David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This Saturday, Tasmanians will have the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights. They have a real ability to deliver real change. Labor, and its Premier, David Bartlett, are offering the same scandals, the same secrecy, the same lack of leadership and the same poor decisions that its predecessors under Paul Lennon and Jim Bacon delivered.

Make no mistake, Labor’s tried-and-true three-card trick of changing the leader has not changed the nature of this government, which is rotten to the core. The fact is that when Labor changes leaders and says to you, ‘You don’t have to change the government because we’ve already done it,’ it is a sham, a front and a deception no better than a spray job on a car that is a lemon. It may look shiny and new, but, underneath, it is still an old lemon.

The Tasmanian Liberals, on the other hand, offer real change. It is change that will deliver integrity and real action intended to deliver positive outcomes for all Tasmanians—rather than line the pockets of special mates—action that will address in a practical and common sense manner Tasmania’s education and health challenges and real change that will restore public faith in the parliament and government of Tasmania.

The demise of two deputy premiers in as many years, both in scandalous circumstances, along with the scandals involving others senior members of the government points to an inability by members of this Labor government to make decisions rationally and in the best interests of Tasmania, a total lack of moral compass on these issues and an inability by successive premiers, including the current one, to control Labor MPs and deliver appropriate ethical standards.

This Saturday, as they turn up to polling booths right across my beautiful home state of Tasmania, Tasmanians will meet to decide whether they want four more years from the same party that has consistently delivered scandals, corruption and broken promises.