Tas premier dismisses disunity claim

Tasmanian Labor leader Lara Giddings says her party is not suffering from disunity as Labor and the Liberal parties kick off their election campaigns.

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Tasmania's Premier Lara Giddings. (AAP)

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has dismissed assertions of disunity within her party as Labor and the opposition enter election campaigning mode.

Deputy Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff says Labor is still suffering from internal conflict after Labor backbencher Brenton Best criticised Ms Giddings for overlooking him for a ministry post.

In an article in The Advocate, Mr Best accused the premier of "shooting the messenger" and not showing "graciousness" by refusing to discuss a potential cabinet appointment.

Ms Giddings on Friday elevated Craig Farrell and Rebecca White to cabinet, replacing sacked Greens leader Nick McKim and his colleague Cassy O'Connor.

"Brenton Best's latest attack on Lara Giddings for not giving him a ministry shows that despite their fake divorce from the Greens, Labor remain dysfunctional and plagued by disunity," Mr Rockliff said in a statement on Saturday.

"It is clear Labor remain more focused on their own jobs, than the jobs of Tasmanians."

However, Ms Giddings dismissed questions of disunity within her party.

"Not at all. We are, and always have been, a large party, one of a majority parties," she told reporters in Launceston on Saturday.

"It's a choice between Liberal and Labor at the next election: that's a choice."

Ms Giddings on Saturday kicked off Labor's election campaign by endorsing former Forestry Tasmania boss Bob Gordon as the member for Lyon.

She also named Adam Gore to stand for the seat of Bass and Madeline Ogilvie to run in Denison. A candidate for Franklin is yet to be named.

The candidates met in Launceston on Saturday morning for a forum on the upcoming election. They endorsed a motion put by the premier opposing any future power-sharing deals with the Greens.

Ms Giddings also announced Labor would introduce legislation to strengthen permits for the Bell Bay Pulp Mill.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Will Hodgman appears in his party's first election ad of the 2014 election campaign, set to air on commercial TV on Sunday night.

In the "positive" election ad, Mr Hodgman outlines the party's "long-term" plan for the state.


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Source: AAP


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