See of red cheers for Labor, laughs at Liberals at campaign launch
Six days out until polling day and Tasmanian Labor has launched its campaign from the birth seat of the party. Why they say Tasmania can’t afford 15 years of the Liberals:
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Just six days before Tasmanians head to the polls, Labor officially launched its campaign from the party’s birth seat, Braddon, for the first time.
Deputy leader Anita Dow said the party had its roots on the West Coast of Tasmania, where current leader Dean Winter grew up as she launched the campaign focused on giving Tasmanians a “fresh start”.
She said Braddon was the industrial heartland of Tasmania and Labor would always stand up for workers rights, safe and secure jobs and fight for fairness, equality and the greater good.
A crowd of red cheered for Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers who took to the stage and said the nation rejected Peter Dutton’s playbook in March and now was Tasmania’s chance to reject “state level rorts” including a “shonky” insurance scheme.
He gave a special shout out to his self-proclaimed number one fan and “outstanding” Labor volunteer in the crowd Lyn Leedham, who is a staunch defender of the party on social media.
“There are some days as treasurer when you’d be mad to go on Facebook,” Mr Chalmers said.
“But on those days, Lyn, I know that you’ve got my back and that’s how we roll in the Labor Party,” he told the crowd at the Paranaple Centre in Devonport.
Labor leader Dean Winter said he accepted his position as the “underdog” and the crowd laughed loudly as he listed off a list of Liberal government promises made but not kept.
He announced the party was doubling down on its plan to provide free doctors to Tasmanians by doubling the amount of TassieDocs proposed from five to ten.
TassieDocs is a proposal to build government run, bulk-billed GP clinics where they are most needed.
He said the Liberals had “almost blacked out the state” and left dams empty, resulting in the import of diesel generators to “keep the lights on”.
“The Liberals who promised we would be the healthiest state by 2025, we’re here today still the least.
“The Liberals who promised our young people their education results would beat the national average by now. Instead, they haven’t moved.
“The government that promised us a four lane midland highway, an underground bus mall, light rail, a northern prison, Tamar Bridge, Marinus and a statewide planning scheme.
“And of course, two new ships by 2021, right here in the Mersey, where are they?”
Mr Winter said voters were “desensitised to chaos, to failure and to stuff-ups”.
“We are in this election fight because of the arrogance of the Liberal Party.
“They’ve stopped listening to Tasmanians. They are incompetent and out of touch,” Mr Winter said.
He said with the right leadership Tasmania’s best days were still ahead and he was excited about the prospect of a Federal Labor and state Labor government working together for Tasmania.
Mr Winter said Jeremy Rockliff handed down a budget that “no opposition worth its title” could have let go through.
“A budget that mortgaged our children’s future and set a course Tasmania may never have recovered from.”
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Originally published as See of red cheers for Labor, laughs at Liberals at campaign launch