The first Liberal woman to represent the electorate Bass has delivered an eloquent maiden speech to the House of Representatives.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bridget Archer, the self-confessed underdog of the election, noted health services and the Tamar River as key issues for her electorate.
Both areas have been contentious issues for Launceston for many years. Health has been in the news for the wrong reasons of late.
But it's the focus on the Tamar River that is a good sign for those who call Bass home. The river is more than an environmental issue, it's an economic problem or opportunity.
Hopefully, based on this maiden speech, Ms Archer will be a fierce advocate for ensuring the additional and significant needed to improve the river's health will be allocated.
In her speech, the Bass MHR also highlighted the fact the change in electoral boundaries brought both sides of the river together.
Ms Archer's comments demonstrate her continual pursuit of connecting both sides of the river.
This was evident with her time as George Town mayor when amalgamation talks and a report was commissioned for her council and West Tamar.
Unfortunately, some of her fellow councillors refused to take the report to the community. This was a missed opportunity, particularly given the KPMG report cost $80,000 to produce and showed a saving of about $1.3 million if the amalgamation happened.
Ms Archer was the only councillor to vote in favour of releasing the report. Yet West Tamar Council voted unanimously to release the report if George Town did the same.
Have your say:
Change can be a challenging concept. Taking a report to the community does not lock in amalgamation, but it's a step in a direction of transparency and genuine engagement.
Hopefully with the byelection this month, the new-look George Town Council, in good faith, will return to this important conversation.