Libs claim Labor made misleading comments about Qantas call centre bail-out plan ahead of March 15 poll

LABOR has been accused of misleading the Tasmanian public about a bail-out package for Qantas in the dying days of the previous State Government.

Unions say 300 jobs are at risk at Qantas’s call centre in Hobart’s northern suburbs.

LABOR has been accused of misleading the Tasmanian public about a bail-out package for Qantas in the dying days of the previous State Government.

As pressure continues on the Hodgman government to say what they are going to do to save 300 Tasmanian call centre jobs, the Liberals say there is no evidence then Labor Premier Lara Giddings came up with a proposal to save the workers in the days before the March 15 state poll.

UNIONS SAYS 300 QANTAS JOBS AT RISK IN HOBART

Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff claims Labor misled the Tasmanian public over comments made about the Qantas call centre bail-out in the lead up to the state election on March 15.

Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said Ms Giddings had misled the Tasmanian people when she told reporters the Government was working on “a payroll tax waiver for all positions relocated from interstate, temporary payroll tax relief for the existing local workforce and infrastructure assistance to expand the Glenorchy centre”.

“However, the Department of Economic Development has advised that while preliminary discussions had taken place, no specific proposals were put,” Mr Rockliff said.

Opposition leader Bryan Green today said the Liberals need to get on with the job of governing the state.

“It’s time the Liberals started acting like a government and stopped playing the political blame game,” Mr Green said.

“Nothing we have seen or heard from the Liberals demonstrates they are committed to saving these jobs.

“Labor was upfront about its support plan to maintain the Qantas jobs in Tasmania but the Liberals seem prepared to let them go.”

Mr Rockliff said the future of the call centre was a priority for the State Government.

“However, it is not appropriate or productive to broadcast the content of these discussions while negotiations are going on because we are not the only state who are putting proposals to Qantas.”

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