Carlo Di Falco is in the running for a seat in Lyons after a strong showing by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party in the Tasmanian state election.
The long-time candidate faces a nervous wait as postal votes continue to be counted across the state.
“It’s looking pretty positive at the moment, but the Hare-Clark system’s a funny beast, so we’re just going to have to sit tight and find out where it goes,” Di Falco told ABC Radio this morning.
He confirmed both Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter had reached out for preliminary discussions, with the Liberals expected to form the next government.
“At the moment, all I’m doing in the case of Dean Winter is re-acquainting myself with him. And in the case of Jeremy Rockliff, getting some kind of feel for the relationship,” he said.
“I’ll talk to whoever is more likely for me to get a better outcome from the rural constituents. That’s where I am at the moment.”
The Shooters party campaigned on issues beyond its traditional outdoor base, focusing heavily on rural services and infrastructure.
Di Falco pointed to the Central Highlands town of Ouse as an example of regional decline.
“Over the last 30 years, Ouse has lost their aged care facility, the country hospital, the medical centre,” he said. “If you go in there to get basic medical care, you can’t because they don’t have the staff. They’ve lost two GPs.”
He said patients needing a basic wound dressing after hospital discharge “have either got to drive to Deloraine or New Norfolk or Hobart”, while the town had also lost “all the allied health services and the local district school”.
“Despite our title – Shooters, Fishers and Farmers – we’re not one-trick ponies and people now realise that we’ve got a wider agenda than just outdoor pursuits and farming,” Di Falco said.
His said his biggest policy priority centres on economic development through reduced regulation and encouraging private investment.
“The biggest item is I’m pro-development,” Di Falco said. “You can’t tax your way out of the issues that we have now. And the only way that we’re going to move forward is create wealth.”
“We’ve got to cut regulation. We’ve got to encourage entrepreneurs to come in here, risk their own capital and make money because that benefits everybody – a rising tide floats all boats.”
But on the Macquarie Point stadium, Di Falco joins most other crossbenchers in opposing what he calls a “bad idea”.
“My position, even though I’m opposed to it, you’ve got to be realistic and realise that the majority of the Tasmanian voters voted for it,” he said.
Instead, he argues the investment should go toward increasing hydro storage capacity.
“If you want to increase wealth, that all comes off the back of cheap, reliable, plentiful energy,” he said.
The final shape of Tasmania’s new parliament is still up in the air, with counting expected to continue for several more days under the Hare-Clark system.
So far, the Liberals have won 14 seats, Labor nine, the Greens five and independents four.
