Janie Finlay Q&A: 'No path in' for David O'Byrne and why she chose Labor over the Liberals

She is engaging and hardworking.

Examiner editor Craig Thomson sat down with the Labor Member for Bass for a one-on-one chat and confirmed there is 'No path in' to the Labor caucus for former leader David O'Byrne. Ms Finlay also tells us why she chose Labor over the Liberals.

READ MORE: Rebecca White Q&A: Labor is in election mode and wants your vote

Who is Janie Finlay, and what does she stand for?

I am a super passionate and super proud born and bred Launceston girl.

I'm a lot of fun. I am a very practical person. I am a furniture designer by trade. I've owned, operated and sold businesses. I'm a person who is equally committed to excellence, innovation, and growth, and I have massive capacity. I'm a person who gets deeply triggered when I hear something or see something that's not right. And that's affected me all through my life. And that snaps me into a relentless action until I get things done. So, who's Janie? What you see is what you get. I am someone who's equally about excellence and relentless acting for people.

You were an independent candidate. How did you come to join the Labor Party?

I am an only child, and my mum was on her own, and got sick, so I moved back to Tassie to look after her. After she passed away, I got a job with the Beacon Foundation and worked at Launceston College, supporting young people to stay at school or get work.

Off the back of my work there, I was asked to go out and work at Ashley Youth Detention Centre. A lot of young people were intentionally reoffending to go back to Ashley because there was warmth and shelter, so I wrote a program to help the young people on-site positively re-engage in the community before they were released.

I got the support of the state and federal governments. Still, I needed the support of the local council, so I went to a council meeting and presented this program with Peter Hutchinson, the principal of Brooks High School, and Bill Lawson, the founder of the Beacon Foundation.

At the meeting, an alderman patted me on the head and said, 'girly, when you get what local government is all about, come and talk to us about something important'. That really pissed me off. It wasn't long before an election, and it wasn't right. So, I ran for the election, and I got elected. That was my pathway into local government, which was the step toward being in state parliament. And I love it.

Yeah, so I was part of Launceston City Council for the best part of 20 years. I was the mayor. And I came into the council not with a career of community engagement or for politics. I was a furniture designer. I was operating in Sydney, and I happened to come back to care for my mum, who was unwell. And I randomly landed at the council. I got pissed off, and I reacted, and that's that relentless triggering to me; something feels wrong, and I respond to it. I loved every minute of the council time. Over time, I have developed confidence in what I do. I've got a contribution to make. I wanted to see if the community could support me at the state level of government. I tried, but I was unsuccessful. I ran for the upper house. And in doing that, as an independent, I recognised, having run for mayor and then for the upper house as an independent, that if I wanted to change the community, I needed to be elected to do that. So, I needed to find a home and a team.

So, I interviewed both Labor and Liberal.

And I found my home with Labor, and I've never looked back. I love it. I love being part of a team. I love having people having my back. I love being able to bounce ideas off people and support people. I love learning, but I also love being able to help internally the growth of the Labor Party.

So, yes, I interviewed both sides, checked out both sides and decided to go with Labor.

Labor has released some policies recently with an eye on the next election; what policy or policies are you most passionate about?

So I love that we've got a positive plan. I love that we are putting things into the community at this stage of the term. Our Right Priorities Plan is there because there are a lot of challenges in the community right now. And we need to be working on behalf of our community. Through the door of my office, on the phone, or through socials, I hear the most heartbreaking stories about people's experiences in the health system. And I'm really proud of the work we're doing there. Particularly in the regions, my portfolio areas, primary industries, and small business mean that I spend a lot of time in the regions.

And I know that that's why we really need to support communities with health services. One of the reasons I am here is to help our community be productive, engaged, and contribute.

And so, Health Services are about engagement. It's about contribution and what's right for Tasmania, so I'm really proud of that for a whole range of different reasons.

What is your opinion on David O'Byrne's possible pre-selection?

So, Rebecca White, our leader, has been really clear. There is no pathway back into the Labor caucus for David O'Byrne.

In the two years I've been in the Labor Party, I've been so impressed with Rebecca. Rebecca has the full support of the parliamentary Labor team, and she's been clear, and so there is no path in for David O'Byrne.

What is your preferred way to engage with constituents? Social media, door knocking?

So I'm a people person, so I'm face-to-face and chatty. I like to be out on site, or I want to be at a business or on a farm and hear what's happening and see what's happening and understand it. It's when you are in a place with people having conversations you really understand stuff.

You are a shadow minister. If Labor is elected, would you seek a ministry?

My approach to life is you have to have a go. You've got to be all in, and I'm an all in person. I love my shadow responsibilities. I would love to be offered a ministry position and contribute. I have enjoyed the people I've met and the things I've learned, but also the work I've been able to do, that relentless sort of action to support people in those portfolio areas. So, whatever I'm offered, if Labor is elected, I would love to think I have demonstrated my capacity and would be part of a ministry. I'm really excited for a Labor government because of what it means to Tasmanians. And yeah, I would be hopeful to be offered a position.

You're not often seen with your Bass Labor colleague Michelle O'Byrne. Is there a problem?

We were only together at an announcement this week!

Well, I said often....

Well, there are 80,000 people in Bass, and we have shadow portfolio responsibilities. As a Labor team, we are in the corners of Tasmania, where in every community, we do a lot of work together. We were at the national conference together.

We were on-site with a really important industry this week that this Rockliff government has completely done over. We stand up and do our work for Bass. There are two of us in Bass. We represent 80,000 people and we are doing a great job for our team. We work really well together. So there is no problem with Michelle O'Byrne and I.

So a recent poll showed Labor's support steady but not growing; it would be hard to win the majority with those numbers. What are your thoughts?

It depends on how you look at it and over what period. For instance, since the Premier has been appointed, the polls show the Liberal vote has taken a dive. Tasmanians want a stable, moderately considered group of people representing them, and that's what Labor represents.

So Labor is steady, we're strong, we are growing, and at this time, we are now releasing policies we're putting out to our community. I am confident in this phase and the next one that the polls will reflect that stability.

We have significant momentum, and I am excited to hear from people in the community. Polls are polls, but I am out there having conversations with people, and they are excited about what Labor is bringing.