Labor’s claims of a Liberal-Greens government dismissed, ‘just pragmatic’ says MP
Tasmania's Labor opposition warns of "back-house deals" threatening jobs as the Liberal government defends its plan to maintain parliamentary stability.
After the return to parliament, the Tasmanian Labor Party are calling out a “shifty” Liberal-Greens government, which the Liberal Party are saying is “almost laughable.”
Labor’s deputy leader Janie Finlay said a Liberal-Greens government will challenge Tasmanians and risk jobs.
“They’ve been in lock-step every step of the way,” Ms Finlay said.
“We know they’ve broken their promises around salmon, around greyhounds, that they have gone back on forestry.”
Ms Finlay also questioned the ins-and-outs of the “mini budget”.
“They’re working on their back-of-house deals and what Tasmanian’s need now is for everything to be open and transparent and focused on Tasmanians.”
The deputy Labor leader said the Liberal’s were “preying on pain points in the community” and transferring it to the crossbench.
“This shifty Liberal-Greens government is all about trying to transfer pain,” Ms Finlay said.
She said “backhouse deals” were putting Tasmanians at risk.
“We put a motion up in private member time, calling on Jeremy Rockliff to confirm he wouldn’t trash any further industries or jobs of Tasmanians and he voted against it,” Ms Finlay said.
Liberal MP Nick Duigan said a Liberal-Green government was “almost laughable”.
“It’s just the rehash of negative Labor,” he said.
“This is the parliament that Tasmania voted for, we’ve got a job, we need to get on and deliver the things that are important to Tasmania.”
Mr Duigan said it was incumbent for the government to find a way to work to avoid another election “no one wants”.
“We need to finds ways to work pragmatically with parliament,” he said.
“We’ll do that.”
Mr Duigan said working with a progressive crossbench was part of the work of having stability.
“We’ve got a fairly well established protocol of dealing with the crossbench, bringing the crossbench on decision making,” he said.
“As the premier has said often, no one in our parliament can expect to get 100 per cent of what they want 100 per cent of the time, this is about collaboration and compromise.”
Despite a record loss during the state election, moving ahead, the Labor Party’s strategy will be to “focus on the issues important to Tasmanians”, Ms Finlay said.
“We’re raising the questions that Tasmanian’s are raising with us,” she said.
“The mini budget is the next big thing that’s coming through and people want to know what’s in and what’s out.”
Originally published as Labor’s claims of a Liberal-Greens government dismissed, ‘just pragmatic’ says MP
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