Newly elected Franklin independent Peter George has taken aim at Tasmania’s major parties, accusing them of lobbing “abuse” his way instead of engaging in meaningful discussion as the state heads into another minority government.
George, who won a seat in Franklin at Saturday’s state election, told the ABC that both Labor and the Liberals had written him off as a “radical”.
“All I’ve heard from the parties so far is abuse that I’m apparently a radical, whereas in fact my politics in any other part of the world would be considered so much middle-of-the-road that I’d probably be run over,” George said.
With no party securing a majority in the 35-seat lower house, George will be part of a sizeable crossbench likely to hold the balance of power.
The independent MP criticised both parties for their approach to potential negotiations, saying he had witnessed “squabbling between Labor and Liberal” during election coverage.
“We’ve got 35 members of parliament and I will be a member of the crossbench and if neither of the parties can speak to the crossbench, that is their problem,” he said.
“We need some maturity from those two old parties to negotiate a way through that gives us four years of stable government for the benefit of all Tasmanians, not for party political interests.”
George said his key priorities are scrapping the proposed Macquarie Point stadium, halting salmon farm expansion and setting up a properly funded integrity commission.
He also called for urgent attention to education outcomes, reducing the housing waiting list and fixing the struggling health system.
“We cannot be bullied by the AFL. We can have two teams, men’s and women’s teams, without a stadium,” George said.
When asked whether he had confidence in Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff or Labor’s Dean Winter to negotiate with the crossbench, George was blunt: “No, I don’t.”
“They have shown an incapability to do anything apart from being self-serving and looking after themselves.”
He predicted Tasmania would likely never return to majority government, and urged the major parties to “stop trading barbs” and start focusing on the real issues.
“Let’s hope they can grow up,” he said.
