Archive for the ‘Liberals’ Category

SA election: Liberals reveal election promise costings nearing eve of South Australian poll

Less than two days from when polling booths open, the Liberals have unveiled their South Australian election costings.

The party says there is $605 million in new spending over the next three years, offset by an estimated $685 million in savings.

The Liberals have promised to post a $252 million surplus in the 2015-16 financial year.

Labor has pledged to achieve a surplus in the same period.

Liberal treasury spokesman Iain Evans says he does not believe it is possible to get the state budget back into the black any quicker.

"We think our savings are prudent. They're reasonable and they're across the right time frame, so we think that '15-16 is the right year. That's what we're budgeting for," he told reporters.

The Liberals would cut nearly $50 million from Labor's jobs plan set up to deal with the impending Holden closure and scrap a renewable energy program for households.

The bulk of the savings would be delivered through more public service job cuts but Mr Evans insists a reduction cap of 5,170 will not be breached.

The costings cover the Liberals' first three years of promises, while Labor's cover a full four-year term.

"If you reveal four years of costs you're going to have to reveal four years of cuts, so it's a ploy just to minimise the cuts and a fairly transparent one," said Premier and Treasurer Jay Weatherill.

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SA election: Liberals reveal election promise costings nearing eve of South Australian poll

Polling booths open in South Australian and Tasmanian state elections

Voters are casting their ballots in the South Australian and Tasmanian state elections, with the Liberals tipped to win both contests.

In South Australia, the Liberals lead Labor 52.3 per cent to 47.7 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, according to the latest Newspoll.

The Liberals, led by Steven Marshall, must win six seats to govern in their own right.

Labor is seeking to defend 11 seats that have a margin of less than 5 per cent.

Premier Jay Weatherill says he has done as much as he can to ensure Labor claims a fourth consecutive term in office.

"I feel very satisfied with the campaign that we've run, I couldn't imagine actually being able to do more to present our case," he said.

"It's now up to the people of South Australia to make a judgment about that."

Federal SA Senator Nick Xenophon says the result could be too close to call tonight.

"Anything could happen. I think it will go down to the wire," he said.

"If the Liberals do win, it'll only be by a bare majority."

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Polling booths open in South Australian and Tasmanian state elections

Liberals set to take power in SA: Poll

Liberals set to take power in SA: Poll

A last minute verbal gaffe from would-be premier Steven Marshall will not stop the Liberals seizing power tomorrow, according to an exclusive 7News Reachtel poll.

At a confectionery manufacturer in Adelaide today, Mr Marshall was asked whether he had spoken to other Liberal candidates about the need to avoid making mistakes when polls showed the party was so close to victory.

"I think the entire team has been very focused, very disciplined, very hard-working in this campaign," Mr Marshall responded.

"It's been gruelling, there's no doubt about it, but we're only a few short hours now away from when the polls open and I think if people in South Australia want change, they want a better future, they want to grow our economy, then they need to vote Labor tomorrow."

He was then asked to clarify if he had just said South Australians should vote for Labor if they wanted to grow the economy.

"No, we need to be voting Liberal tomorrow if we want to grow the economy," he said.

But his slip-up is unlikely to affect the overall result.

An exclusive 7News Reachtel poll of 1231 voters across South Australia still shows a 55-45 per cent Liberal margin, the same as a month ago.

It suggests seven seats could change hands, giving the Liberals a two-seat majority.

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Liberals set to take power in SA: Poll

Liberals head for victory in Tasmanian state election

By Andrew DarbyMarch 15, 2014, 1 p.m.

The Liberal Party was within grasp of its first majority government in Tasmania for 18 years on Saturday - as Labor admitted it faced a hard task of keeping voter interest.

The Liberal Party was within grasp of its first majority government in Tasmania for 18 years on Saturday - as Labor admitted it faced a hard task of keeping voter interest.

The Liberals were last in power for two years in minority backed by the Greens from 1996 to 1998, and this time party leader Will Hodgman warned against a repetition of any power-sharing arrangement.

"The thought of another Labor-Green government with a tinge of Palmer United thrown in is a frightening prospect as far as I'm concerned," Mr Hodgman said after he voted in central Hobart.

However the 44-year-old former lawyer, son of the late Liberal veteran Michael Hodgman, is favoured to take the party to power in its own right, with opinion polls indicating a majority of one to three seats in the 25 seat House of Assembly.

EMRS, ReachTEL and Newspoll surveys all pointed to the majority, with Labor falling back to six or seven seats in the 25 seat House of Assembly, the Greens likely to keep four seats, and the PUP an outside chance at a single seat.

The change would end four successive terms of Labor-led government, a stretch that premier Lara Giddings said had left her with mixed emotions.

"It's difficult when you've been in power for 16 years to capture the imagination, and you must work off your record," Ms Giddings said.

Ms Giddings denied she felt an air of inevitability about defeat.

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Liberals head for victory in Tasmanian state election

There will be no forced redundancies: Liberals

By DOUG DINGWALLMarch 14, 2014, 1 a.m.

THE Liberals have ruled out using forced redundancies to reduce the public service as part of its plan to make $512million in savings over four years if in government.

THE Liberals have ruled out using forced redundancies to reduce the public service as part of its plan to make $512million in savings over four years if in government.

Reducing the public service's size is a key part of the party's plans to find savings to fund $399 million in spending.

Shadow treasurer Peter Gutwein said the Liberals would ask departments to find roles that did not need refilling once a staff member resigned.

Mr Gutwein said only bureaucratic or administrative roles would be targeted.

He said no frontline positions, including doctors, nurses, teachers or police, would be affected.

"There will be no forced redundancies. No one will be sacked," he said.

Mr Gutwein said the Liberals would aim for a 1 per cent reduction in the public service's workforce size each year for its first two years in government.

The Liberals say across four years this would make $155million in savings.

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There will be no forced redundancies: Liberals