Exclusive polling reveals which party Tasmanians trust to keep the economy in check

LABOR, Liberal, Greens ... which political party do you think is best placed to manage Tasmania’s economy? READ EACH PARTY’S STATEMENT

MORE Tasmanians trust the Liberals to manage the economy compared to both Labor and the Greens combined, new polling shows.

Exclusive ReachTEL polling, commissioned by the Mercury, shows 53.7 per cent of Tasmanians believe the Liberals “are better placed to manage the economy” compared to Labor (35.3 per cent) and the Greens (11 per cent).

READ THE ARGUMENTS FROM PETER GUTWEIN, BRYAN GREEN AND CASSY O’CONNOR BELOW.

The results have prompted calls from one of Tasmania’s most respected economists for Treasurer Peter Gutwein to lay out the State Government’s economic policy blueprint for its next term of government.

PART ONE: PROSPECT OF A HUNG HOUSE IN TASMANIA

PART TWO: GET ON BOARD LIGHT RAIL

The Liberal vote was the strongest in Braddon (60.6 per cent), evenly spread between about 53-56 per cent across Bass, Franklin and Lyons and the weakest in Denison, where it only marginally led Labor 43.5 per cent to 40.8 per cent. The Greens also were strongest in Denison, with 15.8 per cent and the weakest in Bass (8.3 per cent).

The Liberals are strongest among men (58.8 per cent) compared to women (49 per cent).

Poll: Which party is better placed to manage the economy?

Leading economist Saul Eslake said he was not surprised by the results.

“Federally and in most states the Coalition has a natural advantages on economic management in the same way Labor does on education and health,” Mr Eslake said.

“I suspect that Labor and the Greens still have a bit of living down to do after presiding over a recession during the previous government.”

Mr Eslake called for bold reform before the last state election.

He told the Mercury he has “cut the current government some slack” because leaders like Tony Abbott and Campbell Newman have learned the hard way you cannot make bold reform without a mandate.

“They are now 18 months away from the next State Election,” he said.

“They need to think about what sort of second term mandate they want.

“Do they want to mind the stores or make the changes that I think need to be made to underwrite a more prosperous future for Tasmania.”

Tasmanian Treasurer Peter Gutwein. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

Labor’s treasury spokesman Scott Bacon. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Mr Eslake suggested targeted privatisation including TasPorts and some local council mergers.

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Michael Bailey said the results reflected the fact the State Government has articulated a clear economic plan with which it had been able to stick.

Business and the community became frustrated with previous governments’ budgets dissolving “into the ether almost as soon as it was released”.

“Labor has also not put together an alternate budget since they have been in opposition,” Mr Bailey said.

TCCI CEO Michael Bailey.

“I suspect that this is hurting their economic credentials, too.

“To be seen as a viable economic alternative they need to put pen to paper and articulate how they would manage they state.”

He said the Greens were “not known for, or probably want to be known for, their strong economic thinking”.

“Their policy and alternate budget is more theme-based rather than connecting with a modern economy,” he said.

“Tasmania has also seen significant economic upturn in the past two years which would support this result.”

Tasmanian Council of Social Services CEO Kym Goodes said it was vital the parties released policies and strategies that tackled systemic disadvantage in the lead-up to the next State Election, particularly in light of recent results in the US and UK

“The best managers of our economy are those who can bridge the divide between the two Tasmanias,” Ms Goodes said.

TasCOSS CEO Kym Goodes. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“Addressing inequality must be at the forefront of economic decision-making.

“The political fallout of inequality can be disastrous, as we’ve seen in the UK and the US this year.

“In the lead up to the next State election I expect to see policies from all parties that tackle the systemic causes of disadvantage.”

Ms Goodes said the parties needed to be conscious of the fact that people became angry and disengaged if they felt they were not being listened to.

“These voters live in communities that have lost industries, jobs and services,” she said.

“Many parts of Tasmania are suffering in a similar way.

“It is vital that our politicians listen without judgment to people in communities and work with them on the solutions.”

TREASURER PETER GUTWEIN

There is no doubt that when we came to government two and a half years ago, Tasmania was facing very challenging economic circumstances.

Thousands of jobs had been lost, people were leaving the State and the economy had been in recession. The forecast for the budget was for massive deficits and business confidence had been smashed.

While our priority has been creating jobs, one of the first things we needed to do was restore confidence.

