BILL HAS TASSIE SUPPORT

TASMANIAN Labor MPs have thrown their support behind federal party leader Bill Shorten despite a poll that shows they would have better electoral success under Anthony Albanese.

As Mr Shorten flew into the state for more campaigning ahead of Saturday’s Braddon by-election, Tasmania’s three Labor MPs in the House of Representatives and the state’s five Labor senators released a statement supporting him.

“Tasmanian Labor MPs and senators back Bill Shorten 100 per cent – he’s a fantastic advocate for our state’s schools, hospitals and jobs,” the group said yesterday.

“Bill Shorten is a great friend of Tasmania.”

TASMANIA’S Labor MPs and senators have rallied behind their leader Bill Shorten as he returns to the state for the last days of the Braddon by-election campaign.

While Labor Braddon candidate Justine Keay traded blows with her Liberal counterpart Brett Whiteley at a Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry forum in Ulverstone yesterday, the state’s Labor politicians threw their support behind Mr Shorten who hosted an event in Devonport last night.

“Tasmanian Labor MPs and Senators back Bill Shorten 100 per cent — he’s a fantastic advocate for our state’s schools, hospitals and jobs,” the group said in a statement yesterday.

“Bill Shorten is a great friend of Tasmania and strong leader of the Labor Party, fighting for better health services for Tasmanians, not a $17 billion taxpayer-funded handout for the big banks like Malcolm Turnbull.”

The collective thumbs up for Mr Shorten comes on the back of a poll that showed Labor would win the by-elections in Braddon and the Queensland seat of Longman if Anthony Albanese was the leader instead.

Labor is in danger of losing Longman, and Braddon is on a knife-edge, according to YouGov Galaxy polling that was published by NewsCorp yesterday.

In Braddon, support was 50-50 on a two-party preferred basis.

However, a Reachtel poll conducted by the Australian Forest Products Association last week showed Labor’s candidate Ms Keay led the Liberals’ Mr Whiteley 52 per cent to 48 per cent, two-party preferred.

It also found 67.4 per cent of non-Liberal and non-Labor voters would preference Labor higher than the Liberals.

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said in Braddon yesterday that Mr Shorten’s future was a matter for Labor but he was clearly under pressure.

Yesterday’s forum in Ulverstone was a civilised affair with the questioning only becoming heated when it came to tax breaks for big companies and banks.

Ms Keay told the forum Labor would not repeal any of the tax cuts that had been legislated for small and medium businesses if elected. However, this goes against Labor’s policy, which is to reverse the legislated reduction in the tax rate for small and medium incorporated businesses to 25 per cent by 2026-27.

Greens candidate for Braddon Jarrod Edwards said he and other candidates from the smaller parties had been deliberately excluded from the TCCI event.

TCCI chief executive Michael Bailey told candidates the business community had a wish list with six main items from both major parties.

These were for the legislated tax cuts to remain, for a small energy minister to be appointed to Federal Cabinet, for instant asset write down and investment guarantee provisions to remain, for penalty rates cuts to stay and for changes to be made to make it easier to employ Tasmanians.

THERE’S a glut of pork in Australian politics right now and for the voters in Braddon, it’s being served up in every possible way. The list of promises from both the Coalition and Labor Party amounts to blatant pork-barrelling which is great for the people of Braddon, but not the best way to run a government.

There have been pledges for upgrades to Bass and Murchison highways worth $90 million, the Cradle Mountain Cableway project gets $30 million and $8.8 million for a cycling and walking trail which links towns and cities along the North-West Coast.

Add to that millions for arts precincts, flood mitigation, elective surgery and health services. Nearly every sporting club wins a prize with thousands more for improved changerooms, oval upgrades and equipment.

Political leaders from both sides have flown in to make announcements, unveil plaques and pose in high-viz vests and hard hats.

The seat of Longman in Queensland has been capturing similar attention.

And while Braddon has been able to bask in the love flowing from Canberra, the indications are that all the largesse is failing to sway a section of voters in the marginal seat.

Exclusive polling released in the Mercury yesterday showed Liberal candidate Brett Whiteley attracted just 44 per cent of the primary vote and Labor’s Justine Keay just 40 per cent. The contest is neck and neck after preferences.

That leaves 16 per cent of voters either undecided or voting for other candidates. Key to the result will

The support . . . shows what the big parties are capable of . . . But it would be nice for politicians to focus on areas outside marginal seats

be the flow of preferences from Craig Garland – a knockabout fisherman who has a colourful way with words and down-to-earth appeal.

The Liberals are still stinging from the 2016 result where the flow of preferences from CFMEU-backed pro-fishing candidate Glen Saltmarsh secured a Labor victory.

Mr Garland doesn’t have union backing but is a defender of fishing, an issue close to the hearts of many a North-West coaster.

It is good that Canberra has turned its eyes on Tasmania and the attention is likely to benefit a region which has struggled with high unemployment and social disadvantage.

The support for projects and infrastructure shows what the big parties are capable of and the economic levers they can pull when they want to. But it would be nice for politicians to focus on areas outside marginal seats.

The central Hobart seat of Denison, for example, has long suffered from neglect because the major political players believe they hold little chance of taking the seat from independent Andrew Wilkie. The Bridgewater Bridge is the only concrete commitment of any significance in recent years – some say at least 10 years overdue – alongside a vague undertaking to support a Better Cities deal.

It’s about time federal governments were fairer in their spending and backed projects which benefit all five Tasmanian electorates, rather than rolling out the barrels of pork to win over voters in marginal seats.

Responsibility for all editorial comment is taken by the Editor, Chris Jones, Level 1, 2 Salamanca Square, Hobart, TAS, 7000