Media release – Independent Member for Lyons, John Tucker, MP; Independent Member for Bass, Lara Alexander, MP, 23 May 2023
Independents Tucker and Alexander side with Premier on no-confidence motion.
Independent MP for Lyons, John Tucker, and independent MP for Bass, Lara Alexander, said they will not support the no-confidence motion brought by the Labor Party in parliament today. Neither will they support attempts by the Greens to amend the Budget or force a premature decision on the proposed stadium before all the facts have been revealed.
Speaking about their decision, Mr Tucker said the independents have an agreement with the Premier to provide confidence and supply in return for a change in the government’s direction on the proposed stadium assessment and other matters.
“Mrs Alexander and I intend to honour our agreement with Premier Rockliff. In turn, we expect him to honour his commitment to offer transparency about the proposed stadium, as demanded by most Tasmanians. A transparent assessment process, with parliamentary scrutiny, based on all the facts, is the only way that we can decide if the proposed stadium offers value to Tasmania,” Mr Tucker said.
“This scrutiny means that the proposed stadium will not proceed without approval from both houses of Parliament,” he added.
Mrs Alexander said that the community continues to demand details of the deal the Premier signed with the AFL.
“On preliminary review, it seems that the agreement with the AFL is a costly, one-sided deal that benefits the AFL and burdens Tasmania with significant debt. This is apparent by what was revealed with the release of the agreement on Sunday. MPs have yet to review the commercial-in-confidence matters, which will be disclosed in confidence to Members of Parliament,” Mrs Alexander said.
“This is important because Parliament is the place where the big issues should be decided in the best interests of all Tasmanians. The declaration of the proposed stadium as a Project of State Significance (POSS) will trigger a statutory assessment process involving the Parliament at the outset and in considering any approval under the integrated assessment process.
Mr Tucker added that there is a simple solution to address the concerns that Parliament does not currently have the opportunity, in all cases, to consider planning approvals granted under the POSS process.
“We will work with the government to amend the act to clarify that any such approval has no effect until endorsed by both Houses,” Mr Tucker said.
When asked about how the newly-minted independents intended to interact with the Rockliff Government, the pair said that they will have the opportunity to represent the views of their constituents, and to contribute to major initiatives, including legislation, by engaging with the Premier on a weekly basis.
“We intend to use this opportunity wisely. We want to assist government to be more transparent, not make governing more difficult than it is already,” Mrs Alexander said.
“As independents, representing more than half of Tasmania’s geographic area, we will bring a constant reminder that the needs of the ‘have nots’ must be front of mind when the government is considering the demands of the ‘haves’. We are all Tasmanians and there is much more that unites us than divides us. Moving forward, we believe that better transparency and engagement, along with more consultation and accountability, will build a stronger government and offer a better future for every Tasmanian,” Mrs Alexander added.
Media release – Dean Winter MP, Leader of Opposition Business, 23 May 2023
Premier’s lack of leadership on display
Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s lack of leadership is on full display today.
After being thrown into minority government, Premier Rockliff and his government should have asked the House of Assembly if it had confidence in his minority government first thing today.
Instead, it was left to Labor because the Premier clearly didn’t have the courage to do it himself.
Premier Rockliff is running a weak, unstable, minority government with the wrong priorities, that has done nothing to address the health, housing or the cost of living crises, and which has made bad decision after bad decision in relation to his new Hobart stadium.
This minority government has lost its way – and that’s down to Jeremy Rockliff’s lack of leadership.
Rockliff lied about Project of State Significance process to get Liberal defectors onside
Premier Jeremy Rockliff clearly lied on Saturday when he stood next to Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander and said Parliament would be given two opportunities to vote on his stadium through the Projects of State Significance process.
“There are two opportunities for the parliament – and people of Tasmania… to get to have a say on the stadium …one to set up the project of state significance, and then [to] finalise the arrangements,” Mr Rockliff said.
On Monday, the Premier backflipped and admitted Parliament would in fact be unlikely to get a final say on whether the project proceeds.
Today in question time it seemed he didn’t know the answer and was seeking advice.
Clearly rattled, the best he could come up with was to attempt to deflect the spotlight by trying to answer a question with a question.
Under the direction of Jeremy Rockliff the Liberals have clearly lost their way.
After today’s rocky start of governing in minority, there should be very little confidence they can hold on for much longer.
Minority Liberal Government off to a Rocky start, clearly lost its way
Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s performance in Question Time today provided little comfort to Tasmanians that his minority Liberal Government is up to the job.
The Premier was clearly rattled and uncomfortable, and looked like he would much rather be back on the farm.
He put more effort into asking questions of Labor than he did trying to defend his own stadium clangers, which caused two members of his government to quit.
After nearly ten years in power, this is a Government and Premier that has clearly lost its way, and Tasmanians deserve better.
