Labor, Greens offer Gutwein advice on year two agenda after battling COVID-19 pandemic

The Premier’s first year in office was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite a pat on the back from his political rivals, they have offered pointers for his second year in the top job.

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PETER Gutwein had won praise for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic but he needs to tackle other crises with the same alacrity during his second year in office, Labor and the Greens say.

Mr Gutwein became Premier on January 20 last year after the sudden resignation of Will Hodgman.

The 12 months that followed have been dominated by the response to COVID-19.

Labor leader Rebecca White said that things weren’t great for too many Tasmanians before the pandemic and the state shouldn’t settle for a return to normal.

Labor leader Rebecca White.

She said job creation has to be the government’s number one priority.

“With unemployment approaching eight per cent and youth unemployment approaching 20 per cent, the Premier’s most recent budget is not a plan for jobs, it’s a plan for unemployment,” she said.

“Only Labor has a plan to create and support 35,000 new jobs by investing in skills and training, innovation, new industries and productive infrastructure like our Sea Highway plan.

Ms White cited to the growing elective surgery waiting list, public dental waiting list and public housing list as examples of where the government had fallen short.

“Across each of these critical areas, the situation was deteriorating before the coronavirus and under Mr Gutwein’s leadership, they have not improved, only become worse,” she said.

“A year ago when Peter Gutwein assumed the Tasmanian Premiership, he promised he would lead a compassionate government.

“The hard truth is his government has not delivered the compassionate response that he promised for Tasmanians struggling to obtain health care and put a roof over their family’s heads.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said many Tasmanians would be thankful for Mr Gutwein’s handling of 2020’s major crisis, but the government had some hard work ahead of it.

Greens leader Cassy O'Connor.

“His decisiveness and consideration of expert advice led the state through a global health crisis,’ she said.

But she said he was still yet to deliver on some of his early priorities and some Tasmanians were being left behind.

“Premier Gutwein’s Achilles heel is his aversion to scrutiny and attachment to secrecy. As Premier, you are given the gift of public trust, but that should go both ways – good leaders also trust their people.

“The test for Premier Gutwein will be whether he has the courage to introduce electoral and political donations reform this year and go to the next election on his record and values, rather than on a tsunami of cash from vested interests like the 2018 election.”

Mr Gutwein says both items will be near the top of his list for 2021. Ms O’Connor said he had other promised to live up to.

“Peter Gutwein came to the top job with the promise of climate action and compassion. The climate emergency and Tasmania’s increasing social inequality, however, haven’t been prioritised,” she said.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mr Gutwein said he believed Tasmania was well-placed for the year to come and he was optimistic the state’s economy would bounce back.

Premier Peter Gutwein speaks to the media in Hobart on January 20, 2021.

“Jobs are returning in Tasmania and across the state I’m hearing very positive stories from business people about the way that Tasmanians have supported them,” he said.

“I met with a group this morning that indicated that they could not have foreseen such a positive Christmas period back in April or May when we were coming through the depths of COVID.

“And so I’m positive, I’m full of optimism. And we’ve got a list of priorities this year that we are going to roll out and get on with.”

Premier Peter Gutwein reveals 2021 agenda

January 20, 2021

THE Liberal government will start 2021 by tackling head-on some of the thorniest political problems put on the backburner by COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Peter Gutwein said the coming year would be one in which the government sought to rebuild the state economy and boost the health, safety and wellbeing of all Tasmanians.

Speaking on the one-year anniversary of taking office as Premier, Mr Gutwein said one of the top priorities would be making sure the COVID vaccine was delivered as quickly as possible.

Premier Peter Gutwein during the COVID-19 update at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

He said in addition to the pandemic and recovery measures — and a $45 million blitz on elective surgeries — the government’s first-quarter agenda would include:

• Finalising amendments and debate on the right-to-die legislation before the parliament,
• Unveiling the long-awaited blueprint for electoral reform, including donations reform,
• Receiving the report on maximising local content in the replacement Bass Strait ferries,
• Naming the Commissioner to head the inquiry into abuse in Tasmanian government institutions next week before finalising the terms of reference,
• Reviewing the way the state levies land tax,
• Working with the Ombudsman to improve transparency by government departments including improvements to the Right to Information System and open data initiatives.

The year will provide the government with multiple opportunities to reveal its pre-election agenda, including the opening of parliament, the State of the State address and the budget due in August.

The Premier vowed “significant reform” of the state’s electoral laws — which were widely criticised after the Liberals received an influx of money form pokies interests before the 2018 state election

“There will be electoral reform this year,” Mr Gutwein said, promising the long-awaited report on a second trance of reforms would be made public soon.

The Premier has softened his opposition on the public funding of election campaigns, a move considered by some to be a way of reducing the influence of private donors on political parties,

Premier Peter Gutwein. Picture: Zak Simmonds

“Quite clearly, every other state and territory and the Commonwealth have public funding, something that we need to take advice on,” he said.

“There is nothing off the table and as I said I’ll release that report in full, and I’ll release the government’s position with it.”

Ombudsman Richard Connock is preparing a report for the government on how to improve responses to Right to Information requests, and Mr Gutwein said he was keen to deliver more information on the operations of government to more people.

“I’ve asked DPAC late last year to consider what we could do in terms of establishing a more user friendly portal,” Mr Gutwein said, “ … one that enables us to capture data right across government with a search engine that enables people to access it quite easily to ensure that we can provide what is publicly available, but importantly what data people would normally seek in a much more easy and user-friendly way.

He said Treasury was looking at the state’s land tax system with a view to some reform.

“I think our system works very well, I’m certainly not considering broadening the land tax base.

“But in terms of the rate and the thresholds, whether or not they had stood the test of time, I’ve asked Treasury to consider.”

Mr Gutwein said his interactions with Tasmanians during the break had reinforced his sense of optimism about the state’s economic recovery.

He pointed to strong demand for first home builder grants and the rollout of the government's infrastructure blitz as a “fantastic base” from with the state could grow again.

And he praised Tasmania’s continued vigilance against COVID-19, saying keeping the state safer was not a matter of good fortune.

“The harder you work, the luckier you get,” he said.

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