Tasmanian Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff says the party will deliver on an election pledge to form a state insurer if it can return to government after last Saturday’s election.  

He told ABC radio today he is “absolutely” committed to establishing TasInsure, which the Liberals say will save households $250 and businesses 20% on insurance costs.  

“Everywhere I went, from Flinders Island to King Island, to Swansea to Queenstown [and] Huon Valley, people were talking about insurance – cheaper, fairer insurance,” Mr Rockliff said. “It’s only sensible that when you have the insurance industry reaping $6 billion worth of profit, and businesses can’t afford to insure, community groups can’t put on the events, that we need to find another way.  

“We’ve come up with a very clear way and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

The Motor Accidents Insurance Board would be expanded to establish the new venture, which would offer home and contents, small business, community group, events and farm covers.

State election postal vote counting began today, and it could be more than a week before the final make-up of the next state parliament is known.

The Liberals so far have 14 of the 18 seats needed for a majority. Labor has 10 and two seats are in doubt. Either major party will need crossbench support to govern because the rest are held by Greens and independents.  

Business groups have welcomed the TasInsure plan, but brokers and insurance experts have questioned the promise it could sustain lower premiums, and they warn a catastrophe in the bushfire-vulnerable state could hit taxpayers.

In 1993, the Liberals sold the state-owned Tasmanian Government Insurance Office for $54 million to pay down debt.