PM talks up Tassie boom
Hopes rise in marginal seats
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has suggested Tasmania’s economic performance in recent years is the reason the Liberals could win back two seats in the North at the May 18 election.
Asked if he was feeling positive after this week’s polling that suggested Liberal candidate Bridget Archer was well ahead in the Launceston seat of Bass, Mr Morrison said: “There is a real positive energy in northern Tasmania. You can feel it talking to people and a Coalition Government will keep the state moving ahead.”
His visit came as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten campaigned in Darwin.
PRIME Minister Scott Morrison is remaining coy about his party’s chances of regaining the three seats lost by the Liberal’s “three amigos’ in Tasmania last election — but the State’s Health Minister is more openly confident.
Health Minister Michael Ferguson yesterday said he believes the Liberals will win seats in Tasmania, including Braddon, Bass and Lyons.
Liberal MPs Brett Whiteley, Andrew Nikolic and Eric Hutchinson all lost their seats in the 2016 election, being replaced by Labor’s Justine Keay, Brian Mitchell and Ross Hart.
But early polling in Bass shows Mr Hart could lose his seat to Liberal candidate and former George Town Mayor Bridget Archer.
Ms Keay is also fighting off Liberal challenger Gavin Pearce with a luxury of a very small margin.
Scott Morrison was in Braddon yesterday for the second day of his first visit during the formal election campaign.
Mr Morrison surprised motorists at a driver reviver stop at Paramatta Creek where he talked road safety funding — including $8 million for Australia’s 175 driver reviver stations — and adding another $25.6 million to the Tasmanian health system budget. The new health funding will go to a major upgrade of the North West Regional Hospital, peri-natal infant and mental health services for mothers in Burnie and Launceston, and Queenstown’s allied health and aged facility.
The $25.6 million health promise mirrors Labor’s pledge to give $25 million to help Tasmania get its own AFL team. It comes on top of
the $92 million in health funding announced last week, which targeted improving elective surgery wait times, boosting mental health and maternity services and more cancer diagnosis scans.
Asked if he agreed with recent polling which showed the Liberal Party was on track to claim the seat of Bass, Mr Morrison dodged the specific question, saying local voters would go to the polls knowing Tasmania’s economy had “skyrocketed up Australia’s leaderboard” under the Liberals at both state and federal levels.
“There is a real positive energy in northern Tasmania,” Mr Morrison said.
“You can feel it talking to people and a Coalition Government will keep the state moving ahead.
“People are now staying in northern Tasmania or moving back from other places.”
Health Minister Michael Ferguson said there was a lot of hype and spin during an election campaign but he believed the Liberals could and would will win seats in Tasmania, including the three northern electorates.
“We have five ripper candidates across Tasmania. In Bass I think Bridget Archer could be a reality. She is a proven mother, mayor and businesswoman.”
Braddon MP Justine Keay claimed the new funding was a smokescreen for cuts to the overall health budget.
“As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut $11 million from Tasmania’s hospitals — cutting hospital beds, cutting healthcare workers, and blowing out hospital waiting lists,” she said. This included a $1.95 million cut from the Launceston General Hospital, a $730,000 cut from the North West Regional Hospital and a $3 million cut from the Royal Hobart Hospital.
“Further, Scott Morrison plans to cut another $35 million from our state’s public hospitals if he wins.”
Mr Morrison concluded his visit to Northern Tasmania with a Liberal Party event at the Royal Flying Doctor Service hangar near Launceston Airport, where he addressed party faithful and proclaimed: "Things are turning around for the Liberal and National parties as we're going into this election".