The scare campaign against the Tasmanian Greens is building momentum
in the last days of the campaign before the state election on Saturday,
with many polls predicting a minority Labor Government. Gay activist
Rodney Croome has called on Premier Paul Lennon and Opposition Leader
Rene Hiding to bring it to a stop by coming out, by stating publicly
that their parties’ official gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender policies are almost the same as those of the Greens.

In other developments, state Liberal party director Damien Mantach has
admitted meeting members of the Exclusive Brethren, the shadowy
Christian religious sect whose members have authorised costly
anti-Greens ads in Tasmanian newspapers and distributed anti-Greens

leaflets statewide – which are almost identical to one Liberal flyer.

Tasmanian Times has lots on the Brethren and the Libs and an analysis
by Croome. Yet another shadowy group has come out of the closet.
Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Michael Kent has
admitted tipping buckets of his money into a multimedia advertising
blitz by “Tasmanians for a Better Future”, campaigning against
minority government, while saying there is little difference between
Liberal and Labor … so take your pick, but don’t vote Green.

Today, there are full page ads in the papers against the Greens
authorised by Dean Cocker of Elphin Rd, Launceston. Crikey tried
to ring him this morning, but he’s not listed in the White Pages.

And there is an ad from David Vernon, warning people against the Greens
and the Wilderness Society. The Vernons owned the Recherche Bay
peninsula, where the French landed in 1792, and had approval for it to
be logged. Australian Greens leader Bob Brown and Premier Paul Lennon
(who defused a flashpoint just before calling the election) negotiated
a deal last month to buy the land for $2.21 million, thanks to a
package from Dick Smith. Vernon says the constant threat of protest
action forced the family to sell at a grossly undervalued price and
warns people against the Greens.