Tasmania has five electorates, which are each represented by seven MPs under the Hare-Clark proportional voting system. Its recent election ousted three MPs and elected 13 new ones. Photo: File/AngryBird.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has advised Governor Barbara Baker to recommission his new government following a tumultuous state election that saw a third of Tasmanians boycott the two major parties.
Ten extra seats were added to the island state’s parliament, which now comprises 13 Liberal members, 10 Labor, five Greens, three Independents and three from the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN).
While the Liberal Party, in power since 2014, will have to form a minority agreement with the crossbench after missing the 18 seats required for a majority at the polls on 23 March, Premier Rockliff said he was confident the new parliament would provide the stability and certainty Tasmania needed.
A day after the polls closed, Labor leader Rebecca White resigned from politics after conceding the election that saw the major party garner only 29 per cent of the primary vote. The Liberals didn’t fare much better (37 per cent), but Premier Rockliff has ruled out any deals with the Greens or trading ministries.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie signalled she would be prepared to support the Liberals through her network, which recently lost its other senator and party whip Tammy Tyrell.
The JLN got her to the senate in 2022, but on 28 March Tyrell quit the party to remain in Canberra as an independent.
“While Jacqui has not kicked me out of the network, she has suggested that I go it alone,” the Senator said. “I believe this is the best thing for Jacqui, the network, myself, but most importantly, the people of Tasmania right now.”
Premier Rockliff called the early election in February after failing to return MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander into his government, both of whom lost their seats on polling day.
In the week after Tasmanians voted, another two senior public servants left the Rockliff government.
Jenny Gale resigned as Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet on 25 March. The former head of Tasmania’s public service took the position after Greg Johannes’ sudden resignation in 2017, and was awarded the Public Service Medal for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, she and the Premier were also criticised for repeatedly avoiding parliamentary scrutiny by returning independent MP for Clark Kristie Johnston.
Ms Johnston alleged the two called an early election so they could dodge questions regarding the evidence they provided to last year’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.
Tasmania’s Integrity Commission has for many years been sledged as one of the weakest anti-corruption bodies in Australia, due to its lack of resourcing.
One central concern is a loophole that doesn’t allow the watchdog or parliamentary committees to investigate elected members while a state election campaign is underway. The commission was unable to investigate two alleged corruption referrals in the 2018 and 2021 state elections, which Ms Johnston believes has similarly occurred again under Premier Rockliff.
“The committee has made several attempts to call the Premier and Ms Gale as a witness throughout January and February but each time we were advised that they were unavailable,” the independent MP said in February.
“The parliament created the Provision of Information Committee, of which I am deputy chair, to determine if the Premier and his departmental secretary Ms Jenny Gale were completely open and honest in regard to what they knew about Section 18 notices – that is, allegation of misconduct against public servants – issued by the commission.
“The committee is forced to disband and Tasmanians, particularly victim survivors, may never know the truth about who knew and turned a blind eye to child sexual abuse in government institutions.”
At a press conference on 9 April, Ms Johnston confirmed she would continue to press the new Parliament on re-establishing the Provision of Information Committee.
Two days after Ms Gale’s exit, the Premier’s chief of staff also resigned following more than 16 years in government and opposition. Vanessa Field entered the role in 2019 after serving in a range of senior roles, but said the time was right for her to explore new opportunities.
Until the government has been recommissioned, former principal adviser Ned Whitehouse has been appointed to fill her position, while Rob Williams remains the acting head of Tasmania’s state service.
