YEAR IN REVIEW: Labor Leader Rebecca White looking forward to narrowing the gap on Libs
With a state election 14 months away, Opposition leader Rebecca White says she is confident Labor can narrow the gap and take majority government. WHITE’S EXCLUSIVE YEAR IN REVIEW >>
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THE pandemic pushed the pause button on party politics, but Labor leader Rebecca White says she’s confident she can make up the gap on the government in 2021.
The next state election is at most 14 months away and the Opposition leader is clearly spoiling for the contest.
As the Premier rides high in the opinion polls, Labor is focused on the work it needs to do in the run-up to the only poll that counts.
The thinking is that the big gap will narrow as the pandemic recedes.
“The fact is we only need to pick up a handful of seats,” Ms White says.
“I’m confident that with good candidates, with strong campaigns, that we can win majority government.”
She points to the election of Bastian Seidel in the Huon as an example.
“That occurred at the height of the premier’s popularity and the government’s popularity — and we were successful in winning a seat in the Labor Party hasn’t held since 1942.
“He’s a great asset for the Labor Party and he’s a terrific asset for the Tasmanian parliament.
He’s also an example that all politics is local and with good candidates and strong campaigns and a really good work ethic, people can get elected to the Tasmanian parliament.”
By contrast, Ms White says the government has ended the year looking threadbare, with a small number of people carrying an outsized load and some ministers not living up to their responsibilities.
“I’ve got a great team of people who are hardworking and would make excellent government ministers,” she says.
“Peter Gutwein is left quite isolated, where there’s very limited talent on his frontbench to draw from and that’s why you’ve got people like Mark Shelton and Jane Howlett and Michael Ferguson in key portfolios, because the Liberal Party have got no one else.”
“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by an incredibly good group of people who are hard working, who are passionate, who are intelligent, and I think stand in stark contrast to the government who have a group of people who are looking increasingly tired and worn out and demonstrating incompetence in their portfolios.”
One thing the pandemic has masked, Ms White says, is the fact that many of the deep-seated issues the government has not been able to address since being elected in 2014 still remain unsolved.
“We’ve got the worst public housing waiting list, the worst elective surgery waiting list that we’ve seen in a very long time, we’ve got the highest unemployment rate in the country, the worst youth unemployment rate in the country, she says.
“We are already having good conversations with people across the Tasmanian community about standing for Labor at the next election, they can see there’s an opportunity there for them to get in to represent their community and to be elected to a Labor government.
“Our time frame always coincides with the State Conference in the middle of next year, which is when we announce all of our candidates, they’ll all be announced at that point, which will give them time to hit the ground and get campaigning before the election.
“We’ll be ready to go whenever the election is called if it is called early.”
“There will be a number of announcements that we made throughout the course of next year as we get closer to the election, but all of them will focus on how we help people into jobs, how we help people with the cost of living, and how we make Tasmania fair and a better place.
With Labor’s laser-like focus on job creation, Ms White will not entertain the thought of a closer relationship with the other opposition party.
“There is no prospect of the Labor Party working with the Greens,” she says.
“We are completely different parties with very different values. The Greens party is a handbrake on progress.
“The Greens are a luxury item, people invest in them or vote for them when economic times are good.
“Economic times are bad and the Labor Party can still deliver progressive policies from government that improve people’s lives and address environmental concerns people have without destroying jobs.”
Ms White says she is committed to being the Labor leader who takes on Peter Gutwein at the 2022 election.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got unfinished business.”
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