Outspoken Braddon Labor MP Shane Broad has stepped up his call for change within his party, urging Labor to “win a majority” and stop parliament being “dictated to” by the Greens and independents.
In a Facebook video, Broad said he wanted “a Labor Party that can win a majority, deliver on commitments and get things done for Tasmanians”.
“Parliament has been chaos probably for the last five or six years,” he said.
“Once upon a time, a government had a majority, it could actually get stuff done whether you liked it or not. At least we had some direction,” he said.
“But what we’ve actually got at the moment is parliament in chaos, being dictated to by the Greens and independents who only really represent the minority of Tasmanians.”
Broad said the state needed “a new direction” and that it was “not about being blackmailed by the minority of supporters” for the Greens and independents.
He said Labor needed to become a party “that can win a majority of seats in the parliament so that we can get stuff done”.
The video comes days after Broad described himself as “a bit of an outsider in the Labor Party” and said he would keep “fighting inside the Labor Party for change”.
On the Poll Position Tasmanian political podcast on Friday, co-host Alex Johnston said there was “this little undercurrent to Shane Broad’s videos that is saying something’s not right with Labor’s priorities”.
Johnston said there would not have been “any questions about leadership if Shane Broad had not posted that video”.
“That must make Josh Willie irate,” he said.
He said Liberal MPs also posted freely on social media, but “it never sort of insinuates that something’s gotta change at the top of government”.
Co-host Brad Stansfield, a former Liberal chief of staff, asked whether Broad had “his leadership baton sort of poking out of his backpack”.
He said he was seeing “a lot more of Shane on my socials” than any other member of Labor’s caucus.
“Willie can try and walk away from 30% as much as he liked. It’s been said, it can’t be unsaid,” Stansfield said.
Broad’s latest video also follows Labor leader Josh Willie repeatedly refusing to say whether he was still chasing a 30% primary vote by Christmas.
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%.
Labor won 25.9% of the primary vote at last year’s state election, its worst result at a Tasmanian election.
Asked about Broad’s earlier video last week, Willie said all members of his team wanted to win government “and that means change”.
Independent MP Peter George said Broad’s comments were “rich coming from a party that’s become a policy free zone”.
He said Labor spent “much of its time collaborating with the government as Australia’s first Lib/Lab coalition” and was “kowtowing to every demand from the big end of town”.
“Thanks to an engaged & thoughtful crossbench the worst government excesses have been held to account,” George said in a statement to Pulse.
“If Labor had any understanding of how minority government works globally, they’d be working with the crossbench to deliver the outcomes that are in the state’s best interests.”
George said if Broad wanted “a war of words, he’s welcome to it”.
“Hollow drums sound loud when they’re beaten but the noise they make is meaningless. Bring it on Shane,” he said.
Liberal MP Bridget Archer said today there was “no doubt” Broad was “actively undermining the leadership of Mr Willie at this point”.
“It has been a common theme of his social media in recent times and we see this across the party as well,” she said.
“They are not united behind their leadership and they are hopelessly divided in relation to their views on many issues.”
Archer said it was “a matter for the Labor Party” to resolve “in their own way, in their own party room”.
In response to questions from Pulse today, a Labor spokesperson declined to provide commentary on the post.
“Shane Broad is entitled to share his views on his Facebook,” the spokesperson said.
Pulse contacted members of the crossbench for comment.
