Labor has to get in touch with its soul

TASMANIANS will face a choice at the ballot box later this year or early in 2018.

The current Liberal Government stands for very little other than spouting rhetoric about jobs, pushing tourism as some form of economic nirvana, and pushing back against inevitable and desirable social reforms. But what of the ALP? Once upon a time the ALP stood nationally, and in Tasmania when Michael Field was Premier, for economic and social reform.

It was a “big picture” political force driven by the brilliance of the Hawke and

Greg Barns

Keating governments. But, since Paul Keating lost the 1996 election to John Howard, the man who ensured the Liberal Party became the deeply reactionary entity it is today (despite Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s hollow rhetoric about liberalism last week), the ALP has become populist and conservative.

Nationally it is led by Bill Shorten, who stands for little other than, well, Bill Shorten. How about Tasmania? The new leader, Rebecca White, is an unknown quantity but early signs are mixed.

Ms White has supported Hobart Mayor Sue Hickey in the latter’s push to replace invasion, sorry Australia Day, with another day that celebrates and remembers the whole nation.

She has also opposed mandatory jail terms, making her the only Labor leader with any integrity and policy sense on that matter around the nation.

On the other hand, Ms White has not shown any inclination to support sensible and rational drug policies that are being pursued around the world.

Ms White has supported self-serving statements by doctors and nurses to the effect that there is a perpetual crisis in the health system.

To be fair, it’s early days for Ms White and her team and she has attracted some talented candidates, such as Ella Haddad, Tim Cox and Alison Standen, to run at the next election in Denison and Franklin.

But what Tasmania deserves is a stark alternative to the Liberal government, not simply a party that cuts its policies from the same cloth.

This means an ALP suite of policies that is socially and economically liberal.

Whichever party is elected at the next polls is facing a severe economic downturn.

There is serious risk of mortgage default in overheated property markets in Sydney and Melbourne. China is heading inexorably for a major slowdown because it is riddled with debt and nonperforming loans

Tasmania’s budgetary position is weak. The Treasurer Peter Gutwein (aka “the Treasurer lite”) has used accounting tricks, raided GBEs and got lucky with GST payments.

He has not embarked on any economic and budget reform.

The employment market is soft, with jobs being created in the low-income, part-time tourism sector, but elsewhere employment is static.

So, the ALP needs to tell the Tasmanian electorate that this is the way it is. It needs to spell out how it would reduce the size of government.

Easy targets are the secretive Coordinator General’s office and the so-