Liberals shift focus to health in campaign launch where Premier arrives in unusual fashion

Health has become a major battle ground for the Tasmanian election, with the Liberals laser-focused on policies to get the party over the line at their campaign launch on Sunday.

(L-R) Premier Jeremy Rockliff with daughter Lucy, his wife Sandra Knowles, and daughters Holly and Ruby at his parent's property at Sassafras, where the official Liberal Party election campaign launch. Picture supplied

The Rockliff family farm at Sassafras — usually a vegetable growing hub — transformed for the Tasmanian Liberals official campaign launch on Sunday.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff arrived on a tractor and addressed a crowd sitting on hay bales from a stage built from scratch.

“I never quite thought I’d attend a campaign launch where the directions included turn left or right at The Big Spud,” Mr Rockliff said.

“But why wouldn’t I? This is where I grew up; this is my home – this is me.”

Mr Rockliff also unveiled two new health policies to the Liberal Party faithful.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff arriving to the Liberal campaign launch on a tractor. Picture: Simon McGuire.

He said that his government would effectively be “banning” ramping by reducing the recently introduced protocol of a maximum hour window for all patients arriving by ambulance to be transferred to the care of Emergency Department staff by half down to 30 minutes.

The Liberals also announced various general practice measures, including incentives to attract doctors to the state and funding clinics in outer-urban, regional and rural areas.

While general practice is the federal government’s responsibility, Mr Rockliff explained that his party was “going to step up to the plate and take action where they won’t”.

Health Minister Guy Barnett said it was an innovative nation-leading package of reformed, which included a GP rapid response team.

He said the government had already stepped in when GP clinics in St Mary’s, Bridgewater and East Devonport were threatened with closure.

“We’ve made a difference; we’ve improved the lives and health outcomes in those communities,” he said.

“We’ve delivered, but there’s a lot more to do.”

The Liberals also announced clearing the HECS debt of up to $100,000 for 40 GPs would increase the regional and rural workforce.

In addition, the Liberals will also offer $250,000 to GP practices in regional, remote and outer suburb areas.

Health Minister Guy Barnett and Liberal Bass MP Simon Wood at a press conference following the election announcement. Picture: Stephanie Dalton

Mr Barnett also said that reducing the ambulance to emergency department transfer protocol to 30 minutes would effectively “ban” ramping.

“By the second half of next year, we’ll reduce that to 45 minutes, and in the following year, we’ll hit that target of 30 minutes; that’s Australia’s best practice,” he said.

To achieve that goal, Mr Barnett said the Liberals would hire more doctors and nurses across emergency departments.

“We’ve been working with the stake holders, the health professionals and the unions with delivering this protocol.

“We’ll be rolling out … that 60-minute protocol in agreement with the support of the health professionals, the unions and my department.”

Labor’s health spokeswoman Anita Dow labelled “ban” on ramping as “ridiculous”, saying the problem had got worse under the Liberal’s watch.

‘Think again’: Premier says don’t vote for independents

Premier Jeremy Rockliff will plead with Tasmanians not to vote for independents or minor parties if they want a majority government after the election.

He will officially launch the Liberal Party’s campaign on Sunday telling people to vote Liberal if they want stability.

Mr Rockliff will tell the party faithful that polling shows the Liberals are “in a strong position, but we are not over the line yet”.

He will ask people to “think again” before voting for Jacqui Lambie Network candidates or independents.

A record 167 candidates have nominated for the March 23 election.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Incat, Derwent Park. Picture: Chris Kidd

EMRS polling last week showed support for the Liberals was steady on 39 per cent, Labor was down three per cent to 26, support for the independents had fallen to 14 per cent while the Lambie Network had nine per cent support.

Mr Rockliff said voters faced a “crucial and important choice” between his party’s 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future or a “Labor-led minority government Coalition of Chaos”.

He will attack Labor, the Greens, independents and Senator Lambie’s party.

“A grab-bag of political views that would make the Star Wars bar scene look positively boring – and governing, near impossible,” Mr Rockliff’s speech says in part.

“Those of us who have been around in Tasmania for a little while understand that majority government is the best thing for our state, and past experience proves it.

“In contrast, minority government is destabilising, it destroys confidence and is bad for our state, and for Tasmanians.”

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff press conference at The Tasman Hobart after calling an election for March 23rd. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Rockliff will explain why he believes Tasmanians want a repeat of “the dark days of the last Labor-Green minority government” in 2010.

“The truth is — and the polls confirms this — only the Liberals can credibly claim to be seeking majority government at this election,” the speech says.

“There is still a way to go for us to be able to restore to Tasmanians the stability and certainty that a majority government delivers

“So my clear message to Tasmanians – to those disenchanted Labor voters thinking of sticking with Ms White, to those people considering voting for the Lambie Party, and her network of corflute candidates, to those people thinking about voting independent – please, think again.

“Tasmanians, we need your help.

“We need your vote to help save Tasmania from a Labor-led Coalition of Chaos, and to deliver stability and certainty

“We need your vote to help deliver the majority government that Tasmania needs.”