Tasmania’s newest MP Simon Behrakis has criticised ‘anti-everything activists’ he believes are hindering the state’s progress.
Behrakis, the Member for Clark, expressed his frustration with those opposing development, housing construction and sustainable industries during his 20-minute, at times emotional inaugural speech in Parliament on Tuesday.
“We must resist the privileged minority who would have Tasmania frozen in stasis, who would have Hobart turned into Slobart, who oppose the construction of critical housing, who chain themselves to the machinery of productive and sustainable industry in our state to the detriment of Tasmanian jobs, who always say no,” Behrakis said.
“I saw this attitude first hand on numerous occasions during my time as an Alderman the Hobart City Council.”
“On one hand, we had a council that declared a housing crisis. On the other, we had a council that was blocking critical housing projects for spurious reasons, even rejecting housing being built on non-heritage-listed properties with heritage reasons listed as the reason for refusal.”
“If we want to create a Tasmania where our people thrive, we must not make the mistake of attempting to appease the unappeasable.”
“Of listening to the professional activists who want to wreck our job-creating industries, who attack those who employ, grow our economy and build the infrastructure and housing Tasmanian’s desperately need.”
“We do not need to speculate to know what the outcome would be if we allowed the not in my backyard, anti-everything activists to dictate the decisions we make for our state.”
“We’d be back to the dying days of the Labor-Green government in Flash, where we were the basket case of the nation, with the highest unemployment by country mile and a brain drain caused by so many bright, young Tasmanians, fleeing our state to chase opportunities elsewhere.”
Behrakis also paid tribute to his family for teaching him the ‘value of hard work and individual freedom’ and thanked them for helping him ‘get to where he is today’.
“I would like to thank my mother and father for their support. I would not have been able to survive what was such a heated campaign without being able to lean on them.”
“My father in particular, who operated as a one-man-coulflute crew for the duration of the campaign.”
Behrakis said despite political differences, all representatives have a ‘genuine passion’ for Tasmania and its community.
“I look forward to the hard work of progressing Tasmania in this place to the benefit of all who live in our great state.”
