29 November 2025

Jeremy Rockliff, Premier

Ladies and gentlemen, friends, colleagues, and fellow members of the Liberal Party.
It is indeed a great privilege to stand along side you and to be with you today to celebrate something we can all be proud of: the achievements of the Tasmanian Liberal Party, in Government and in partnership with the Tasmanian people.
Today, I want to speak about what we have achieved together.
Achievements based on Liberal values.
Values built on aspiration, and opportunity, personal responsibility, and hard work.
Built on a belief that Tasmania is strongest when people are allowed to make the most of their lives not weighed down by excessive government and bureaucracy.
Let me begin by acknowledging and thanking our Tasmanian Liberal family. 
Our state director Sam McQuestin and the party secretariat.
Thank you, Sam and thank you to your wonderful team.
The outstanding work of our President Michael McKenna and the State Executive.
Michael, thank you for your leadership, your dedication and your loyalty. 
I also want to acknowledge our Federal Leader Sussan Ley who will be with us tonight and tomorrow morning.
It’s no easy gig, that’s Sussan’s got, it requires hard work, resilience and it requires loyalty and I wish her well.
Most importantly I want to thank our Liberal Party members, you’re all here today. The very reason why we are able to be in government at all, in actual fact, working for the Tasmanian people.
Thank you for your advice, thank you for your encouragement and thank you also for your loyalty, of our team and each other, in good times and bad times.
Trudging in the streets, supporting our candidates in elections when the sun is shining or more recently in the rain and hail of the Winter election.
And finally, to what has been a State Council tradition in recent times – me thanking our courageous candidates for bravely putting yourselves forward as has been said today. And I say bravely, and I don’t say that lightly.
Standing for public election with a local stable federal is getting increasingly harder, and so when I was overwhelmed, in actual fact, and humbled by the 35 candidates that stood up very, very quickly to push your names forward, I couldn't be prouder of each and every individual, and I couldn't be prouder of a wonderful team.
Now I mentioned before Sussan Ley and the work that Sussan has to do to keep a Labor federal government honest and accountable.
This week we saw what happens when a federal Labor Government sell out Tasmania and sell out Tasmanian timber workers.
Make no mistake, the deal that was signed is designed to hurt regional communities, hurt Tasmanian workers, and end the native forest industry.
Why else would the greens be celebrating?
You know, when I see Greens high fiving each other, I know it’s going to be bad for jobs.
And that's exactly what they were doing. And those communities of the Huon and Circular Head and elsewhere, we will stand for you, and we'll stand with you in lockstep with our local colleagues to ensure that those jobs remain and those industries survive.
And where were the Tasmanian Labor MPs when this deal was done?
Once again, missing in action.
My opponent, the leader of the Labor party couldn’t even front a camera for two days, if yet at all.
Missing in action.
That’s what’s left of the state Labor Party here in Tasmania. It’s so consumed by short term politics they have forgotten about Tasmanians.
When Labor forced this state to what is clearly and was an unnecessary election, Tasmanians made a clear choice: they chose stability over chaos, opportunity over uncertainty, and practical solutions over political games and gamesmanship.
They chose a Liberal government and a Liberal team to get on with the job.
While other parties talk endlessly about problems, we’ve put doctors, nurses, and frontline staff to work to get things done.
To get solutions and outcomes.
Hospital ramping has been dramatically reduced.
We have provided a record number of elective surgeries and we continue to do so year on year.
Pharmacies are now empowered because we’ve cut the red tape in health - easing pressure on GPs and making healthcare more accessible, especially in regional Tasmania.
This is Liberal philosophy in action: expand access, cut red tape, and let qualified professionals do their job.
Now, we all know housing is one of the defining issues of our time. 
Some want to fight and argue about it.
We would prefer to get on with the job and build.
And this Government has delivered thousands of social and affordable homes.
We’ve launched a $1.5 billion long-term housing plan, and made it easier than ever for Tasmanians to to take a slice of the great Australian dream and owning their first home.
Abolishing stamp duty up to $750,000 and with the MyHome program, young families can enter the market with as little as a 2% deposit - one of the most generous schemes in the country.
That’s what Liberals do: we expand opportunity, build aspiration and and we let people get ahead.
While Labor argues about ideology, we’re getting on with lifting standards.
We reintroduced structured, phonics-based learning to boost literacy - because evidence matters.
We’ve invested in new schools in Brighton and Legana, upgrading 15 more, and building new Child and Family Learning Centres across the state.
When I became education Minister in 2014 I couldn’t believe the state of our education system and the state of our schools. They were falling down around the students and the teachers.
And bit by bit, brick by brick by brick we’ve rebuilt our schools across Tasmania, and we will continue to do so.
And of course capably led by our Eduction Minister Jo Palmer. Well done Jo.
And it’s not just about the built infrastructure - it’s investment in Tasmania’s next generation.
And it’s powered by the Liberal belief that every child deserves the chance to succeed, no matter their circumstances or their postcode.
Only a Liberal government could deliver the scale of infrastructure Tasmania is now seeing. If you don’t build and invest to build, you stall and go backwards.
From the Bridgewater Bridge - a project that has been talked about for generations - to major upgrades across the state, to long-term investment under our $30 billion infrastructure pipeline, we are building a Tasmania that young people will inherit.
And that is why we believe in urban renewal, that is why we believe in the Mac Point Stadium.
