Honey Bacon

Honey Bacon, the wife of the late Tasmanian Labor Premier, Jim Bacon, has announced that she will contest the Pembroke by-election to be held on August 1, 2009.

Reaction to Abolition of Department of Parks, Environment and Heritage
Following the decision by Premier David Bartlett to abolish the Tasmanian Department of Environment, Parks, Heritage and Arts, Bacon reacted angrily. ""I feel so angry; my husband literally worked himself to death for this state - how many times do they want to kill him? This breaks my heart. It's been bad enough having to watch the Government crumble in the last five years, but this last (development) is terrible. I can just see Jim's legacy being eroded away, she told Mercury reporter, Sue Neales.

"This is not clever. This is unkind and it is definitely disconnected. All of the statements David has made about how he wants to be Premier; about being kind, clever, open and transparent. This (departmental abolition) is none of them. Why axe your jewel in the crown, why muddy the waters by having the same people running forestry as control national parks, why damage the perception of Tasmania again?," she said.

"He [Jim Bacon] saw our Aboriginal heritage, or national parks, our close identity with wilderness and natural beauty, our craftsmen, our artists, our colonial-built heritage and our island creativity as the unique heart and soul of Tasmania. It was this department that was central to his dreams of achieving the great goals and the new vision for Tasmania. It embodied what he stood for," she said.

Election Campaign
After nominating, Bacon told ABC Radio that the electorate "has a large retired and aged population, it has single parents. It has an area where transport is an issue for many people getting into the city or out to Cambridge for work. If you go across to Howrah you've got a very different type of demographic again."

Biographical profile
On her Pembroke election campaign website, Bacon states that "for most of my working life in Tasmania, I have represented many and a wide variety of industries in my management roles and Board positions that I have held in Tourism, Furniture and Timber Industry restructuring, Arts, Food and Wine, Hospitality and Entertainment, Education, Manufacturing, Boat Building, Research and Development and Exhibition Management for TDA (now State Development), Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, TAFE, Hobart International Air Port all of if which have given me great insight into the needs of the communities from so many perspectives."

"In my personal life as the wife of the late Jim Bacon, Premier of Tasmania from 1998-2004 I had the privilege of being able to continue this work on behalf of the people of Tasmania. I have also had major roles in many Charity and Community projects that include 10 years fund raising for the TSO, a great year with the Variety Children's Charity and special projects with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Female Factory and 5 years with the Jim Bacon Foundation,"her website states.

Contact Details
Honey Bacon 2/55 Wellington Street, North Hobart, 7000 Email: honeyforpembroke AT gmail.com Phone: 0417 942 508 Website: http://www.honeybacon.com.au/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Scott Bacon

Campaign Materials by Bacon

 * Honey Bacon, "To the voters and families of Pembroke", 13 July 2009. (This election campaign letter distributed to the electorate and the text posted to Bacon's website).

Interviews with Bacon

 * Tim Cox, "Honey Bacon talks about her candidacy to ABC presenter Tim Cox", ABC News, July 10, 2009.
 * "Interview with John Barron", ABC NewsRadio, July 10, 2009.

External articles

 * Matthew Denholm, "Honey Bacon to contest Pembroke by-election", The Australian, July 10, 2009.
 * "Honey Bacon stands for poll", The Mercury, July 10, 2009.
 * "Honey Bacon pitches for Pembroke", ABC News, July 10, 2009.
 * David Bartlett, 'Best wishes to Honey Bacon", Media Release, July 10, 2009.
 * Matthew Denholm, "Jim Bacon's widow Honey to run as independent", The Australian, July 11, 2009.