Denison MP and candidate for the SDP, u/dyljam, has today penned a letter to all Tasmanians.

Dear [Resident’s name],

It has, and continues to be, an honour to represent the Division of Denison, and in doing so ensure that Tasmania has a strong voice in the House of Representatives in Canberra.

This election, I am asking for your continued support to serve the people of Tasmania. Since the last election, we have seen Tasmania boom. Now its time to ensure that we continue the progress which we have created together. At this election, you have significant power to choose the direction in which Tasmania, and indeed Australia, proceeds. You have an option between continued growth and support for hard-working Tasmanians, or for reactionary right-wing populism and short-termism in the form of my Liberal opponent.

Thanks to the work of the NGSpy Government, Tasmania has finally ceased to be the forgotten state. No longer are we treated as second-class Australians. No longer will we be the recipient of subpar government services and facilities. We finally are receiving the infrastructure, the facilities and access to world-class services that we deserve.

I am proud to have been able to announce the funding of more than $12 billion in federal funding for upgrading Tasmania’s infrastructure. The highlight of this will be a new heavy rail line connecting Hobart, Launceston and Devonport. After decades, passenger rail will return to Tasmania. This will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs at a time when they are so desperately needed. This will help boost tourism as borders reopen, giving visitors from the mainland a rail link which connects the port at Devonport to Launceston and Hobart. It will allow for people to move away from Hobart, whilst continuing to work, study or play in our capital. And in doing so, it will improve housing affordability. This truly is a world-class project, and a significant investment in our state and its future.

The second centrepiece of the NGSpy Government’s budget was the announcement of $2 billion in funding to upgrade hospitals across Tasmania. As we all know, for too long we have had to suffice with ageing and insufficient healthcare services. Our hospitals have been decaying, and lack the capacity to adequately service their local communities. This became particularly noticeable with the COVID-19 pandemic. With this funding, our hospitals will be expanded and improved. Regional Tasmania will have access to top-quality healthcare, as will residents of Hobart.

The NGSpy government has taken an active role in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we attempt to re-open and grow our economy, measures such as JobKeeper have been put in place to support hard-working Australians as this pandemic has forced businesses to re-open. And if we are re-elected to government, we will continue to put Australians first. We will continue to work on re-opening the economy, supporting small business and getting Australians back to work.

Over the past few months we have seen Tasmanians coming together, working with one another to get through these difficult times. Now is not the time to revert to reactionary, right-wing populism. My Liberal opponent is not a Tasmanian. He is not a local. He has been flown here to Tasmania after his own electorate of Cowper voted him out. To the Liberal Party, Denison is just another seat they think they can add to their tally. They think they can fly out a mainlander who does not know Tasmania or the people of Tasmania, and take us for granted. I hope we as Tasmanians will reject this cynicism.

I am proud to stand as a candidate for the Social Democratic Party. We are a party which recognises the importance of putting hard-working people first. We recognise that we need to look after our environment – after all, this is where we live. Such measures need not be antithetical. We recognise that all Australians should be able to aspire to better themselves and achieve their goals. And if re-elected, we will endeavour to achieve this.

It is because of the SDP’s policies that we as Tasmanians have forged our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, we look to the future. Today I visited the worksite of the Hobart-Devonport heavy rail line, and I saw hope for the future. I saw people working on the project who see a future for themselves and their families. I saw nearby small business owners feeling as though our best days lay in front of us.

This election, I ask for your support to ensure that our best days are ahead of us.

Yours faithfully,

u/dyljam
Member for Denison