That is why we believe that we are at crossroads of that building infrastructure, where we signal to the rest of Australia.
Are we a place that values aspiration and want to go forward? Why are we going to lose the greatest opportunity that we've seen for decades?
It’s not just about securing the AFL team we so richly deserve.
It’s about driving the economic activity this state must have.
I understand why there are differing views to this project.
I get it.
It is a big decision.
It is a big investment.
But it is also a massive opportunity.
I am looking forward to showing the critics we can get this project done.
To being able to demonstrate the overwhelming benefit this project will provide, jobs, aspiration and opportunity.
Everywhere in Australia where projects like this have faced similar opposition, even the biggest critics turn into supporters after the stadiums are up and running.
And I am convinced that is what will happen here.
You know the best example in Tasmania of urban renewal. You’re sitting in it right now.
Where it took a courageous local government, and investments in a State Liberal and a Federal Liberal Government to create this building, the best conference centre in Tasmania.
And below us is a library that is educating our young people, breaking down barriers to education, a modern library.
And this was the foundation of the urban renewal, liberal investment to create something special.
And it was forced against very, very hard. There were protests.
People said it couldn't be done. Well, it is done just up the road because of this investment and the urban renewal project.
There's an $8 million private health facility has come to town.
There's a $15 million school that is being built to support disengaged youth in the education system.
There was prime investment into a $40 million hotel right here.
Private investment, and there’s upgrades to the beautiful foreshore as well.
This is what urban renewal is about, and this is what we have created, in partnership with private enterprise and all levels of government to revitalise this city, provide opportunity, bring jobs in construction and further afield.
And that's why we'll get the Mac Point stadium done, colleagues and friends.
We know that strong economies don’t happen by accident.
They are built, as I say, by private enterprise, by hard-working Tasmanians - and by a government that backs them in, rather than gets in the way.
That’s why under this Government Tasmania’s unemployment has never been lower.
The unemployment rate of 4 per cent is the lowest in nation, continuing our record run.
Back in 2013, prior to our governments election, we were in recession and the unemployment rate had an 8 in front of it.
We’ve helped deliver a business environment that’s created over 51,000 jobs on our watch.
Business confidence remains strong, and industries from farming and tourism to advanced manufacturing are expanding.
We advocate for less red tape, lower taxes, and more room for business to grow - and the results are clear: a job-rich economy where aspiration is quite rightly rewarded.
Just last week the Bureau of Statistics released its latest data.
It did show Tasmania’s economy is strong.
Indeed, growth in state product per capita was the highest in nation!
We continues to punch well and truly above our weight.
And we must continue to do so.
Because we know Tasmanians need it. And we know the cost of living remains a challenge for most Tasmanians.
Inflation has hit families hard.
I heard that every day of the campaign our candidates heard this every day of the campaign.
And that’s why we’ve taken action.
Energy bill credits, rates relief, targeted support for households and families doing it tough - all delivered with the Liberal principle of responsible, targeted, financially sustainable assistance.
We are not about throwing money around for applause. We’re about help people where it counts.
And this Government has stayed true to the values that define us:
  • individual freedom;
  • personal responsibility;
  • reward for hard work;
  • sound financial management to suit the circumstances of the times;
  • strong local communities; and
  • respect for industries and rural and regional Tasmania
While others look for ways to divide Tasmania into winners and losers, we unite Tasmanians through aspiration and through opportunity.
While others fight culture wars, we invest in hospitals, schools, homes, and roads.
And while others make promises they can’t keep, we keep delivering.
A today we’re releasing our latest 100-day plan scorecard, which is a document of delivery.
This is what members have on your desks. This is why you do trudge the streets in rain, hail or shine, so we can deliver for Tasmanians and make a positive difference.
We couldn’t do it without you.
So while all our members of our parliamentary team are proud of those achievements, I want each and ever Liberal Party member to look at those achievements and now that you contributed to what we have achieved over the course of just the last 100 days.
I’ve spoken about the last 11 years, but we’re still there, working hard for you and indeed each and every Tasmanian.
A blueprint for ongoing delivery- keeping ministers, myself and departments on track and accountable.
This week I’ll be releasing our next 100 day plan.
These documents drive our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.
And this plan is demonstrated by not just words, but by results when it comes to our employment, the 51,000 people that we've employed in partnership with the Tasmanian community.
It’s more than a slogan — it’s a roadmap for the next decade.
A roadmap that ensures:
  • more homes;
  • more healthcare;
  • stronger schools;
  • bigger opportunities for business;
  • and a future where Tasmania's growth benefits every single individual around this state and every single region
This is the Liberal vision: not government control, not bureaucracy, but empowerment.
Empowering families, empowering communities, and empowering the Tasmanians who build this state every day.
Friends, when we look at what this Liberal Government has delivered - the message is very clear:
Liberal leadership works.
Liberal values deliver.
And Tasmania is stronger for it.
But our mission isn’t finished. Progress is never finished. So today, we take pride not just in what we have done, but what we will continue to do together.
A stronger economy.
A fairer, safer, more prosperous Tasmania.
And a future built on Liberal values - the values that have always lifted societies, and empowered people everywhere.
I want to thank you all. Thank you for your partnership and working with us in building a better Tasmania.
We’ve done a lot. We’ve got a lot to do. Together we’re going to get the job done.
Thank you very much.