Tasmanian Liberals promote government insurer plan to assist small businesses and households

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Liberals took to the paddocks of the northeast today to promote the benefits of their plan to create a government-run insurer, claiming it will save small businesses 20 per cent off their annual bill and households 250 dollars. They say those figures are based on market research but won't release the modelling backing it up.

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00:00Farmer Gerard Nichols says big rises in insurance costs have led to some difficult decisions.

00:09I've only got literally two or three sheds insured now where I've probably got 15 sheds

00:14on the property.

00:15Most of those I've just chosen to basically run the risk on.

00:21His premiums have more than doubled in the past decade.

00:24He blames floods and bushfires interstate for the rises.

00:28I've been of the opinion for the last several years that really we're subsidising mainlanders

00:33with the prices that we're paying for insurance down here in Tasmania.

00:36We want to ensure that Tasmanians are paying fairer prices for their insurance premiums.

00:44The Premier continuing to spruik his plan for a government owned insurer, estimating it

00:49would save households $250 a year and small businesses 20% off their annual bill.

00:58But he won't release the modelling backing up those claims, arguing it would put the

01:02new insurer at a competitive disadvantage.

01:05This is a plan that is reckless, that will take Tasmanian budget further into debt and

01:10put Tasmanians, businesses and households at further risk.

01:15Labor announced how it would use some of the new Gonski funding the state secured from the

01:20federal government, spending $10 million on a two year trial of mental health programs

01:25in public schools.

01:27This initiative will set up a menu of resources and programs that schools can purchase with

01:33their allocated, dedicated funding.

01:35A child is struggling with mental health, with anxiety, depression or other mental health

01:41conditions.

01:42They're not learning as well as they should be.

01:45The Greens continued with the health theme, launching a plan to spend $5 million a year

01:50to hire 50 full time physiotherapists.

01:53If we don't have an increase in these essential unsung heroes of the healthcare system, we'll

01:59see more people going with complications to hospital.

02:03In an election dominated by the state of the budget, Labor says it wants more information

02:08about TT Line's finances, after Treasury warned the ferry operator might need a funding injection

02:14from a future government.

02:15But the Premier has knocked back Labor's request for a briefing, arguing there's no decision

02:21to be made.

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