I want to be Premier

LABOR leader Rebecca White acknowledged her party is the underdog in the state election but said she wanted to be Premier “more than anything else”.

Premier Peter Gutwein accused Labor of treating the budget like a “magic pudding” and said his government had a plan that was working and he had kept Tasmanians safe during the pandemic.

The comments came at the first leaders’ debate of the election campaign held at Wrest Point yesterday.

THE leaders of both of Tasmania’s major political parties say they will reject the verdict of voters if they don’t win a majority of seats at the May 1 election.

Labor leader Rebecca White and Premier Peter Gutwein faced off in their first leaders’ debate at Wrest Point Casino on Thursday.

In a restrained exchange, the two jousted over policies including jobs, training, planning and local government reform, with Ms White returning to the theme of TAFE and Mr Gutwein rejecting the Labor’s claims of privatisation.

The Premier opened his pitch with a reference to his government’s handling of the pandemic.

“That plan on any measure has worked. Tasmania is one of the safer places on the planet,” he said.

But he was adamant that he had no interest in staying in the job if a majority Liberal government was not returned. The Liberals have enjoyed a perilous grip on majority during their last term and Mr Gutwein claims the election was called a year early because he had lost a majority after ejecting Sue Hickey from the Liberal party.

“If Tasmanians elect a minority government on the first of May, I will not remain as leader. I will not lead a minority government that leads us backwards, that cannot make the decisions we need to secure Tasmania’s future,” Mr Gutwein said.

“They struggle to make decisions and something I have learnt over the last 12 months is that governments need to be able to make clear and fast decisions.”

Ms White also said she would not accept minority rule.

“I’ve made that very clear. I wouldn’t lead a government that wasn’t in majority,” she said.

Mr Gutwein said Labor was running a dishonest campaign against the government’s TAFE reforms.

“We are not privatising TAFE. I struggle to see how the Opposition

Leader can sleep at night with some of the stuff she’s putting on television,” he said.

And he defended the government’s record on health.

“Don’t believe what you read from others about health, we’ve invested massively.”

Ms White opened with a tightly focused response about employment, training and the state’s low workforce participation rate.

“Labor has a plan to create 35,000 jobs for Tasmanians, we have led the debate on the critical importance of skills and training with a positive plan for free TAFE courses.”

TAFE was a theme she returned to repeatedly, rejecting the premise that it was not flexible enough.

“The government doesn’t need to turn TAFE into a GBE to make it work, they just need to fund it properly.

“They’ve just made a decision, and now they’re in a position where they have to defend it and it’s indefensible.”

And she said the government had had ample time to reform planning laws and to solve the state’s health crisis but had not done so.

“I want to be Premier because I don’t believe this is as good as it gets,” she said.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor was not invited to the debate.

“The fact that Peter Gutwein and Rebecca White are having a leaders’ debate, organised by the Property Council at Wrest Point Casino, tells Tasmanians everything they need to know about the priorities of the major parties,” she said.

“It’s all about toadying up to the top end of town while ignoring the big issues like climate and soaring rates of poverty in Tasmania.

“If Tasmanians are looking for heart and vision from their political leaders, they won’t find it at Wrest Point at lunchtime today.”

I want to be Premier because I don’t believe this is as good as it gets Rebecca White

If Tasmanians elect a minority I government ... will not remain as leader Peter Gutwein

I’ve made that very clear. I wouldn’t lead a government that wasn’t in majority Rebecca White

Don’t believe what you read ... about health, we’ve invested massively Peter Gutwein