With the Australian Medical Association throwing their weight behind growing public outrage about the candidacy of Dr Julie Sladden, Premier Jeremy Rockliff has no choice but to cut her loose - but will he have the backbone to do so?
The AMA issued a statement last evening describing her candidacy as a "missstep" with AMA Tasmania Vice President Dr Annette Barratt saying, "AMA Tasmania is highly concerned about the message the Liberal Party is sending to Tasmanians when it pre-selects a doctor whose anti-vaccine opinions are dangerous and misleading."
Dr Barratt said, "the Tasmanian community looks to their leaders for accurate information supported by qualified experts and rightly so."
"It is untenable for any government trying to urge Tasmanians to follow the best clinical advice and vaccinate to have one of its own undermining that message," she said.
This has now become a critical question of principle and trust for Mr Rockliff and what he actually stands for.
He's made a serious error of judgment and for the sake of his own credibility and his party's he needs to disendorse her and find another candidate, hopefully one that's not an anti vaxxer, climate change denier or under investigation by the integrity commission.
The Deputy Premier should also clarify what role he played in Ms Sladden's preselection, and whether he still believes anti-vaccination messages are "unacceptable".
The old "we're a broad church" and "we welcome a variety of views" excuse doesn't cut it here - leadership is required, and expected by the Tasmanian community.
After 10 years in office, the Liberals have lost their way. No one knows what Jeremy Rockliff stands for anymore or can believe anything he says.
Dean Winter
Shadow Minister for Economic Development
