly see it. The government has managed to stay dominant in the opinion polls so it probably thinks the small target strategy is working.
It is based on the virtues of stability; a 1950s era of longevity and minimal government intervention. Steady as she goes, parliamentary dominance, with the Premier's hand on the tiller, at a moderate speed.
This strategy is a sucker for the fluctuating fortunes of the world economy. If the economy goes south at any time over the next two years they won't be prepared. It is hard to measure what enough is, to win a second term.
"Steady as she goes, parliamentary dominance, with the Premier's hand on the tiller, at a moderate speed."
In the 1980s the Gray government set up a second term with specky candidates, but mainly with a cranes-on-skyline strategy.
"Look out there, what do you see," a senior minder once said, gesturing towards the window. "Cranes," I replied."Exactly," he said.
In the seven years of the Gray government they either built, partly financed, or subsidised - Launceston's velodrome, The Derwent Entertainment Centre, Falmouth link road, West Coast link Road to Tullah, Hobart Grand Chancellor Hotel, Wrest Point Convention Centre, greenfields four-lane Huon Highway route, Craigbourne Dam, Launceston General Hospital stage two, Government executive building in Hobart and Springfield Interchange in Hobart.
Most of these projects are now icons. The Gray Government also fought Canberra over dams and forests, and won enough compensation for the King and Anthony power schemes and various job schemes.
It was a busy seven years and won the Libs a second term with a landslide. You had no doubt about the brand of the government. The current government pales into bland insignificance, beyond Will Hodgman's popularity.
The Libs are coasting because Labor is in disarray. Labor leader Bryan Green is like his federal colleague Bill Shorten. Skilled, capable but unelectable as leader of a government.
My bet is Labor will renew for the next election. Changing leaders may not pave the way for a Labor victory but it would save a repeat of the 2014 landslide.
In spite of her inexperience, a fresh leader like Rebecca White, together with sound policies, would challenge Will Hodgman like he so far hasn't been challenged as Premier.
To Labor, 2018 probably looms as the beginning of another four long years in opposition, but elections are never over until the last vote. Until somebody sings.