Will Hodgman

Tomorrow and Friday, Premier Giddings will be in Canberra for COAG meetings. She should use that opportunity to tell Prime Minister Gillard that the job-destroying forest deal has no community support, is dead in the water, and ask her agreement for it to be terminated.

A majority Hodgman Liberal Government would act to cut the Green tape which is strangling business in Tasmania, by implementing a single state-wide planning scheme and striking a more sensible balance between economic and environmental considerations in development approval processes.

Lara Giddings has revealed just how far she is prepared to go to appease her Green partners in Government.

Lara Giddings’ decision to postpone forced school closures until after the next election is the greatest act of political cowardice since Kevin Rudd backed down on climate change.

Today, in a speech to the Tasmanian Division of the Institute of Public Administration Australia, I will be officially releasing the Liberals’ Future Directions 3 – Delivering the Essential Business of Government.

In Parliament today, Premier Lara Giddings walked away from a written guarantee to supply wood supply to the forest industry.

“Because a back room deal with the Greens is a deal with the devil, and I’m am not going to sell my soul for the sake of remaining in power.”  – David Bartlett, 7.30 Report, 24^th February 2010 

Tomorrow each and every Labor member of Parliament will be forced to put on the record whether or not they support the job-destroying forest deal.

I send my warmest congratulations to Queensland’s incoming Premier Campbell Newman. 

It is incredibly disappointing that the Federal Government has ruled out increasing or extending the Bass Strait Freight Equalisation Scheme.* 

Today I held discussions with Victorian Premier Mr Ted Baillieu and Ports Minister Dr Denis Napthine.

The proposed Melbourne Ports tax is a threat to the Tasmanian economy and I will strongly argue the case for Tasmania with the Victorian Government.

After Tasmania’s outstanding success at this year’s awards, the announcement that Tasmania will host the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards in 2013 is welcome news for the state.

Premier Lara Giddings and Infrastructure Minister David O’Byrne have serious questions to answer over the Triabunna wharf lease issue, which has resulted in the wharf being handed over to mainland millionaires Jan Cameron and Graeme Wood for absolutely nothing.

The last refuge of a desperate Government is to try and blame the Opposition for the Government’s failings.