Labor Clark hopeful wants ACCC to investigate Premier’s insurance scheme
Cheaper, fairer, but not quite ours?: The Liberals’ plan for TasInsure, a state-owned insurance company has hit a snag. The latest.
Tasmania
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Premier Jeremy Rockliff has dismissed calls about TasInsure’s name ownership as “political games”.
In a letter to the federal minister for financial services, a Labor candidate has called out the Liberal Party’s lack of evidence to support their latest election promise, TasInsure.
This comes after former Tasmanian premier Paul Lennon bought the business name, and finding it had not been registered.
“They didn’t bother to register the business name – the most basic thing to do if you had a serious business proposal,” Mr Lennon said.
“I know this because on July 7, I registered the business name through my company – to demonstrate that this is a cruel hoax, without question. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Mr Rockliff responded during a press conference on Friday, saying Tasmanians were “sick and tired of the political games”.
“The Tasmanian people want cheaper and fairer insurance and they want it Tasmanian-owned,” he said.
“The fact that Paul Lennon, who we know is pulling the strings of Dean Winter, it’s about time Dean Winter pulled Lennon into line.”
When asked why Mr Rockliff didn’t buy the name, he said “because it’s Tasmanians, not Jeremy Rockliff’s insurance company.”
“It won’t be owned by Paul Lennon,” he said.
“This is and will be owned by Tasmanians.”
Labor’s Clark candidate Luke Martin wrote to federal minister Daniel Mulino to “draw his attention” to the “lack of public scrutiny” over the Premier’s TasInsure plan.
Mr Martin said there was no business case, actuarial advice or detailed financial analysis.
But there was “a corporate brand and logo, launched a retail shopfront, a consumer website (www.tasinsure.com.au), and Mr Rockliff was “even wearing branded merchandise.”
“It is clear the Premier’s marketing and aggressive promotion of his scheme has led many Tasmanians to believe they are set to save money on their rising insurance premiums,” Mr Martin stated.
Mr Martin said he had “definitive evidence” the TasInsure scheme was hastily “cooked up a little over a week ago as a crude vote buying exercise”.
“I understand the Tasmanian Government does not legally own the ‘TasInsure’ company name, nor has it even trademarked the fancy logo it is promoting across the community,” he wrote.
Mr Martin wants the finance services minister’s department and relevant regulatory authorities, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), to investigate the activities of the Tasmanian Premier in relation to his proposed insurance scheme, and the substance of Mr Rockliff’s claim that Tasmanian households and businesses can expect to save $250 or 20 per cent per year on premium costs respectively.
EARLIER: The Liberals have described as “a shameful act” the purchase of the business name TasInsure by former Labor Premier Paul Lennon.
Minister Felix Ellis said Labor leader Dean Winter “needs to pull Mr Lennon into line” and allow TasInsure to proceed to ease cost of living pressures for Tasmanians.
“Mr Winter’s puppet master Paul Lennon has bought the company name TasInsure in a shameful act of political game playing,” Mr Ellis said.
“Mr Winter needs to today stand up and pull Mr Lennon into line.
“TasInsure isn’t owned by Mr Lennon or the Labor Party.
“It will be owned by the people of Tasmania.
“Why does Mr Winter want to stop it?
“These are the political games Tasmanians are sick of.
“Know this: a re-elected Liberal government will ensure Labor does not succeed in its attempt to block TasInsure.”
The Australian newspaper reported on Friday that the government had not registered the business name so Mr Lennon registered it through his own company.
“They didn’t bother to register the business name – the most basic thing to do if you had a serious business proposal,” Mr Lennon told The Australian.
“I know this because on July 7, I registered the business name through my company – to demonstrate that this is a cruel hoax, without question. You can’t make this stuff up.”
TasInsure is a major election promise from the Liberals and already has a shopfront in Launceston, printed merchandise and Premier Jeremy Rockliff regularly wears a top with the TasInsure logo.
In the Mercury this week Mr Lennon described the scheme as “loopy” and urged Mr Rockliff to release the business case, costings and independent financial analysis for TasInsure.
Mr Rockliff said TasInsure would be “cost neutral” and the Liberals would release the costings and modelling of all its policies to Treasury.
Mr Lennon said “I challenge Jeremy Rockliff to produce the Treasury advice that underpins this loopy scheme or alternatively, own up to Tasmanians that he doesn’t have it and that it’s a cynical attempt to hoodwink Tasmanians into thinking he cares about them.
“He should release the full costings, the full business case and the full independent financial analysis so people can see whether this is a real proposal or just a cruel hoax.”
TasInsure has been welcomed by business groups, tourism operators and farmers.
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