Tasmanian Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff triggers early state election
Premier Jeremy Rockliff called an early poll on 14th February 2024 after governing in minority for more than eight months.
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00:00 I've just returned from visiting the Governor who has accepted my advice that the House
00:06 of Assembly be dissolved and that a general election be held on Saturday the 23rd of March.
00:15 Can I say very clearly, this election is about who is best able to restore stability and
00:24 certainty so Tasmania can take action on the issues affecting you right now.
00:33 We do have a strong plan which is all about addressing these important issues but the
00:38 Parliament has become unworkable.
00:42 I'm not going to allow myself or my Government to be held to ransom for the next 12 months.
00:51 It's bad for Tasmania and it's bad for Tasmanians.
00:56 So I've taken the decision to call an election so that Tasmanians can have their say.
01:06 Tasmania has come a long way over the last 10 years under majority Liberal Government
01:12 led by Will Hodgman, Peter Gutwin, myself and our team.
01:19 Under our plan we have gone from the worst performing state to the best performing state
01:26 on most economic measures.
01:29 We have delivered historically low unemployment and 53,000 new jobs have been created.
01:40 Construction of the new Bridgewater Bridge is underway and the first of two new Sphere
01:45 of Tasmania ferries will soon sail into Devonport.
01:50 And we've done all this and much more while maintaining the lowest debt of all the states
01:57 and without introducing any new taxes.
02:02 But I understand that like the rest of Australia we are facing some serious challenges right
02:10 now.
02:11 We've delivered an additional 298 hospital beds.
02:17 We've employed an extra 2,500 frontline health professionals including 1,390 nurses.
02:29 But there's more work to do with our health system and we can do better.
02:34 So we've done a lot but there's more to do.
02:39 That's why we've developed our strong plan for Tasmania's future to address these issues.
02:46 It's our 2030 Tasmania plan and it's all about how the Tasmanian Government can take more
02:52 pressure off you.
02:55 It's a strong plan which is all about taking more action on the issues affecting you right
03:01 now such as cost of living, such as health and such as housing.
03:09 Importantly we'll be taking action straight away with my Liberal Government ready to deliver
03:15 key parts of the plan immediately so Tasmanians can feel those benefits sooner.
03:22 Thank you.
03:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]