This is the election we didn’t have to have. Jeremy Rockliff could have stood aside. Dean Winter could have worked with the crossbench. But both love a captain’s call.
Under their leadership there is no difference between Liberal and Labor.
Liberal and Labor are the same on the stadium, on the Budget, on gambling reform, on salmon, on greyhound racing, on forestry, on planning laws, on their populist tough-on-crime approach, on UTAS, and so it goes.
They are the same, focused on power plays rather than proper plans for Tasmania.
And both major parties are operating as if they will only govern in a majority – ignoring the reality Tasmanians elected a power-sharing Parliament.
The voters never get it wrong. They elected a diverse Parliament in 2024 and expected both the Liberal and Labor parties to respect that. They have not.
It’s time they both started to reflect the will of the people and work collaboratively with all elected members of Parliament.
Voters at this election can say it even louder – governments will be held to account by independents and a strong crossbench.
This election should be a contest of ideas and policies rather than the desperate pork-barreling of the major parties.
For the sake of generations to come, and out of respect for the woeful budget position we currently find ourselves in, I ask that both parties commit to end pork-barrel spending this election.
My record is clear – I stand for good policy, transparency, integrity and accountability. These are the things voters tell me they want action on.
Go to my website for my policy positions and my record of advocacy on these issues and more. https://kristiejohnston.com.au/
Authorised by Kristie Johnston, 331 Main Road Glenorchy.