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

As Senator Polley mentioned, the Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania, Will Hodgman, was overheard saying that the NBN could cost him government. That is because Labor are working very hard to try to make this into an issue. The reality is that Tasmanians need to make their decisions based on the record of Labor and the Greens and the appalling state of the economy in Tasmania; the embarrassing fact that Tasmania is at the bottom of so many economic and social indicators. I think Tasmanians are smart enough to see through this. I think Tasmanians will look at the record of Labor and the Greens over the last 16 years and they will make the appropriate decision. I think they will see past this smokescreen that Labor is trying to create, surrounding the NBN issues, and will vote accordingly. I am confident that on 15 March we will see the Liberals do significantly better than the Labor Party, and the Labor Party will get a real lesson—but, of course, because of the Hare-Clark system that does not necessarily mean we are going to win. That is why they are going so hard with this. They are going so hard because a few votes here or there could mean they end up getting a second seat in an electorate, even though they are going to suffer the judgement of the Tasmanian people.

Honourable senators interjecting—