I’m proud to say that together with my team (and the support of Australia’s most successful Prime Minister) I achieved an amazing amount in that time which enhanced the quality of life for the people of our community.

Frankly, while it was tough work and there was no end of problems for me to work on solving, I loved it. Despite achieving 4,005 more primary votes than the next nearest candidate the seat was eventually won by Labor using Green preferences in 2007. It was very tempting to go back and continue the work I started. In fact, many people have stopped me in the street and urged me to return; often saying that the current member is out of her depth.

Fair enough – I totally understand. There is a big part of me that would like to see the Federal seat of Bass returned to effective leadership and standing up for the region.

However I’ve reached a decision which is not based on personal ambition. My motivation is to offer my values, experience, integrity and abilities where they are most needed and where they can be most effective in achieving my vision for Tassie. (My vision is to see the people of Tasmania become the happiest people, enjoying the best quality of life in Australia.)

Hey, take a look at our old, compromised, complacent (some say corrupt) government here in Tasmania. We must have a change and I’ve decided to bring the support I enjoy in the community to help make that happen. It’s a decision I’ve not taken lightly – this is big.

We Tasmanians have a deep responsibility to save Tasmania’s reputation and future prosperity by getting rid of this filthy and wasteful government.

The Liberal team, led by the Will Hodgman, have new ideas about how to tackle the many issues facing us. It’s through leadership and vision instead of scandals, crisis-management and the politics of division.

Now at the age of 35, I’m proud to be a part of that team and call on you to join us in our quest to unlock Tasmania’s potential and make it a better, happier place for every Tasmanian.

The LGH is a tertiary teaching hospital. In plain English, this means that it is a top-level hospital, providing a comprehensive range of clinical health services as well as giving and receiving the benefits that come with the training of medical students.

Northern Tasmania must never, ever, give up the LGH’s precious status of tertiary teaching hospital. When properly funded, it is the greatest guarantee that we will ever have of ensuring that the whole state has a first-world health system.

Very sadly, our current health minister Lara Giddings has over recent years been trying to foist a new health system on our state which has meant:

* an abandonment of the LGH’s hospital status,
* continued centralisation of ’statewide services’ at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and;
* forcing the LGH to close beds, reducing the operational capacity of surgical theatres and increasing emergency ward stress.

All this has occurred through a most mean and crafty way: by cutting annual hospital funding and forcing recent hospital CEOs to find so-called ‘efficiency dividends’ (another term for budget cuts) and forcing the LGH to carry forward any budget overruns into a new financial year.

Go on, deny it Lara.

In good economic times and bad, it is always necessary to keep costs as low as possible and to ensure any taxpayer-funded service is efficient.

However what we have witnessed over the last few years is a disgrace. I’ve spoken about it at length in Federal Parliament, public meetings and a rally attended by 5,000 people. We’ve fought together as a community with mixed results. Sometimes getting a reprieve, other times being blatantly lied to.

Remember Lara Giddings promise to a public meeting that “that not one dollar would be going to the south”. Days later she broke that promise – of the $40 million saved at the Mersey, the Labor government allocated just $4 million to Burnie, just $8 million to the LGH and $8 million to the Royal Hobart Hospital.

Meanwhile, fellow cabinet ministers David Bartlett and Michelle O’Byrne said nothing, did nothing for us. Federal MP Jodie Campbell didn’t bother doing anything about it either.

I commit to speaking up for our health services, especially the LGH. I commit to making sure our health system is managed efficiently, with a minimum of bureaucrats and a maximum of doctors and nurses.

I commit to never accepting anything less for the LGH than for it to remain a tertiary teaching hospital.

This is a very important issue for me.

I believe that Vision and energy for Tasmania will secure our LGH and unlock the potential for Tasmania’s health system.

Not for a moment do I think that my own preferences should necessarily dictate what other people do for fun or a flutter.

However, most thinking Tasmanians agree that we’re way off track with pokies in casinos, pubs and clubs. I venture the opinion that most if not all families in this state have been somehow negatively affected by someone who has been ensnared by these suburban gambling machines. I doubt the cost to the community in damaged lives, ruined careers and broken families can ever be calculated.

Yes, we can all agree that there should be limits set. So the question is: just where should that line be drawn?

A quick bit of history: In 2003 this compromised, tired Labor government generously and secretly signed up Federal Hotels to extend its licence:

For 20 years to 2023 (based on a 15 year renewal of the agreement due to expire in 2008)
Total number of machines set at 3680 for the state (one for every 84 people of gambling age, one of the highest of any region in the world). source, James Boyce

For this FAQ I will disregard financial returns to the state – except to point out that there is significant evidence that the Labor government, while thoroughly addicted to gambling revenue, allowed the state to get ripped off.

My position is negative toward pokies because of the harm I know they cause to the Tasmanian people and their special design features to prey on human vulnerability. Is taking food off the family table really the best way to build our state revenues?

Fair enough, not all pokie players are problem gamblers but our approach as a community should be mindful that many users are completely lost in a false reality and unable to pull themselves out.

I want to see pokies scaled back over time – no later than the current expiry date of 2023. They should be removed from small suburban venues where they prey on human weakness in secret atmospheres and certainly restricted to the two casinos. I’ve also got some ideas on introducing accountability for users to “protect me from myself”.

I’m very heartened by Will Hodgman who has put poker machines and concerns about problem gambling on the Liberals’ agenda in 2009, and he has committed to act, and will consult with all stakeholders, to work out a better outcome for the Tasmanian community.

All this can and should be done in such a way that has regard for the financial viability of pubs and clubs.

But let’s remember: when we’re choosing the right policy settings, the people we should be most concerned for are … ourselves.