Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to offer my thanks to Bryan Green, the former leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party. He retired on Friday, following a 19-year career in the Tasmanian parliament and he goes with our good wishes and our thanks for his many years of service.

I wish to offer my congratulations to my good friend Rebecca White who is the new Labor leader and the new leader of the opposition in Tasmania. Like me, she is the member for Lyons—the state electorates in Tasmania mirror the federal electorates—and she does a great job in our shared electorate. Beck was elected unanimously by the Labor caucus and I know she is bringing new energy and vigour to her role. She has a lot of support in the community.

Just yesterday she and the state Labor caucus were in Bridgewater in my electorate at a community forum. The great thing the state Labor Party is doing is listening to and learning from the people of Tasmania. They are getting out into the community; they are finding out what the real issues are; and they are acting on those issues. Beck will bring great energy and vigour to this role. She is refocusing on a very tired and very ordinary Hodgman Liberal government. They have been in power now for three years; they have done absolutely nothing for Tasmania; they are basically living on the back of a lower dollar—the lower dollar is doing good things for agriculture in Tasmania—(Time expired) this