When Premier Peter Gutwein called a snap election on Friday March 26 to be held May 1, it wasn't just the Labor party left scrambling to find candidates to run in their seats.
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Party state president Rod Scurrah confirmed the state executive committee worked out candidate pre-selection on the Saturday.
"We had a very good list of pre-selected candidates done in difficult circumstances on a Saturday night with a day's notice, the state executive put three hours in to go through the pre-selection process," he said.
With the federal election expected before May, candidates have been pre-selected for Bass, Braddon and Lyons, with Mr Scurrah confirming candidates would be pre-selected between "now and Christmas" for Franklin and Clark.
Change is afoot at the Liberal party, with a new state director set to take the reigns from the outgoing Stuart Smith.
Peter Coulson, currently an advisor for Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli, has been chosen for the top job, set to start in two weeks.
"He's had that job in the opposition leader's office for four years, which means that he has survived three leaders, and I think that in itself is a tribute to him," he said.
READ MORE: Second round of travel vouchers announced
A ballot took place for the role of party treasurer, which was vacated by Adam Brooks after he ran as a candidate for Braddon.
Former deputy chairman of the Braddon Liberal party branch, Devonport businessman Rod Bramich, was elected to the position with 123 votes against Clarence councillor Brendan Blomely who received 78. Clark deputy chairman Corey Mingari withdrew from the race.
Part of the process of the state council is for branches across the state to propose motions to be supported by the party - with passionate debates both for and against.
The North West Primary Industries branch proposed two federal motions in relation to senate elections: one which would regulate the listing of candidates, by introducing a candidate rotation similar to Tasmania's Robson Rotation; another which would see all votes cast above the line be equally distributed to candidates.
Both motions were lost.
The state council supported a motion by the South West Lyons branch, which called on the federal government to adopt a policy so that a high level independent review would be undertaken to establish whether a future pandemic, similar to what has been faced with COVID-19, would be better managed by the federal government with states and territories referring appropriate constitutional powers.
Speakers for the motion included Senator Eric Abetz, who said that Tasmania had fared incredibly well, but that there were always lessons that could be learned.
After lunch, state council held a cognate debate on two motions - both which involved increasing membership of the House of Representatives to 35 members, with the rationale to have a more functioning parliamentary model.
One person spoke against the motion - saying it could promote more votes to independent and smaller parties, particularly in the southern electorates, however the motion was carried.
Another branch proposed the termination of the Hare Clark system, as well as abolishing the Legislative Council - with 39 single member electorates instead. The motion lost, with only a handful of delegates supporting.
Approved motions are now set to be considered by the state government - with no compulsory actions required.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the conference virtually - unable to attend due to border restrictions.
THE PREMIER'S ADDRESS
Tasmania - a place to do extraordinary things.
That's how Premier Peter Gutwein described the state, speaking to the Liberal party state council on Saturday.
Mr Gutwein used his address to thank delegates for their support after the results of the recent state election.
On the first of May, Tasmanians made history, they voted for a majority Liberal government for a consecutive third term, the first time ever in Tasmania.
Mr Gutwein said he wanted to lead a government of conviction, compassion and opportunity for all.
"A government that works to ensure that people are able to grasp the opportunities we have here in Tasmania, regardless of who they are, where they live, their circumstance or their background," he said.
Mr Gutwein said that when COVID-19 hit last year, the state had the strongest balance sheet of any state or territory.
"We took action to keep Tasmanians safe, and we took action to bolster and underpin our economy," he said.
"As a result today, we have one of the strongest economies in the country.
"Despite the pandemic, right now today we have the highest ever number of people employed in our state's history, more than 262,000 of them. Our unemployment rate is now below the Australian average, and is one of the best in the country."
Acknowledging the challenges of the past 12 months, Mr Gutwein said his focus was on growing an economy that promoted jobs and revenues to invest into essential services.
"The first brick though that must be laid for a strong economy to grow and create jobs is confidence," he said.
Confidence is key, it's simply human nature.
"If you're not confident, you won't lift your eyes beyond the horizon and look to the future."
Mr Gutwein also used his address to announce a second round of Make Yourself at Home stimulus vouchers, with a similar model to the first round offered in 2020.
"Our tourism and hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and we are taking action to support the sector through this difficult time," he said.
"We will fund a $7.5 million voucher scheme for Tasmanians enticing them to holiday at home, book into local accommodation, and take part in local experiences right across the state."
More details are expected to be announced in coming days, with the initiative welcomed by the sector.
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