By Tom Flanagan
HOBART — The Green Independents' lunchtime campaign launch on January 15 filled the 400-seat Hobart Town Hall to capacity, with another 200 people on the steps listening to speeches broadcast by loudspeakers.
With the slogans of "Go Go Go Green Government" and "Tasmania can't wait", the Greens launched a comprehensive policy platform and introduced their 35 candidates to the public.
Economic measures proposed include the abolition of payroll tax and its replacement with a tax based on company profits, the abolition of rural land tax and a 30% privatisation of Tasmania's pine plantations.
The Greens' industry and business strategy emphasises job creation through the promotion of small business. It seeks to promote a "clean image" for Tasmania's products and to provide better marketing advice to enable Tasmanian businesses to better exploit local, national and international markets, especially in the Pacific rim countries and in South-East Asia.
The Greens also undertook to re-establish the deregulation board to cut red tape in business.
They promised to support the introduction of a national benchmark salary for teachers, to work to increase funding for teachers and to maintain existing staffing levels in all schools.
The Greens propose more funding for preventive health education and community based health care, and pledged to work to maintain health funding.
The platform promises national park status for all world heritage areas including the Tarkine Wilderness in the state's north-west and the central plateau. Mining at Bender's Quarry, which is currently threatening the Exit Cave system, would be stopped.
While the Green Independents don't have a realistic chance of forming a government in their own right, they do have some chance of increasing their representation in parliament. Their best prospect is Peg Putt, director of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and number two on the Denison ticket.
In the last state election, Bob Brown gained 23.5% of the vote in Denison. The quota required to get elected is 12.5%. Peg Putt's own high profile in the Denison electorate may be enough to win the second seat for the Greens.