Jeremy Rockliff and Rebecca White called each other liars on national television and effectively focused voters’ attention on their opponents’ weaknesses.
The Liberal Premier put his opponent on the spot about her claim to have held talks with the AFL on renegotiating the Tassie team deal. White’s response was underwhelming, and the altercation reminded voters that the deal is a legally binding contract – you walk away from the stadium and you walk away from the team.
The AFL is unlikely to roll over on its central demand of a new stadium. However, a change of government could force a compromise.
White certainly won the biggest applause from the audience of undecided voters when she highlighted the cruel reality of surgery waiting lists.
Voters may have strong views on the stadium, on both sides, but their chief concerns are paying their bills and getting adequate healthcare.
For successfully tapping into that concern and anger, White looked to be the overall winner from the debate.
Last weekend, she told The Weekend Australian Labor’s hope lay with undecided voters. The Sky News People’s Forum demonstrated many are for turning. This provides some hope for Labor that it can finish strongly after a generally underwhelming campaign.
However, the ALP has struggled for traction against a slicker Liberal outfit. And with its primary vote starting with a 2 in the three most recent polls, even a strong finish cannot be expected to deliver Labor the most seats on Saturday.
How do we turn around our shrinking heartland?
While coastal Australia booms, an area larger than India has quietly lost 3000 residents every year for two decades.
Is the ‘anti-racism’ movement making us more racist?
Anti-racism has become a required opinion across the Australian public sector. Universities can’t get enough of it. It has become a cure-all for all sorts of discrimination, real and imagined.
After five insipid weeks, Tasmania’s major party leaders finally showed some verve and feistiness in their second, and last, election debate.