LEADERSHIP

FOR ALL
TASMANIANS
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader

28th April 2017

 Leadership for all Tasmanians
Rebecca White
Labor Leader
28/04/2017

Thank you all for coming today.

If you look around this room you will see a broad cross section of the community
business people, community leaders, union representatives, rank and file members of the
Labor Party and everyday Tasmanians.
Thats what this mornings event is all about Leadership for all Tasmanians.
Today is also an opportunity for me to introduce myself to this broad cross section of
Tasmanians, to tell you who I am, what I believe, and the kind of State I want to lead as
Premier.
Firstly I want acknowledge the traditional and original owners of the land upon which we
meet today. Their customs and traditions and their elders past, present and emerging.
I am a proud product of this great state of ours. I am a sixth generation Tasmanian and with
my partner Rod, we are raising our daughter here.
I am a proud product of the public education system. Beginning my education at Sorell
School before completing year 11 and 12 at Rosny College.
Im a product of the University of Tasmania, graduating with a combined degree in
Commerce and Arts. I was the first person on my fathers side of the family to ever go to
Uni.
I chose not to move away from Tasmania to find work.
I worked two jobs to afford a block of land and lived on that land in a shed for four years
before I built our family home.
I grew up in the country on the farm. From a very early age I was taught the value of work
and had instilled in me that there is no such thing as cant. This is an attitude I maintain
today and one I doubt will ever leave me.
On the farm there was also another important lesson I was taught from an early age: feed
the animals before you feed yourself. This practice is also a philosophy put the needs of
others before your own.
In the country you learn the importance of community. The necessity to look out for one
another and the dependability that comes from years of friendship forged by the good times
and the bad.

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My parents also reminded my brother and I regularly that the world was our oyster. These
were the exact words they used. My parents wanted to open our eyes to the opportunities
we each had and to imagine what ever future we could dream for ourselves.
We were taught that those opportunities were ours for the taking. We were taught that
those opportunities were there to be seized.
I reflect on this now as a parent myself and am indebted to them for the way they
encouraged excellence, demanded effort, and supported us with unconditional love. I realise
how lucky we were.
For those of us with children, we dont leave our kids each morning easily. But we do it with
purpose because our work matters. I have been reminding myself of this a lot lately when I
leave my daughter, Mia, sometimes not to see her until the next day. It is my biggest regret
but equally my biggest motivation.
I want our state to be a place of hope for her and for all children.
I joined the Labor party because it is the party of a fair go, the party that promotes equality,
the party that builds for future generations and the party that upholds the principles of
social justice.
Those are fundamental principles of the Labor Party.
The government I lead will be an inclusive one. It will be responsive to the needs of the
people of Tasmania and will tackle the challenges our state faces with maturity and with
decisions guided by what is fair, what is responsible and what is in the public interest.
We will be an honest government. We will be an open government.
We will be a government focused on delivering sustainable and balanced growth.
We will be a government that invests in intergenerational infrastructure.
We will be a government that will improve Tasmanias competitiveness and productivity,
create jobs and ensure a more inclusive economy.
We will ensure Tasmanias environment is cared for, understood and used wisely for the
benefit of all Tasmanians.
We will be a government that capitalises on Tasmanias competitive advantages to grow
wealth for our community and build on the strength of the Tasmanian brand.
We will be a government that recognises that we dont just live in an economy, we live in a
society which requires us above all to put people first.
All too often I see examples of the consequences of failing to put people first.
In my seven years in Parliament the most harrowing stories I have heard are matters
concerning the neglect of children.

