Tasmania day 5 election coverage: the state’s major parties continue on the campaign trail
Greens endorse candidate in Clark, Labor pitches to address childcare access issues for Tasmanian healthcare workers, while the Liberals spruik housing policies. Election day 5 coverage >>
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Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Helen Burnet has been announced as the Greens’ second candidate in Clark ahead of the state election, joining incumbent MP Vica Bayley on the party’s ticket for the inner-city electorate.
Hobart Deputy Lord Mayor Helen Burnet has been announced as the Greens’ second candidate in Clark ahead of the state election, joining incumbent MP Vica Bayley on the party’s ticket for the inner-city electorate.
Ms Burnet, a practising podiatrist, was first elected to the Hobart City Council in 2005 and has served as Deputy Lord Mayor under Anna Reynolds since 2018.
She is also the chair of the Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority and has previously run unsuccessfully as a Greens candidate in two previous state elections (2018 and 2010).
The Greens have said they are aiming to have at least one candidate elected in each of Tasmania’s five electorates, and at least two in both Clark and Franklin, as part of a plan to secure the balance of power in the new 35-seat parliament.
Ms Burnet said she was “very honoured” to be running alongside Mr Bayley and that the Greens had a “fabulous opportunity” to perform strongly at the election on March 23.
“We’ll be covering the seat of Clark and working very hard to ensure that we hear what the issues are for the people of Clark so that we can make a difference at [the] state government level,” she said.
“I think we’ve heard loud and clear what the main issues are for the people of Tasmania. They are hurting. It’s the cost of living, which is a significant issue, and, of course, health, housing, public transport issues.”
Meanwhile, Mr Bayley unveiled the Greens’ plan to “rein in” the booming short-stay accommodation sector on Sunday, saying the party would change planning rules to prohibit new permits for whole-home listings in residential zones.
The policy would also give councils discretion to refuse short-stay permits in non-residential zones and ensure that whole-home listing permits expired after four years.
Mr Bayley said existing permit-holders with whole-home short stay accommodation listings would be incentivised to return their property to the rental market with a one-year land tax exemption.
“This is all about supply, and this is all about reversing the negative drift that’s happened when it comes to rental availability, putting whole home Airbnbs back into the rental market and making it easier for people to find a home,” he said.
Mr Bayley said the Liberals’ policy of imposing a 5 per cent levy on short-stay accommodation users would “do nothing to restore the imbalance” and simply “add an additional expense for the tourist who comes visiting”.
Labor’s childcare crusade continues
Labor has accused the Liberals of breaking its no new taxes promise as the opposition continues to roll out its childcare policy, with its latest announcement tailored towards health workers in the Bass electorate.
If elected, Labor says it would amend the Launceston General Hospital (LGH) masterplan to include childcare services.
Labor Leader Rebecca White and Bass candidate Will Gordon were joined by nurse Sophie Johnson in Launceston for the announcement.
“As a single mum of twins, it is difficult to start shift work at 7am when the daycare out at Perth doesn’t open until at least 7.30am,” Ms Johnson said.
“I quite often have to rely on friends and family to help support and pick them up and drop them off because I can’t.
“So having a childcare service at the LGH should absolutely be accessible to lots of people like myself.
“Having that available where I can take my kids to daycare at the hospital where I work and then coming back would be amazing.”
Ms White said having daycare facilities at the LGH would allow parents to return to work.
“We know that in the Launceston area, there are lots of long waiting lists for people waiting to get childcare places and that prevents them from taking on work and helping to pay the bills.
“People like Sophie are so important to support our health system, and we need to support her so she can work more often so she can pay her household bills.
“She’s travelling out of the city she lives in to place her children in care.
“Under a Labor government, she’d be able to place her children in care at the hospital where she works.”
However, Education Minister Roger Jaensch described the plan as “another cruel Labor hoax”.
“Labor’s plan is to amend a plan,” Mr Jaensch said.
“Amending the LGH masterplan to include a childcare centre won’t deliver a childcare centre.
“There’s no funding commitment to pay for it.”
On Sunday, Labor also accused the Liberals of breaking its promise of no new taxes following the announcement of a short-stay levy.
“The Premier should know that you can’t tax your way out of a cost-of-living crisis, but he’s trying to do it anyway,” Labor finance spokesperson Dean Winter said.
“The Liberals have now tried on a waste tax, a fire tax and now a shack tax, all while Tasmanians are struggling to pay the bills.
“Regional accommodation operators have had a tough few years, and with a cost of living crisis, they need a government that supports them, not taxes them.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff defended the short-stay levy that would fund the also newly announced scrapping of stamp duty payments for young Tasmanians buying their first home.
“You can call it what you like,” Mr Rockliff said.
“We believe it is a measured and balanced way to get more young Tasmanians into a home of their own.
“We are backing young Tasmanians by stamping out stamp duty.
“Unlike Labor, we know there isn’t a magic money tree, and we believe this is a fair and affordable way to help Tasmanians into their first home.”
Liberals pitch housing policies
The Liberals have kicked off day five of the state election campaign at Blackmans Bay, spruiking their newly announced policy of introducing a levy on short-stay accommodation.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Housing Minister Nic Street said the 5 per cent levy would raise $11m per annum and be put towards helping first homebuyers get into the property market.
They also announced a plan to revamp stamp duty to make it easier for young people to buy a home.
“Our Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future will help more young Tasmanians buy their first home by scrapping stamp duty,” Mr Rockliff said.
“Under our Strong Plan, eligible young Tasmanians won’t have to pay a cent of Stamp Duty for any home valued up to $750,000.”
Tenants’ Union of Tasmania principal solicitor Ben Bartl said there were “quicker ways” of increasing housing supply in the long-term rental market than a short-stay levy, such as a moratorium on new short-stay permits.
The most recent short-stay data from Consumer Building and Occupational Services in the June quarter last year showed there were 425 entire home short-stay accommodation properties in the Hobart local government area and 330 in the Launceston municipality.
That’s a 32 per cent and 49 per cent increase in listings compared to the same quarter in 2021, respectively.
Hickey’s comeback bid
Sue Hickey has revealed she will run again as an independent in Clark saying the Liberals are “talentless and tired”.
After narrowly losing her seat in 2021, the former Liberal speaker in the House of Assembly, Hobart lord mayor and now deputy Glenorchy deputy mayor said she had considered running “on and off for six months”.
“I got so annoyed I thought ‘ok, you’ve got the skills, you’ve got to give it one more go and try to make things better’,” she told the Sunday Tasmanian.
“My major concern is that we have had a decade of cover-ups, lies and in-fighting.
“The two-party system has failed us.
“Ten years of unstable Liberal domination has crippled many of our public services.
“The Liberals are now talentless and tired.”
What Jacqui Lambie Network brings to the table
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie remains upbeat her party’s candidates in the state election can win seats in the new-look 35-seat House of Assembly.
And she said the Jacqui Lambie Network would be willing to do deals with either major party in the event of a minority government.
“We will work with anyone who commits to transparent decision making and makes fixing the health system, addressing the cost-of-living pressures and ensuring every Tasmanian has a home, their priorities,” she said.
Senator Jacqui Lambie said the party had 12 candidates spread across all electorates, except for Clark.
“They are not career politicians; they are all everyday Tasmanians who have made big contributions to their communities,” Senator Lambie said.
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