Rebecca White was upbeat when she conceded defeat in the tally room, saying the party has become stronger after a campaign run with integrity.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While votes have not been completely counted, it looks like the Liberals have won 13 seats and Labor either nine or 10 seats – depending on whether the fifth seat in Bass lands between the party and the Greens.
“We always knew we were against it and we very nearly pushed a first-term government to defeat,” she said.
“We have won seats; we have had a swing back to the Labor Party this election.”
Ms White said the campaign team connected directly with 200,000 voters over the past five weeks which had confirmed ongoing issues within the health system was of most concern.
She said it had been the most well-resourced campaign in the state’s history.
“It shouldn’t be the case that you can buy a seat in the Tasmanian parliament.
“The Tasmanian people should be represented by the best people, not the richest.
“People voted for Labor because we believe people come before profits.”
Ms White said the Liberal Government was on notice that Labor would keep fighting for transparency and would stand up for fairness, equality and social justice.
“We will not tolerate special deals or secret deals,” she said.