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As a community, we must do better to protect the most vulnerable and provide equal
opportunity for all children.
Achieving the best for our young people is a priority of mine. I acknowledge the systemic
and intergenerational issues that anchor progress but nothing is over until you stop trying.
And we wont stop trying to improve the lives of those Tasmanians who have fallen behind
and who need a kind and steady hand to help them up.
Since I became leader I have been travelling around the state listening to staff working in our
hospital system, talking to patients who have been badly let down by the system that is
supposed to be there to give them support when they need it most.
It makes me angry that care for the vulnerable, the sick and the elderly, has not been given
the priority it deserves.
I am passionate about forming a majority Labor Government that puts people first.
I am passionate about forming a majority Labor Government that can realise the enormous
potential I see in Tasmania right now.
I believe that governments need to get involved, to be bold, to drive change, to realise
potential.
I want to lead a government with a yes attitude that works at finding ways to progress our
state.
Jim Bacon showed the power of visionary, long-term thinking.
The Bacon Government purchased the two Spirits of Tasmania.
The same government brought gas to Tasmania and, in the process, literally laid the
foundations for the fibre network that became the NBN.
He sparked a cultural revolution through the creation of the 10 Days on the Island Festival
and brought AFL football to the State.
As an extension of this legacy, successive Labor Governments rolled out irrigation across
Tasmania.
We invested in renewable energy generation.
We built iconic tourism experiences such as the Three Capes Track.
All of these policy decisions have created jobs and helped our economy to grow and
diversify.
It could be argued that they have helped set Tasmania up for the prosperity that we now
enjoy.
Jim Bacon changed the way we think about ourselves.
Now almost 20 years later - the world is changing the way that they think about us.

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But that doesnt mean the job is done.
I will lead a party that is focussed on identifying and delivering the next wave of
transformative projects.
Because, while some parts of Tasmania are doing well right now, we need to make sure we
can maintain momentum.
Labor is the only party that is actively identifying a solution to three of the states biggest
infrastructure challenges.
We will fix Launcestons archaic water and sewerage system for good.
We will relocate the sewerage works on Macquarie Point to finally make the redevelopment
vision a reality.
And we have proposed a solution to a potentially major inhibitor to the expansion of Mona
the adjacent Cameron Bay sewerage treatment plant.
We will collaborate with industry superannuation funds to fix these three problems and, in
the process, unlock more than a billion dollars of direct investment.
There is enormous appetite for long term, stable and secure infrastructure investments in
Australia right now and superannuation funds are prepared to accept historically low rates
of return.
This policy shows Labor is prepared to look at innovative solutions to realise projects that
are currently stuck on the drawing board.
The world is watching Tasmania right now and they are wondering what we will do next.
But there two major problems that stand in the way of Tasmania reaching its full potential.
Jobs and Education.
Saul Eslake rightly points out in his Tasmania Report that the two are unavoidably linked.
I will address the two separately before I come to the heart of what I want to talk to you
about today which is how we can begin to overcome these challenges.
If you look at the headline unemployment rate you would be forgiven for thinking things
look pretty good right now.
Our unemployment rate is the second lowest in the nation.
But the participation rate the number of people actively participating in the jobs market
is by far the lowest in the country at just 59.7 per cent a full five per centage points behind
the national average.
To put that in perspective, if our participation rate was equal with the national average, our
unemployment rate would be 13.1 per cent.
Over the past year we have lost 4700 full time jobs.

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That means our employment growth has been entirely driven by part time work.
Tasmania has a critical problem with underemployment and it is as a major inhibitor to
achieving our population growth targets and for people to realise the Australian dream of
home ownership because no bank will lend to someone with insecure work
I know there are many people interstate who would love to move to Tasmania, if they could
secure a job. People are not going to move here on the promise of part time work.
At the same time, Tasmanians are being forced to move interstate because they cannot get
secure employment.
Tasmanias enviable lifestyle counts for little if we cannot offer stable, rewarding jobs.
We need to create jobs that allow people to raise a family, to participate in recreation, to
be free of daily concerns about how they are going to pay the bills.
It is true that Governments do not create jobs but I believe that the role of government is
to create the environment that enables economic growth and for people to enjoy full
participation in society
Tasmania has enormous competitive strengths in:
- High value agriculture;
- Tourism;
- Marine and Antarctic research;
- Advanced manufacturing;
- Renewable energy;
- Delivering university degrees to the scientists, engineers, musicians and doctors of
tomorrow.
We have the capacity to do these things better than anyone else in in the world. But we
have to work together.
Today I can announce that a Labor Government will partner with businesses and industry
groups to establish Industry Advisory Councils representing key sectors of our economy.
These councils will be responsible for producing comprehensive Industry Development
Plans to identify Tasmanias competitive strengths, evaluate our weaknesses and provide a
blueprint for economic and jobs growth.
A key part of these plans will be to identify where the future jobs in our economy are going
to come from, and to identify skills gaps.
We want to know where we are going and how we are going to get there.
Which brings me to Tasmanias other major challenge education.
One of the things I hear most regularly in my discussions with businesses is that the
students coming out of our skills system are not job ready.

