COVER STORY
The Bacon Government -
One Year On
More than twelve months after Jim Bacon led the Labor Party to victory in Tasmania, commentators are asking the question - what has he and his Government acheived?
Some would argue that it is still too soon to make an accurate assessment, but an early measure of a new governments integrity if not its efficacy, is its list of kept or broken promises.
Among the more high profile promises made by the ALP in the leadup to the 1998 state election was the committment not sell the Hydro, to re-open the St Marys hospital and to reduce the size of executive government.
The government has kept its word on all three of these promises. It has retained the Hydro in public hands, is establishing a 24 hr in-patient facility at the St Marys District Hospital and has reduced the number of Ministries.
But while it can claim success on these counts, there is an increasing perception that the Bacon government is Hobart centric, said to be evidenced by the Premiers backflipping on funding for the upgrading of Launceston's York Park and his comments that Tasmania can only support one international style sporting venue - presumably North Hobart Oval or Bellerive Oval in the States south.
Whether allegations of capital city favouritism are true or not, it is a subject that is usefully expoited by opposition parties and there are already indications that the state Liberals see this as a strategy for winning back electoral support. This strategy would be fuelled by the election result in Victoria which saw country electorates rebel against a Premier preoccupied by capital city issues.
In essence, the Bacon Government is only just emerging from a honeymoon period and is still to be politically tested. Indeed, the biggest threat to the Government at this stage appears to be discontent from within.
The State government has managed to offend many within its own ranks by failing to honour a memorandum of understanding with the teachers union for pay rises and by introducing watered down industrial relations legislation. The ALP is also set to abandon its long held committment to abolishing the Legislative Council, a move which is likely to attract the ire of its rank and file membership.
The Opposition, though led capably by Sue Napier, has failed to make an impact on the Government in the last twelve months as it seeks to rebuild politically and organisationally. The size of the task confronting Napier and her team is demonstrated by the fact that they have failed to capitalize on opportunities presented to them by Ministers who are clearly operating out of their depth.
Judy Jackson, David Llewellyn and Paula Wriedt have all struggled on ocassions to sell the Governments message.
