Labor leader Josh Willie has repeatedly refused to say whether he is still chasing a 30% primary vote by Christmas, with Labor stuck in the low 20s in recent polls.
Asked about the target about 10 times at a press conference in Glenorchy today, Willie said his goal was to “return Labor to government”.
“What has changed is One Nation is in the race,” he said.
But when Willie reportedly told his MPs in July that he wanted Labor polling at 30% by the end of the year, a poll the week before had Labor and One Nation tied on 21%.
One Nation had already polled 14% on its debut in February’s EMRS poll and 19% in May.
“I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with this, but my target is to return Labor to government,” Willie said.
Asked whether he would remain leader if Labor was not at 30% by the end of the year, he said “yes”.
Braddon Labor MP Shane Broad posted a video on social media earlier today describing himself as “a bit of an outsider in the Labor Party”.
“I’ve been fighting inside the Labor Party for change and I’ll keep doing that,” he said.
Asked about the video, Willie said all members of his team wanted to win government “and that means change”.
He said MPs “manage their own social media accounts” and that he had the support of his caucus.
Labor has polled between 21% and 24% in every state voter intention poll this year.
The latest DemosAU poll, conducted in September, put Labor on 22%, just ahead of One Nation on 21%, with the Liberals on 28%.
Willie said One Nation’s rise across Australia was being “driven by economic insecurity and lack of access to good services”.
“I know that there are lots of middle-of-the-road Tasmanians who are concerned about that and the influence it may have on a Liberal government here in Tasmania,” he said.
He said Labor would take a plan to the next election and “give them a real choice”.
Willie set the target as he faced internal dissent over the party’s direction, after Labor won 25.9% of the primary vote at last year’s state election, its worst result at a Tasmanian election.
He became leader unopposed in August last year, replacing Dean Winter after the defeat.
