ANDREW GILES MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIES AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
MEMBER FOR SCULLIN
SENATOR CAROL BROWN
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TASMANIA
SENATOR FOR TASMANIA
ROSS HART
CANDIDATE FOR BASS
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
LAUNCESTON
WEDNESDAY, 14 JULY 2021
SUBJECTS: Labor's Candidate for Bass; Long term investment in Northern Tasmania; Women's safety at work
ANDREW GILES, SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIES AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: Good afternoon everyone. My name is Andrew Giles, the Shadow Minister of the Cities and Infrastructure and I'm really pleased to be back in Launceston from Melbourne after quite a long time away. I'm particularly pleased to be here with my great friend Senator Carol Brown and, of course with the star of today, my fantastic colleague, Ross Hart, who has announced that he will be Labor's candidate for Bass at the upcoming federal election.
Now, I'm going to hand over to Ross in a moment about why he is running. But it's important for me to set out why the entire Labor family are excited by this, Anthony Albanese in particular. We've had the opportunity to see what a contribution Ross can make in the national debate, working with Ross in Federal Parliament [inaudible] shows me a person with extraordinary decency, with great principles and an enormous capacity. People here know his commitment to this city and northern Tasmania, the work he has put into not just his successful legal practice, not just his family, but into making this community his family. Ross is almost uniquely a selfless person and in public life he has all the qualities that make the difference.
Right now, Australians have seen how important it is to have Government that's on their side. Right now, Australians have seen how critical it is to have local representatives who stand up and to be counted upon. As we look to get through this pandemic, as we recognise that our national Government is letting Australians down, letting Tasmanians down, we need to change Government.
We also need to have strong voices. and there is no one better place to play that role than Ross Hart.
ROSS HART, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR BASS: Thank you Andrew for your kind words... I am so pleased to be announced as Labor's candidate for Bass.
Scott Morrison is part of a government that's attacking Medicare, attacking our healthcare system. And in 2021 that is just implausible and has to be defeated. We have attacks on Medicare; we have attacks on a healthcare system, we do not have a Government that is on our side, we see what has happened with respect to the COVID crisis, we have a government always late to the party, always claiming that it's somebody else's fault.
I have been honoured to serve as the Member for Bass in the past. I look forward to being the candidate for Bass and I will be working every day from now to the election, to be elected as the Member for Bass.
Tasmanians need investment in jobs, investment in jobs of the future, investment in our healthcare system, and investments in our education system. It's vitally important that we change the Government in the next federal election.
JOURNALIST: What have you heard from constituents that you've been speaking to, about some of the failings of the current Member?
HART: Well one of the issues that have been raised with me over the last two and half years is the lack of accessibility to the Federal Member for Bass. This is a hard job, it takes long hours, and you should be accessible to every constituent that knocks on your door.
I strived to be accessible to members of this community, for any issue, whether it's large or small. And that's why I'm standing here again, to be the Federal Labor Member for Bass.
JOURNALIST: That's something that you're keen to make a strong [inaudible]?
HART: The directions that I gave to my staff members in 2016 and up to 2019 is that every person who wishes to receive an appointment to see me was able to see me when I was here in Launceston [inaudible]. My connectedness to the people of this community - I honour the people of this community - and my commitment is absolutely to the people of northern Tasmania.
JOURNALIST: What reasons should people give you a second go, given that you were one of the few Labor members to lose their seat at the last election?
HART: So I lost my seat by 500 votes, I don't see that as a personal rejection, at next federal election, this will be about the Federal Government [inaudible], in order to change the Government, people need to vote Labor here in Bass and elect me as Federal Labor Member for Bass.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible]
HART: Well, part of my role as a legal practitioner, particularly in the firm Rae and Partners. our role of mentoring and supporting young female legal practitioners. I support women in the workplace. I supported my colleagues in Federal Parliament, particularly the fantastic Labor women we have representing us in our Federal Parliament.
It is most disappointing to see the revelations of misconduct within the Federal Parliament. If it's a culture issue it needs to be dealt with, not just within the Liberal Party, but also within the wider Federal Parliament. I'm up for that conversation. But my record is clear with respect to supporting women in the workplace and respectful relationships with women.
JOURNALIST: And what do you think is Tasmania's best bet in terms of recovering from the pandemic? What should we be focusing on?
HART: What we should be focusing on is a strategic recovery. That is not a short term investment in short term projects, but the long term future of our economy and our communities. That's why for example, investments such as hydrogen at Bell Bay, investments in our tourism economy, investments in food production and irrigation are vitally important. That will provide long term [inaudible], particularly in schools, we need to look at our educational system that takes us to a long term investment in the future of our economy is most important. We need to strive for long term investments as opposed to short term investments.
GILES: If I may add to that answer, he has been Labor's Candidate for a couple of hours and he has already had meeting with the Launceston Chamber of Commerce, Launceston Council and the Northern Tasmanian Development Corporation, showing his commitment to getting on with the job...
And if I can also add to the issues you referred to a moment ago about the culture within the Parliament. I think that are things that women around Australia are very angry about and even angrier that Scott Morrison has not taken the action that needed to be taken. The Government has not accepted all of the recommendations of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner's report and has not treated the appalling circumstances of Brittany Higgins with the seriousness that they deserve.
JOURNALIST: [inaudible] you brought up Medicare again, anything different which you have your mind set on?
HART: Well what my mind thinks of is a future for northern Tasmania that involves in investing in well paid jobs, investing in our healthcare system and investing in our education system. The conversations we're having this morning with a roundtable regarding infrastructure, importance of investment in education and skills. We have a skill shortage in Tasmania here at the moment, particularly with the construction boom. We need to provide a future where we are training people for well paid jobs, that's the future that I want to see for Tasmania and those are the issues that I will be campaign on. Thanks very much.