Fight warms up for Tasmanian seats after federal election announcement
Tasmanian parties and MPs have come out in force following the federal election date announcement. What each corner of politics has to say about the big vote.
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Following the announcement of the federal election date of May 3 on Friday, Tasmania’s major parties and MPs have gotten out early to start drawing up battle lines.
Read below what each of the parties and independents have to say about the upcoming election.
Labor targets health and risk of Dutton
Labor has put health — particularly Medicare — front and centre on day one of the federal election campaign in Tasmania — but there’s something else the party wants voters to focus on too.
At the party’s first press conference of the campaign at Bridgewater on Friday, Liberal leader Peter Dutton’s name was uttered 18 times, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rated just six mentions.
Member for Franklin Julie Collins is standing for re-election with a handy margin in Tasmania’s second safest seat, but the fate of the Mr Albanese’s one-term government is much less certain.
Labor has identified the federal opposition leader as a prime target.
Ms Collins put health, the cost of living and the fear of a Dutton government at the core of Labor’s determined bid for a parliamentary majority.
“I think Tasmanians understand that this federal election is a choice between who they want running the country: Anthony Albanese and Labor or Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party.
“They know the risk of voting for anybody other than Labor means that Peter Dutton might become prime minister.
Ms Collins rejected the suggestion that Labor’s 11th hour legislative aid to the salmon industry sent a message that it wasn't to focused on the major issues.
“Labor got through this week income tax cuts for 280,000 Tasmanians — for every Tasmanian taxpayer,” she said.
“That’s what Labor delivered in the federal parliament this week, we delivered instant asset write-offs for small businesses.
“We’ve delivered a whole range of things in the federal parliament this week, and it only sat for two days.
“This election is a clear choice between building Tasmania’s future and Australia’s future under Labor or riskier — a vote for anybody other than Labor is a risk that you’ll get Peter Dutton, who’ll cut services and he’ll make you pay.
Labor is facing a tough battle to retain Lyons. It has drafted former state Labor leader Rebecca White into the race.
“I’ve been working across the community over this last few months and healthcare is no doubt, the biggest issue that’s coming up,” she said on Friday.
“People want to have confidence that they can go to a doctor, that they can get access to affordable healthcare close to where they live, only Labor’s got a plan to do that.
Senate candidate Richard Dowling said the Coalition would increase taxes.
“This is the first time we’ve seen an opposition go to an election with a plan to increase taxes for every Tasmanian.
“He is promising to repeal Labor’s income tax cuts for 280,000 working Tasmanians. That is a scary message, and that’s the choice that we all face at the upcoming election.”
Liberals eye key battle seats
The Liberal Party is aiming to win the state’s three northernmost electorates.
Tasmanians will go to the polls on May 3 after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an election on Friday, triggering a five-week campaign.
Mal Hingston, who is hoping to take the now-empty seat of Braddon; Bridget Archer, aiming to hold onto Bass; and Susie Bower, tussling with Rebecca White for Lyons – all appeared in Launceston to officially kick off the Tasmanian Liberals’ campaign.
Ms Archer said her party’s team in Tasmania had a strong plan.
“We’ll be supercharging the freight equalisation scheme here in Tasmania, investing in the South East Irrigation Scheme, investing in our health system – including restoring the mental health cuts that this government has made in their term in office – and we’ll be standing up for our industries,” Ms Archer said.
“I joined the Liberal Party off the back of the last Labor-Greens government here in Tasmania and the job destroying that that government reeked across the state.
“We cannot simply allow that to happen again.”
Ms Bower said she was confident she would win Lyons, a seat expected to yield a close election result.
“I believe that people are looking for something a little bit different, someone with real life experiences that actually had a career outside of politics and actually know what it’s like to struggle and to not come from what I call a silver spoon environment.
“It is actually about being a real person, knowing the real issues and addressing those for our community.”
Meanwhile, Mr Hingston said despite not having as much name recognition in Braddon as his Labor opponent Anne Urquhart, he was confident about his chances in the seat.
Greens eye two Senate seats
The Greens has a “big, bold policy agenda” and were going all-out to win two Senate seats in Tasmania at the upcoming federal election, the party’s lead candidate Nick McKim says.
The Greens secured 55,899 first preferences at the 2022 federal election — around 15.4 per cent of the vote — to secure 1.08 quotas.
The party’s best result this century has been 20.3 per cent, recorded in the 2004 election.
Senator McKim said growing disillusion with the major parties would drive voters to vote Green.
Right here in Tasmania, we’re campaigning for the first time in Australia’s history to elect two greens Senators in this election.
“This is our chance to rock Australia’s political foundations and send a very clear message to the old parties that the Greens are here, we’re on the charge, we’ve got momentum behind us, and we are serious about delivering change in Australian politics.”
The Greens are fielding Senator McKim, Vanessa Blyer, Scott Jordan and Trenton Hoare in the Senate.
Charlene McLennan is standing in Bass, Erin Morrow in Braddon, Janet Shelley in Clark, Owen Fitzgerald in Franklin and Alistair Allan in Lyons.
Mr McKim said the Greens were determined to play a constructive role in the new parliament.
“Put us into balance of power, we will keep Peter Dutton out, and we will make Labor into a more progressive, fairer government that places the environment and climate front and centre,” he said.
“We are here to stop big corporations who are trashing our forests and trashing our marine environment.
“We’re here to make the big corporations pay their fair share of tax so we can actually make people’s lives better by putting dental into Medicare, by wiping student debt, by freezing rents.
“We’ve got a big, bold progressive policy agenda. We will stand up to big corporates who are destroying our forests and our marine environment.”
Senator Jacqui Lambie ready to contest the federal election
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie says she is taking nothing for granted during the upcoming federal election.
The senator is up for re-election, and her party – the Jacqui Lambie Network – is running three candidates for the federal upper house.
Despite first being elected to the Australian parliament in 2013, Senator Lambie said she believed she would have to fight to get voted in again.
“I am never confident – it’s up to Tasmanians, not me. I hope they give me another run because I’m not done yet,” she said.
“To be honest, whether there is a campaign or not, my priority is to work hard for the people of Tasmania.
“We still have veterans’ requests coming through the office every day and everyday Tasmanians reaching out for help; that never stops and neither do I.”
Cost of living, cutting red tape for small businesses, and supporting industry were Senator Lambie’s main focuses for the election.
“Australians are sick of the major parties putting their own careers and Party agenda before the Australian people.
“I hope that translates to my candidates getting into the Senate.
“Everyone is focused on the lower house, but it’s the Senate that makes laws better – more Jacqui Lambie Senators will mean more transparency, better legislation and Senators that put their states first and not their parties.”
Originally published as Fight warms up for Tasmanian seats after federal election announcement
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