Media release – Shane Broad MP, Shadow Treasurer, 23 May 2023
Rockliff’s AFL deal more of a dog’s breakfast than we thought
It’s clear the Premier has learned nothing from the last 10 days because he is still not being open and honest with the Parliament and the people of Tasmania.
He was clearly asked twice today on what date he requested the Federal Government $240 million grant for Macquarie Point be exempted from our pot of GST money.
He deliberately didn’t answer the question on both occasions because he won’t be honest and state what is fact: that he didn’t ask for an exemption until after the $240 million was announced and until after we asked the question in Parliament on May 9.
You can imagine the mad scrambling in the Premier’s office to get the letter off to the Federal Treasurer after question time on May 9.
Given the nature of the $240 million grant it won’t be exempted and the Tasmanian taxpayer will be on the hook for the entire cost of the Premier’s billion-dollar taxpayer funded stadium.
The Premier also failed to answer whether or not his Treasurer had even seen the deal before it was signed, and whether the deal was approved by cabinet.
It’s clear that his Treasurer and Deputy Premier, along with his cabinet, was kept in the dark throughout this whole dodgy process.
The incompetence of this government is breathtaking and the Premier has been caught out, again.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader, 23 May 2023
Premier Must Guarantee Parliament Has Final Say on Stadium
The Premier must commit to amending the State Policies and Projects Act 1993 to give Parliament the final say on the Macquarie Point stadium.
While announcing his short-term political survival deal last Saturday, the Premier indicated the Parliament would have two opportunities to vote on the stadium.
Yesterday on ABC radio, John Tucker MP also said Premier Rockliff had assured him “there will be a vote at the start, public consultation, and then a vote and scrutiny at the end”.
Under the State Policies and Projects Act 1993, this is not the case. It’s only under narrow circumstances that Parliament gets a second, and final vote.
Whether the Premier deliberately misled his former colleagues is still unclear. Either way, an expectation has been set.
Today in Parliament, the Greens asked Jeremy Rockliff to commit to amending the relevant legislation to make sure both houses of Parliament have the final say on the stadium – no matter what.
The Premier’s brief response was that he was seeking advice on the matter. That’s not good enough.
While the Greens will vote against declaration of the stadium as a project of state significance, for the government to move to amend the Act is as straight forward as it gets.
The Government could table an Amendment Bill to do this tomorrow.
Jeremy Rockliff should provide an iron-clad guarantee Tasmania’s Parliament will have the final say on the stadium.
Even if he won’t do it for the right reasons, the Premier should recognise the survival of his government might rest on what he does next.
Media release – Kristie Johnston MP, Independent Member for Clark, 23 May 2023
The Mac Point Bus That Couldn’t
Kristie will be available for comment on her question to the Premier which revealed that the Government’s much-hyped Bus Rapid Transit proposal for the Northern Suburbs Transit Corridor will only use the corridor to New Town, rejoining the traffic on public roads in the suburbs, and going nowhere near Macquarie Point or the CBD.
The Government’s transport policy, such as it is, is in tatters. The Premier seemed caught off-guard, reading a prepared brief that completely missed the question.
What we can now say, is that there is no creditable transport plan for the AFL stadium. How are all the touted thousands of spectators going to get to the stadium?
And I’m sure the residents of New Town and North Hobart are going to have something to say about these transit busses veering off the corridor at Bellevue Parade and trundling along Park Street, Letitia Street, crossing Burnett and going down Campbell Street onto Franklin Square.
Here is the text of the question.
Premier, yesterday on ABC radio you talked up the AFL Deal by saying that, and I quote, “The AFL is just a catalyst for something bigger, the Macquaire Point Precinct which will enable unlocking those public transport opportunities for the Derwent ferries and the northern transit corridor”
Recently I received a briefing from State Growth on progress with the Transit Corridor.
I was dumbfounded when told that the Bus Rapid Transit announced by your Infrastructure Minister, while he was standing at Macquarie Point, would not even go to Macquarie Point!
For a moment I thought it was a joke.
The plan shown to me has the buses diverting off the rail corridor at the hockey grounds onto Park Street, down Letitia, across busy Burnett St, down Campbell Street, up Davey and arrive at Franklin Square – joining, and adding to, the traffic jams in the city. And in fact, not going through or even anywhere near Macquarie Point!
Premier, was Minister Ferguson’s announcement of a BRT just another wild plan drawn up on the back of the envelope, like your stadium?
You would have seen in today’s Mercury Leigh Carmichaels call for light rail to service the stadium. Unlike your Government, he knows that light rail is truly a catalytic project for the northern suburbs.
Premier, will you fix this disastrous transport plan and actually do the right thing and invest in passenger light rail on the existing rail corridor, to and through Macquarie Point?
