It saddens me that the Labor Party’s electoral calculus tells it that their poker machine reform policy was not an election winner. Of course an opposition party with great policies that can’t get elected isn’t much use to me either, so I appreciate that they have to try to propose popular policy too; but I would have loved to see them actually stick with this policy for a few more cycles and try to lead public opinion (remember when governments used to do that). Whether the fact that they weren’t says more about workings of the Labor Party, the dishonesty of the gambling lobby or the gullibility and indifference of the Tasmanian people I am not sure.
Perhaps the blow is softened slightly- along with my enthusiasm for the election itself- by the realisation that it was unlikely to make a difference in this election anyway. Since the state opposition gave bipartisan support for all of the major decisions made around border security, the upcoming Tasmanian election should arguably be more than a referendum on the state government’s response to COVID-19. And I would love to see important policy areas where the parties differ- such as education, health and housing- as key determinants in this election, but I don't see it happening.
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