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At the same time we have students spending money to enrol in training programs that do
not give them the skills they need to find work.
Clearly there is something very wrong when we have an underemployment crisis as I have
just described but businesses with jobs available cant find suitable applicants.
The TAFE system is broken and Labor needs to accept some of the responsibility for that.
We will also take responsibility for fixing it.
We need to ensure that when people undertake study that the skills they gain are
meaningful and can help them tread a pathway into employment.
I believe the way we can do this is by giving businesses a greater say in our skills and training
system.
Under the policy I am announcing today our Industry Advisory Councils will be formally
embedded in the design and delivery of skills training.
Labor will also bring the functions of Skills Tasmania within the Department of Education to
create a pathway of learning from the early years, primary and secondary education, through
to the skills system and into the workforce.
Industry Advisory Councils will have a key role to play in directing how TAFE dollars are
spent in order to fulfil the workforce development requirements of their respective Industry
Development Plans.
In hospitality and tourism, for instance, the sector will have direct input into the courses
offered through Drysdale, along with the allocation of resources to that institution.
Creating a structural link between industry and the education system means that from the
time students enrol in kindergarten, they will be being prepared for the jobs of the future.
At the heart of this policy is the belief that the primary role of our education system is to
allow our younger generations to secure meaningful and fulfilling employment.
I also recognise there are other ways Government can support employment, right now.
Today I can announce that Labor will introduce an Apprenticeship Bonus Payment Scheme
that will provide a total of $3000 per position to businesses of all shapes and sizes that put
on new apprentices and trainees.
The scheme will provide $1500 to offset the upfront costs of appointing a new apprentice
or trainee, and an additional $1500 upon successful completion.
This program could incentivise the creation of an additional 1000 new apprenticeships and
traineeships over the first term of a Labor Government
So Labor will work with industry to plan for growth in key sectors of the economy.
We will ensure our skills system is aligned to deliver the jobs of the future.
And we will provide assistance to businesses to support job creation.

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I am excited about our future.
The reputation of the Tasmania brand interstate and overseas has grown enormously.
We have become a state that is confident.
We are proud of what we produce and of what we achieve.
We are innovative, dynamic and we arent afraid to work hard.
We live in the best place on earth. We can catalyse a seismic shift and no longer be
regarded as the little island way down under. We can flip things on their head and be the
greatest island at the top of the world.
And we will do this together. We will strengthen our community and share the prosperity
because this states greatest asset is its people.
We need leadership for all Tasmanians. And thats what I offer you today and each and
every day.
The motto at my school was, have a go. It may sound trite and a bit half-hearted but it is
actually a good philosophy to live by. After all, we only fail when we do not try.
I think it also sums up the Tasmanian spirit. We are always ready to have a go. Even when
we are the under-dog we approach matters with a strong will and a sense of fair play.
As a state we need to be ready to take on the challenge of new opportunities when they
present, with a positive attitude and a willingness to have a go.
My vision for Tasmania is for a state that capitalises on our strengths, evaluates our
weaknesses and sets achievable goals for improvement.
My vision for our state is one where we are kind to one another, we support each other,
we celebrate innovation and success, we tackle our collective challenges together and we
offer hope for the generations who follow us.
This is my home. It is your home.
And we all want whats best for our Tasmania.
Thank you

Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader