Tasmanian Labor has cut all ties with the Greens in a bid to regain the support of its traditional voters in the next state election.
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Labor leader Rebecca White made this message clear when addressing the party's state conference on Sunday with her vow Labor would never govern with the Greens again.
"I need to give people the confidence that a vote for Labor is a vote for Labor," Ms White said.
When asked if Labor would take the opportunity to again govern with the Greens over seeing the Liberal government reelected, Ms White said she was absolutely committed to only governing in majority.
"We will not govern with any other party because its absolutely important that we provide certainty for the community, for investors, that a Labor party in government would put their needs first."
Ms White said Labor knows it needs to reconnect with traditional voters, particularly in regional areas.
"We need to encourage those people to have confidence to vote for Labor again and I think a big part of that is concern that we are too close to the Greens," Ms White said.
"This is why I've made it very clear we are going to focus on the issues that are bread-and-butter issues.
"We are going to be looking at not supporting any initiatives the Greens put forward, because clearly they are not in keeping with the views of Tasmanians."
Government Minister Guy Barnett said Labor's words it would govern alone were in stark contrast with its actions.
"A leopard doesn't change its spots and Ms White's Labor party has not changed its Green alliance," Mr Barnett said.
"They are voting with the Greens in Parliament now more than ever.
"In 2015, Labor voted alongside the Greens 62.5 per cent of the time, increasing incrementally to a record high of 90.3 per cent this year."
More work to be done
Ms White said Labor needed to work on growing its presence in the North and North-West of the state.
"You are going to see a lot more of the Labor party in the North of the state," she said.
"We represent the whole state, unlike some minor parties who are very much playing to Hobart, and we have to make sure our policies are relevant to everyone, everywhere.
"We need to do more to support people in the North [because] we do have a two-speed economy. We need to be supporting investment and job creation projects in the North because that's where people are, unfortunately, being left behind."
Ms White said Labor also needed to do a better job of communicating its initiatives which would support regional Tasmania to the community.
"We need to do a better job of communicating to people and that is not lost on me," Ms White said.
"You look at the result of the last election and clearly we have not done that well enough."
Looking forward
The annual Labor conference held in Burnie this weekend has given the opportunity for party members to talk about what they want to focus on for the next 12 months.
"There has been a very heavy focus this conference on jobs, particularly on secure work, and making sure that we have health services so people can access healthcare when they need it," Ms White said.
"[Motions by members] set direction and bind caucus members on how they should vote on issues if they face them in the Parliament but also on policy issues that we take to the next election."
MORE FROM THE LABOR STATE CONFERENCE:
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- Labor to criminalise wage theft
- Rebecca White backed as next premier
- Labor to give mining royalties to West Coast
- Conference pays tribute to Bob Hawke
- Liberals 'squandering opportunities' for hydrogen power prosperity
- Labor to offer free public transport for concession card holders
Ms White said she was not short of choices when replacing Clark Labor MHA Scott Bacon at Labor's caucus table, following Mr Bacon's recent resignation from the Parliament.
She said she was not looking to make significant changes within her team as the result of having to decide who would now fill the role of finance spokesperson.
"We want to see the makeup of the Parliament before making a decision but I've also got some terrific members who are working incredibly well in their portfolios," Ms White said.
"People have built up terrific networks and understandings in those portfolio areas."
When the House of Assembly returns on Tuesday, Ms White said her party would be focused on understanding where the government's $450 million in cuts to public services would be coming from and questioning what the Liberals were doing to invest in job creation.
When asked where Labor would suggest the government find savings to meet its efficiency dividend, Ms White said the Tasmanian taxpayer should not have to wear the consequences of budget mismanagement.
"Let's just remind ourselves why the government is even looking at this - it's because they have blown the budget," Ms White said.