Liberals prescribe plan to expand role of chemists
Pharmacists can already administer contraceptive pills and treat urinary tract infections without prescriptions from doctors, with another 23 conditions to be added to the list under the proposal.
Grants of $125,000 would be offered to pharmacies to stay open longer and on weekends, a policy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said cost about $1 million, which was already allocated to health in the budget.
"It frees up GP appointments for everyone else in Tasmania but most importantly, also takes the pressure off our emergency departments," Mr Rockliff told reporters in Riverside on Saturday.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Pharmacy Guild of Australia backed the plan, with vice-president Helen O'Byrne confident enough pharmacists were being trained to staff extended hours.
"Patients like to access primary health care at a time and place that's convenient for them," Ms Byrne said.
"Tasmanian patients also deserve to have access to the full range of health services available in other jurisdictions."
However Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said extending pharmacy prescribing was dangerous and put "patient safety at risk".
"Pharmacists are not doctors," he said."They should not be diagnosing conditions which can look superficial but instead be a pointer to something more serious that requires years of study and practice to understand."Added to this, letting someone prescribe and profit from the same medicine is a clear conflict of interest."
While the government kicked off the first weekend of the campaign focused on health, the opposition sought to tap into frustrations over delays plaguing major projects.
Senior Tasmanian bureaucrats would be sacked and stripped of bonuses if major infrastructure projects were not delivered on time and on budget under a Labor government.
"We need to make sure these people understand exactly what their job is and that's to deliver for Tasmanians," Opposition Leader Dean Winter said in Devonport.
Labor pledged to "boost up" Infrastructure Tasmania and reallocate about $1 million to create a team dedicated to overseeing projects worth more than $100 million.
That would include Spirit of Tasmania upgrades, as the price of a yet-to-be-built Devonport facility blows out from $90 million to $495 million.
"If we can get these projects right from the start, then we don't see these huge stuff-ups that cost Tasmanians hundreds of millions of dollars and cost our economy even more," Mr Winter said.
The July 19 election was called in the days after Mr Rockliff refused to resign following a no-confidence motion in parliament.
That was passed in part due to former Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner, who revealed on Saturday he has switched to the Nationals.
"Seventy to 80 per cent of my area, which is the division of Lyons, is rural and regional and I don't think there's a party positioned to represent it better than the Nationals," Mr Jenner said at a press conference alongside Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.
With the premier twice governing in minority, the Labor and Liberal parties are pushing for an outright win.
Other parties have made no secret of crossbench ambitions, with the Greens vowing not to cut the public service if they win the balance of power.
"It's not just the people that we see publicly out in front that are essential - it is everybody behind the scenes that is doing the admin, doing the paperwork and ensuring the public service functions properly," Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
Patients with ear infections, wounds and eczema could seek treatment at pharmacies later at night under a re-election pledge from the Tasmanian Liberals.
Pharmacists can already administer contraceptive pills and treat urinary tract infections without prescriptions from doctors, with another 23 conditions to be added to the list under the proposal.
Grants of $125,000 would be offered to pharmacies to stay open longer and on weekends, a policy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said cost about $1 million, which was already allocated to health in the budget.
"It frees up GP appointments for everyone else in Tasmania but most importantly, also takes the pressure off our emergency departments," Mr Rockliff told reporters in Riverside on Saturday.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Pharmacy Guild of Australia backed the plan, with vice-president Helen O'Byrne confident enough pharmacists were being trained to staff extended hours.
"Patients like to access primary health care at a time and place that's convenient for them," Ms Byrne said.
"Tasmanian patients also deserve to have access to the full range of health services available in other jurisdictions."
However Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said extending pharmacy prescribing was dangerous and put "patient safety at risk".
"Pharmacists are not doctors," he said."They should not be diagnosing conditions which can look superficial but instead be a pointer to something more serious that requires years of study and practice to understand."Added to this, letting someone prescribe and profit from the same medicine is a clear conflict of interest."
While the government kicked off the first weekend of the campaign focused on health, the opposition sought to tap into frustrations over delays plaguing major projects.
Senior Tasmanian bureaucrats would be sacked and stripped of bonuses if major infrastructure projects were not delivered on time and on budget under a Labor government.
"We need to make sure these people understand exactly what their job is and that's to deliver for Tasmanians," Opposition Leader Dean Winter said in Devonport.
Labor pledged to "boost up" Infrastructure Tasmania and reallocate about $1 million to create a team dedicated to overseeing projects worth more than $100 million.
That would include Spirit of Tasmania upgrades, as the price of a yet-to-be-built Devonport facility blows out from $90 million to $495 million.
"If we can get these projects right from the start, then we don't see these huge stuff-ups that cost Tasmanians hundreds of millions of dollars and cost our economy even more," Mr Winter said.
The July 19 election was called in the days after Mr Rockliff refused to resign following a no-confidence motion in parliament.
That was passed in part due to former Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner, who revealed on Saturday he has switched to the Nationals.
"Seventy to 80 per cent of my area, which is the division of Lyons, is rural and regional and I don't think there's a party positioned to represent it better than the Nationals," Mr Jenner said at a press conference alongside Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.
With the premier twice governing in minority, the Labor and Liberal parties are pushing for an outright win.
Other parties have made no secret of crossbench ambitions, with the Greens vowing not to cut the public service if they win the balance of power.
"It's not just the people that we see publicly out in front that are essential - it is everybody behind the scenes that is doing the admin, doing the paperwork and ensuring the public service functions properly," Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
Patients with ear infections, wounds and eczema could seek treatment at pharmacies later at night under a re-election pledge from the Tasmanian Liberals.
