Premier Jeremy Rockliff will visit the Governor today in the hope she will dissolve Parliament and call for a new election. Photo: Jeremy Rockliff Facebook.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff will today (10 June) visit Governor Barbara Baker to request that Parliament be dissolved and a fresh election called.
The government is sitting to vote on continuing supply from 1 July as last week’s budget hasn’t yet been passed. Mr Rockliff is then expected to go to Government House.
“It’s important that we have those appropriation supply bills so we can fund our essential services, so we can support and pay for their hard work,” he said over the weekend.
This comes after Labor was supported by the Greens and the crossbenches in moving a narrow but successful no-confidence motion in the Premier last week, just 15 months after the Liberals were elected to form a minority government.
The move by Labor leader Dean Winter came after the government handed down its second budget, which forecast increased debt of $5.2 billion this year and more than double by 2029, plans to privatise state entities, the spiralling cost of Hobart’s Macquarie Point Stadium development, and no clear solutions for the introduction of the new and much-delayed Spirit of Tasmania ferries.
Mr Rockliff has said his preferred outcome from his visit to the Governor is for Parliament to be dissolved, with a new election to be held no sooner than 19 July. But the Governor may ask the Premier to go back to the Parliament and see whether another Liberal leader could form government, or she may want to see whether Mr Winter could form a Labor-led minority government.
The third option seems unlikely as Mr Winter has previously indicated his refusal to work with the Greens, despite them voting together on the no-confidence motion.
Similarly, Liberal members of the government have publicly expressed their support for Mr Rockliff over the weekend while attacking Mr Winter’s move, with none outwardly prepared to step up and challenge for the leadership.
“We are absolutely behind Jeremy Rockliff,” Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management Felix Ellis said on Monday.
“He is a man of experience, strength and compassion who has served our community for decades. We back him in wholeheartedly.”
Former federal Liberal and now Tasmanian Minister Eric Abetz accused Mr Winter of “blowing up the Parliament in an attempt to remove his biggest challenge to becoming premier”.
“Mr Winter has spent all week claiming that his reason for doing a deal with the Greens and bringing down the government was because of the Budget,” he said.
“Dean’s selfish grab for power this week has thrust Tasmania into a state of uncertainty and instability, just for his own ego trip. All he cares about is himself. He will say and do anything to grab power.”
Similarly, Treasurer Guy Barnett said Mr Winter would raise taxes if he became premier.
“Under Labor, you’ll pay more,” he said. “It is clear Mr Winter’s plan will hit Tasmanians’ back pocket under a higher-taxing Labor.
“Now is not the time to go back to Labor.”
In another boost for Mr Rockliff, despite her vote being the deciding one in the no-confidence motion, Labor MP and Speaker Michelle O’Byrne gave her own party a kick as she announced that she would retire at the next election.
“It is not enough to say that you want minority government or indeed majority government to work,” Ms O’Byrne said in a speech to Parliament.
“If minority government is the way of the future, then it requires us all to behave differently. The parliament must be able to function to meet the needs of Tasmanians, whatever parliament they choose to elect.
“We have to have the maturity to not do things just because we can, and the events of the last week have proven that.”
