Tasmanian Labor and the Liberal leaders roll out new election promises, raising economic affordability questions

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Both Labor and the Liberals are eager to prove their commitments are properly costed and relatively inexpensive, while accusing each other of economic recklessness.

Transcript

00:00A community that's been without a doctor for more than a year.

00:05Risdon Vale in the south of the state is one of five locations where Labor's promising

00:10to set up new bulk billing clinics in existing government owned facilities.

00:14And so we'll start Tassie Doc clinics everywhere across the state from Burnie, Devonport, Launceston,

00:20here in Risdon Vale, Glenorchy.

00:21This will provide accessibility to our community who really need it as well as those in neighbouring

00:27areas.

00:28Earlier this week, the Labor leader said clinic locations would be determined by consultation.

00:34The Liberals saying today's announcement smells political.

00:37The consultation we've done is with doctors and with communities and the community here

00:41has been crying out for a doctor for more than 12 months now.

00:47Access to perinatal counselling services, today's Liberal health focus.

00:52Promising $40,000 a year over four years.

00:55This funding is really important because the statistics are still quite jarring.

00:59One in five women and one in ten men will experience perinatal depression and anxiety.

01:06The Liberals are also hoping to improve police officer health and wellbeing by reforming rostering,

01:12starting with the larger stations.

01:14The changes would allow officers to work six days on, six off or four on, four off.

01:20It's all about backing in our frontline officers so that they can get the work-life balance that

01:26they need.

01:27Labor's also planning the same reform.

01:31It might be mid-winter, but with just a week to go until polling day, the heat is rising

01:36over election costings.

01:38Josh Willey and Dean Winter have released their costings with a $300 million black hole.

01:46It is absolutely ludicrous that he thinks that he can reheat his worst budget in the state's

01:52history and feed it to Tasmanians again.

01:54With the state in a major debt crisis and Treasury urging spending restraint, it's a balancing act

02:00for the major parties between making election pledges and at the same time trying to position

02:06themselves as the better fiscal manager.

02:09The Greens say both are bad news for the state's bottom line.

02:12We'll continue fighting to stop the stadium and ensuring that we as a state are investing

02:17in the healthcare, the housing that people need.

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