Pharmacists can already administer contraceptive pills and treat urinary tract infections without prescriptions from doctors, with another 23 conditions to be added to the list under the proposal.
Grants of $125,000 would be offered to pharmacies to stay open longer and on weekends, a policy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said cost about $1 million, which was already allocated to health in the budget.
"It frees up GP appointments for everyone else in Tasmania but most importantly, also takes the pressure off our emergency departments," Mr Rockliff told reporters in Riverside on Saturday.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Pharmacy Guild of Australia backed the plan, with vice-president Helen O'Byrne confident enough pharmacists were being trained to staff extended hours.
"Patients like to access primary health care at a time and place that's convenient for them," Ms Byrne said.
"Tasmanian patients also deserve to have access to the full range of health services available in other jurisdictions."
However Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said extending pharmacy prescribing was dangerous and put "patient safety at risk".
"Pharmacists are not doctors," he said."They should not be diagnosing conditions which can look superficial but instead be a pointer to something more serious that requires years of study and practice to understand."Added to this, letting someone prescribe and profit from the same medicine is a clear conflict of interest."
While the government kicked off the first weekend of the campaign focused on health, the opposition sought to tap into frustrations over delays plaguing major projects.
Senior Tasmanian bureaucrats would be sacked and stripped of bonuses if major infrastructure projects were not delivered on time and on budget under a Labor government.
"We need to make sure these people understand exactly what their job is and that's to deliver for Tasmanians," Opposition Leader Dean Winter said in Devonport.
Labor pledged to "boost up" Infrastructure Tasmania and reallocate about $1 million to create a team dedicated to overseeing projects worth more than $100 million.
That would include Spirit of Tasmania upgrades, as the price of a yet-to-be-built Devonport facility blows out from $90 million to $495 million.
"If we can get these projects right from the start, then we don't see these huge stuff-ups that cost Tasmanians hundreds of millions of dollars and cost our economy even more," Mr Winter said.
The July 19 election was called in the days after Mr Rockliff refused to resign following a no-confidence motion in parliament.
That was passed in part due to former Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner, who revealed on Saturday he has switched to the Nationals.
"Seventy to 80 per cent of my area, which is the division of Lyons, is rural and regional and I don't think there's a party positioned to represent it better than the Nationals," Mr Jenner said at a press conference alongside Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.
With the premier twice governing in minority, the Labor and Liberal parties are pushing for an outright win.
Other parties have made no secret of crossbench ambitions, with the Greens vowing not to cut the public service if they win the balance of power.
"It's not just the people that we see publicly out in front that are essential - it is everybody behind the scenes that is doing the admin, doing the paperwork and ensuring the public service functions properly," Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
Patients with ear infections, wounds and eczema could seek treatment at pharmacies later at night under a re-election pledge from the Tasmanian Liberals.
Pharmacists can already administer contraceptive pills and treat urinary tract infections without prescriptions from doctors, with another 23 conditions to be added to the list under the proposal.
Grants of $125,000 would be offered to pharmacies to stay open longer and on weekends, a policy Premier Jeremy Rockliff said cost about $1 million, which was already allocated to health in the budget.
"It frees up GP appointments for everyone else in Tasmania but most importantly, also takes the pressure off our emergency departments," Mr Rockliff told reporters in Riverside on Saturday.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Pharmacy Guild of Australia backed the plan, with vice-president Helen O'Byrne confident enough pharmacists were being trained to staff extended hours.
"Patients like to access primary health care at a time and place that's convenient for them," Ms Byrne said.
"Tasmanian patients also deserve to have access to the full range of health services available in other jurisdictions."
However Australian Medical Association Tasmania president Dr Michael Lumsden-Steel said extending pharmacy prescribing was dangerous and put "patient safety at risk".
"Pharmacists are not doctors," he said."They should not be diagnosing conditions which can look superficial but instead be a pointer to something more serious that requires years of study and practice to understand."Added to this, letting someone prescribe and profit from the same medicine is a clear conflict of interest."
While the government kicked off the first weekend of the campaign focused on health, the opposition sought to tap into frustrations over delays plaguing major projects.
Senior Tasmanian bureaucrats would be sacked and stripped of bonuses if major infrastructure projects were not delivered on time and on budget under a Labor government.
"We need to make sure these people understand exactly what their job is and that's to deliver for Tasmanians," Opposition Leader Dean Winter said in Devonport.
Labor pledged to "boost up" Infrastructure Tasmania and reallocate about $1 million to create a team dedicated to overseeing projects worth more than $100 million.
That would include Spirit of Tasmania upgrades, as the price of a yet-to-be-built Devonport facility blows out from $90 million to $495 million.
"If we can get these projects right from the start, then we don't see these huge stuff-ups that cost Tasmanians hundreds of millions of dollars and cost our economy even more," Mr Winter said.
The July 19 election was called in the days after Mr Rockliff refused to resign following a no-confidence motion in parliament.
That was passed in part due to former Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner, who revealed on Saturday he has switched to the Nationals.
"Seventy to 80 per cent of my area, which is the division of Lyons, is rural and regional and I don't think there's a party positioned to represent it better than the Nationals," Mr Jenner said at a press conference alongside Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie.
With the premier twice governing in minority, the Labor and Liberal parties are pushing for an outright win.
Other parties have made no secret of crossbench ambitions, with the Greens vowing not to cut the public service if they win the balance of power.
"It's not just the people that we see publicly out in front that are essential - it is everybody behind the scenes that is doing the admin, doing the paperwork and ensuring the public service functions properly," Greens MP Tabatha Badger said.
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