Premier laughs off Hickey power
PREMIER Will Hodgman has laughed at suggestions Speaker Sue Hickey has more power than he does.
It came after Ms Hickey spent yesterday morning calling for free surgical terminations for women who can’t afford them and for genuine face-to-face negotiations between teachers and the Government to end the bitter pay dispute.
She then issued a statement hours later backtracking somewhat after briefings from the Government, who she said assured her they had “made a good faith offer to the Australian Education Union” and wanted to sit down with the union to negotiate in good faith.
Mr Hodgman said his relationship with Ms Hickey was “perfectly positive” after delivering a keynote address at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia Tasmanian State of the State event.
“She is doing her job as a Speaker, impartially,” he said.
She’s still a member of the Liberal team, she’s part of a majority Liberal government and we are delivering.”
Mr Hodgman also denied suggestions from Opposition Leader Rebecca White that his leadership was under pressure from the extreme right-wing element of the Liberal Party.
“Our agenda is working, I’m very assured the plan we promised Tasmanians is being well delivered,” he said.
“Our targets and policies we outlined during the election campaign are on track.”
Ms Hickey said she was no “superhero” when asked if the Government was making amendments to its legislation to avoid her crossing the floor again. “I’m not abusing my casting vote position and on top of that I only get to vote when the parliament is blocked,” she said during an AEU forum at Parliament House yesterday morning, where she was the only member of the Government to attend.
“I’m not a superhero, I can only do what I can do behind the scenes, but I do always try and negotiate so that we are the biggest, bravest, boldest and most accountable parliament we can be in the interests of all Tasmanians.”
PREMIER Will Hodgman has neither endorsed nor rejected a push from his Speaker for additional abortion options for Tasmanian women.
Hampton Park Women’s Health Care on Monday started taking referrals for its recently announced fortnightly southern clinic.
However Speaker Sue Hickey has flagged her intention to lobby Liberal colleagues to fund surgical abortions for women unable to pay the $475 asked by the state’s new lowcost provider.
Ms Hickey will also argue that medical termination drugs should be offered from all public hospitals and that the Government widely advertise that option.
Mr Hodgman said yester- day the Government had clear advice from the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services that the new private service was the right model for the state.
He would not be drawn on whether the Government would be willing to fund further services or consider abortions being offered in the state’s public hospitals.
“We will see how the new service operates, we want it to be as available and accessible to Tasmanian women as it can be … we will review this policy as we do all others,” he said.
Mr Hodgman said his relationship with Ms Hickey remained “perfectly positive” following a tumultuous week in which she voted against the Government on gender law reform.
Opposition Leader Rebecca White, who backed Ms Hickey’s intention to lobby on abortion services, said the Liberals were bitterly divided.
“Important issues like access to safe and legal termination services should never have been allowed to get to this point but it has because of Will Hodgman’s weakness in failing to stand up to the influence of the radical Right,” Ms White said.