We immediately acted to show Tasmanians and national and international investors that Tasmania was open for business and had a Government that unashamedly stood for jobs, economic growth and for business.

One of our first acts was to waive water and sewerage headworks changes, a decision which has brought forward tens of millions of dollars of investment and helped make the current hotel development on Macquarie Wharf No. 2 possible.

We have partnered with the tourism and hospitality industries to make Tasmania one of the world’s must-see destinations, which is leading to a boom in visitor numbers and massive investment in our State.

The First Home Builder Boost has been extended and increased, which has not only helped hundreds of people build their first home, it has helped drive employment right through the housing industry supply chain.

We are reforming the planning system and building regulations to make it faster, fairer, simpler and cheaper to invest and build.

We are investing significantly into schools, our university and our hospitals as well as essential upgrades to rail and road infrastructure right around the State.

Under us, the budget is now back in the black and we are reinvesting the dividends in frontline services like health, education, police and supporting the vulnerable.

Since we were elected, 2500 jobs have been created and the unemployment rate has dropped. Our economy is growing at the fastest rate in six years, our retail sector is experiencing record highs, our export sector is the fastest growing in the country and our building and construction sector is the busiest it’s been in years.

Through our sensible, pragmatic approach and our long-term plan, the Hodgman Government has restored confidence, we are growing the economy and creating jobs.

OPPOSITION LEADER BRYAN GREEN I want to lead a Government that has a strategic vision for Tasmania. That is what Labor is good at. The seeds for Tasmania’s current economic success were sewn long ago. It was Labor that built the original hydro system and, more recently, delivered wind energy to the state. It was Labor that bought the two Spirits. It was Labor that delivered natural gas and in the process literally laid the foundations for the NBN. The vision to unlock Tasmania’s agricultural potential through irrigation started under Jim Bacon and was delivered by successive Labor premiers. Tasmania’s relationship with China was struck by Doug Lowe in the 1980s and flourished during the period of the last Labor government. Prior to the onset of the Global Financial Crisis, Labor had abolished net debt and our unemployment rate was the lowest in the country. In contrast, what has the current Liberal Government done to set Tasmania’s economy up for the future? Where is the vision, the leadership, the ideas or the projects that will pay dividends in years to come? The ugly truth is that there are now two Tasmanias. There is the Tasmania that is doing well – the one we hear so much about from the Premier. And there is the Tasmania that is doing it tough – the one the Premier would have you believe doesn’t exist. Not everyone is sharing in Tasmania’s prosperity. Nearly 3500 people have lost their jobs in the past year. These people are competing for very few job vacancies. Labor believes in creating opportunities for all Tasmanians – not just a fortunate few. Our focus in Government will be on supporting regional economies, investing in long-term infrastructure and looking after those most in need. We have already released a range of policies which will be fully costed prior to the next election and there are more to come.

GREENS LEADER CASSY O'CONNOR Sometimes Tasmania reminds me of the girl at the dance who has no idea how amazing she is and so accepts the first offer for a dance. As a state, have so much to offer, competitive strengths like our natural and cultural heritage, strength of community, premium produce and lucrative brand. Tasmania has what the world wants and we need to build on that instead of putting it out there that we’ll take any investment, any development, regardless of its merits. We can and should demand the best. In the last term of government, two Greens’ Ministers responsibly managed large departmental budgets. Savings were required across agencies to balance the State budget and we delivered them. We were dealing with the local impacts of the GFC but were also able to prioritise reforms like new or refurbished affordable housing and the roll out of a massive free energy efficiency program. We also worked with businesses, community and across government to deliver a comprehensive climate strategy, demonstrating there are jobs and opportunities in gearing up for the changes ahead. Whenever the Greens have been in a minority arrangement with one of the major parties in Tasmania, we have been prepared to make and own hard decisions. The State was near bankrupt after Robin Gray’s time as Premier. The Labor Green accord government turned the budget around. It wasn’t popular but it was the right thing to do. The Greens always prepare fully costed alternative budgets. We prioritise investment in social and economic good, like illness prevention, affordable housing and managing Tasmania’s world renowned tourist gems, our Parks. We have never and will never support the hand out of public funds to unsustainable industries like the industrial native forest logging sector. Looking after people and environmental assets, building social and economic resilience, self-sufficiency and sustainability are at the core of our approach to using taxpayer funds wisely.