Josh Willie: Tasmanian opposition leader says Labor needs to 'earn trust' after election hammering

Ethan James
AAP
Tasmanian Labor's Josh Willie has taken over the reins from former leader Dean Winter. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS)
Tasmanian Labor's Josh Willie has taken over the reins from former leader Dean Winter. (Ethan James/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP

Tasmania’s Labor opposition needs to earn back trust after an election drubbing and differentiate itself from the Liberals, according to the party’s new leader.

Former teacher Josh Willie held his first press conference on Thursday, a day after toppling Dean Winter, who only spent 16 months in the role.

Mr Willie, from Labor’s left faction, reaffirmed his party’s support for a new AFL stadium in Hobart and traditional industries including salmon farming.

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Labor, which has been in opposition for 11 years, received 26 per cent of the primary vote at the July election - its lowest figure in more than a century.

The party’s bid on Tuesday to take power via a no-confidence motion fell spectacularly flat, with all of the 11-member cross bench deciding to effectively prop up an ongoing Liberal minority government.

The early election was sparked after a successful Labor-led no-confidence motion in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff in June.

“I think we need to learn the lessons, and that’s Tasmanians don’t want politicians in their lives,” Mr Willie told reporters.

“We need to earn the trust back of Tasmanians and to do that we need to listen first.”

Mr Willie said Labor needed to differentiate itself from the Liberals, but didn’t elaborate on how that would be done.

The party needed to continue to focus on “jobs and opportunity” with renewed emphasis on health, cost of living, housing and education, he said.

Mr Winter, from Labor’s right faction, copped a hiding from the Greens and several independents on Tuesday for his lack of compromise during hung parliament talks.

The Liberals made several policy concessions to appease the cross bench, including pledging to ban greyhound racing and undertake a review into the salmon farming industry.

Mr Willie repeated Mr Winter’s line that the Liberals had “walked away” from their commitments and turned Tasmanians’ lives upside down.

He said he had the “support of the Labor movement” despite reports claiming the majority of the parliamentary Labor Party wanted Mr Winter to continue.

Mr Willie was announced as being elected unopposed after Labor decided not to trigger a ballot of members to decide the leadership.

He suggested there wouldn’t be any no-confidence motions in the minority Liberals in the short term, saying there were no shortcuts to government.

Labor has 10 seats in the 35-seat lower house, with the Liberals holding 14.

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