Premier kicks off election campaign with Bass candidate announcement

Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff has kicked off his party’s election campaign in the state’s north, announcing the party’s candidates in the electorate of Bass.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff in Launceston on the first day of the 2025 election campaign. Picture: Jeremy Rockliff Facebook

Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff has kicked off his party’s election campaign in Launceston, announcing the party’s candidates in the electorate of Bass.

Tasmanians will return to the polls on July 19 after an election sparked by a no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in parliament last week.

Mr Rockliff said only the Liberals could be trusted to manage the budget and the state’s economy.

“Unfortunately, in the middle of a budget session, we had the Leader of the Opposition, in a immature way, blew up the parliament in the middle of a budget.

“What we’re about is ensuring that we have a sensible pathway to surplus and investing in those areas and growing our economy.”

Mr Rockliff again ruled out selling state-owned assets in order to pay down the state’s spiralling debt.

“I love Tasmania. I’ll be positive about where we are going into the future.

“This is a clear choice, a choice between a Liberal government that is building a better Tasmania and a Labor Party that is desperate and will make Tasmanians pay more.

“Look around me. We have new roads. We have new schools. We are building a better Tasmania.”

Mr Rockliff said all sitting Liberal MPs would recontest their seats and emphasised his party’s unity.

He said the Liberals had a great team in Bass, a mixture of old hands and fresh faces.

“I am proud to announce that Michael Ferguson, Rob Fairs, and Simon Wood have again put their hand up to serve their community,” he said.

“Bringing her fighting spirit and extensive skillset, Bridget Archer is ready to serve her community again.

“Chris Gatenby, Sarah Quaile and Julie Sladden are well-respected members of our community.

“They are putting their hands up, bringing with them significant expertise which will benefit Tasmania.”

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry backed in the Liberals on day one for reducing spending.

“We are concerned that Labor has so far ruled out reducing the size of the public sector, given it has increased by over 30 per cent in the past eight years,” CEO Michael Bailey said.

“While the Liberals talk about reining in spending, they were the ones in charge when the size of the public sector ballooned out of control.

“If either party wants to have any credibility on this issue, then they need to present a clear, fully costed and well-articulated plan to the community during the campaign.

“Both parties also need to outline a wages policy given that a number of wage agreements will be due for renegotiation shortly.”

Originally published as Premier kicks off election campaign with Bass candidate announcement