Premier Jeremy Rockliff has been accused of committing “massive insurance fraud” and gaslighting voters, as Labor demands an apology over the gutted TasInsure policy.
Labor MP and shadow treasurer Dean Winter accused the premier of lying about a promise he knew could never be delivered.
“Jeremy Rockliff has committed massive insurance fraud on every single Tasmanian,” Winter said.
“He fought the last election campaign telling Tasmanians they would save $250 a year on their insurance. He lied.”
“He knew the day that he made this announcement that he could never deliver it.”
Winter said the premier had invented modelling to back the policy and was refusing to admit the truth now that it had collapsed.
“The modelling didn’t exist and now the policy doesn’t exist and it’s Tasmanians who will pay,” he said.
“This is what he does every time he breaks a promise. He gaslights Tasmanians and pretends that he’s keeping his word when he’s lying.”
Winter said the broken promise was “bad for democracy” and part of a wider pattern, pointing to commitments on the Greens, the salmon industry and greyhound racing.
Labor leader Josh Willie said the government had paid an insurance executive $100,000 to review the scheme before walking away from it.
“The premier owes Tasmanians an apology,” Willie said. “No one will save $250 on their insurance. Groceries will not be cheaper.”
“Families, small businesses, community groups and tourism operators will continue to face rising insurance costs without the relief they were promised.”
Willie said Labor had asked for evidence the policy could be delivered safely from the outset, but “none of it was ever produced”.
Tasmanian Greens MP Vica Bayley said TasInsure was the latest Liberal election promise to never eventuate.
“Of course there’s been plenty of Liberal ideas lobbed out in elections only to never come true – just look at the stadium cost cap, MP loyalty laws or banning ambulance ramping,” he said.
“But what makes TasInsure even worse is the way the government is subbing in a new idea to replace an old one while trying to pretend nothing has changed. That’s way out of bounds.”
“It’s time [the premier] took some responsibility for this shocker of a captain’s call.”
The government is standing by its plan. In a statement, not from the premier but Liberal MP Marcus Vermey, the government defended the policy and accused Winter of attacking a plan he had not read.
“Mr Winter’s rant shows why Labor is unfit for office,” Vermey said.
“TasInsure will do exactly what we said it would do – provide cheaper, fairer insurance. We will leave grubby, personal abuse to Labor.”
Rockliff yesterday rejected the broken promise label, saying the government could “better our commitments” through the revised model.
