Jeremy Rockliff, Premier, 2 February 2024
Statement from the Premier
Tasmanians voted for certainty and stability and that’s what the Tasmanian Liberal Government intends to deliver.
While it remains my intent for the Parliament to go full term, recent statements from the former Liberal Members John Tucker and Lara Alexander have given me pause to consider the best way forward for our state.
In mid-January, Mr Tucker wrote to me confirming in writing his threat to withdraw confidence and supply unless I acceded to his latest demands.
The truth is, it has become clear that Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander are no longer honouring the Memorandum of Understanding they signed in May last year that promised to provide the stability and certainty that Tasmanians need.
As a result, the Parliament is becoming unworkable.
Despite the Government upholding and delivering on our end of the agreement, namely declaring the Macquarie Point Stadium a Project of State Significance and publishing the AFL agreement in full, Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander are not honouring the intent of the agreement.
Instead, they have continued to shift the goalposts, and threatened to withdraw confidence and supply unless they get their own way.
Additionally, while the Agreement binds Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander not to support non-Government legislation, this is being ‘gamed’ by Labor and the Greens, who are instead moving binding political motions.
Their support for such political motions by Labor and the Greens, coupled with repeated statements about bringing down the Government is bad for business and investor confidence, and is damaging Tasmania.
This cannot go on. I will not allow the Government or Tasmanians to be held to ransom.
Tasmanians deserve certainty, and that’s why I have written to Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander proposing a new agreement in the following terms:
- Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander to commit to providing Confidence and Supply except in instances of corruption and malfeasance;
- Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander to commit to not support Labor, Green or other independent bills, amendments to bills, or motions, unless agreed by the Government;
- Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander to retain the right to bring forward their own motions and amendments to bills; and
- Other practical matters that might be agreed.
While the Government will always be willing to work in good faith with Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander, it is not acceptable that every discussion is held with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach.
The interests of Tasmanians should always come first, not those of any one individual.
Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander were elected as Liberal Members, on a platform of providing stable, majority government and in my view they owe it to Tasmanians to honour that commitment for the term of Government.
I am confident that such a new agreement would provide Tasmanians with the stability and certainty they voted for, while allowing the independents to continue to raise issues, concerns and proposals on behalf of their constituents.
There is much to be done for Tasmanians in the year ahead, and I have no intention of going to an early election if one can be avoided.
I am hopeful of a positive outcome and that a workable new agreement can be agreed to and continually honoured by Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander.
The letter to Mr Tucker can be seen here.
The letter to Mrs Alexander can be seen here.
Transcript of media conference with Greens Leader Rosalie Woodruff MP and Greens Member for Clark Vica Bayley MP on Parliament Lawns, Hobart, 2 February 2024.
Rosalie Woodruff
There has been a lot of speculation. And it seems that the Premier’s comments are making it more likely that we may go to an election sooner than expected. But whether we go back to Parliament in March, or whether there’s an election called, we’re going to continue to fight for Tasmanians and the things are that they care about.
Every single day Tasmanians are struggling in a cost-of-living and housing crisis. People come to us who are desperate about things that are happening with environmental damage. The cost of living and the climate inaction is is enormous under this government. So we’re here to say that whether we go to Parliament or whether there’s an election, we’re ready to continue to fight for Tasmanians, and the things that they really care about.
Journalist – unidentified
Have you read the letters sent by Mr Rockliff to Ms Alexander and Mr Tucker?
Rosalie Woodruff
Yes, I have read those letters.
Journalist – unidentified
And what do you make of the new agreement he’s proposed?
Rosalie Woodruff
I think there’s a lot of there’s a lot of talk. There’s been a lot of talk for months. There’s been a lot of focus on things that aren’t what Tasmanians really care about. And every single day, we’ve been hearing for Tasmanians that they support the work that we’ve been doing in Parliament and in between parliament to focus on the issues they really care about; the desperate state of ambulance ramping in Tasmania, or the degradation of our native forests today.
Rosalie Woodruff
These are the things that people in Tasmania are talking to us about: the fact they can’t get housing, the fact that the Commission of Inquiry needs urgent attention. And so while all of this chatter is going on, we’re hearing from Tasmanians that they want us to keep pushing for the things that they’re really concerned about.
Journalist – John Hunt
Do you think the Premier is engineering this to try and get to an election?
Rosalie Woodruff
I really can’t delve into the mind of the Premier; it’s been difficult to understand a lot of his motivation over recent times. From the perspective of someone in the Greens it’s difficult every day the minds of the Labor and Liberal parties. They don’t put Tasmanians first, we’ve long believed that. They’re not talking about housing reforms, they’re not talking about health solutions, they’re not talking about action on climate and protecting the environment. They’re the things we care about and we’re fighting for, for Tasmanians.
Journalist – unidentified
Do you think it’s reasonable to ask two independents to not only not vote for Greens / Labor legislation, but also not even to vote for motions or amendments?
Rosalie Woodruff
Look, I think it’s a matter for for the Premier and the other members in Parliament to work themselves out. But what we’ve known in the last session of Parliament in the last six months, is that in the minority – the minority Parliament that we’re in at the moment – we’ve been able to achieve really huge wins for Tasmanians. Whistleblower legislation. We’ve got up a ramping inquiry that’s cracked open the desperate situation across the health system. We’ve been talking every day about the issues to do with the climate and biodiversity crisis. So there’s real opportunities in the current parliament. But the bottom line is whether we go back to Parliament in March or whether there’s an election, the Greens are ready to continue to push for Tasmanians.
Journalist – unidentified
But how many times has this political infighting as a result of the minority government overshadowed or distracted from important parliamentary work?
Rosalie Woodruff
I can’t really see times where it’s where it’s been a huge distraction. The business of parliament has gone on. The Liberals over the last couple of years have had an appalling record, introducing a pathetically small amount of legislation. They obviously don’t have issues that they care about pushing through. They’ve broken promises like to the LGBTQIA+ us community by not bringing through conversion practices legislation to ban conversion practices. There’s so many examples, where over the years, recent years in particular, and the Liberals have really lost the plot in terms of the values that Tasmanians really care about. There’s been no action on animal cruelty, there’s been no action on on housing reforms; both the Labor and Liberal parties voted against the housing reform package for renters that we brought to Parliament late last year. It just shows that both the major parties have really lost the focus on what Tasmanians really care about.
Journalist – unidentified
You said that the Liberals have spent a reasonable amount of time dedicated to discussing themselves. Is it’s time for it all to come to a head?
Rosalie Woodruff
It’s really up to the Premier to decide. The decision about an election is in his hands. Tasmanians went to the polls in 2021 to vote for a government, and they expect that government to go full term. That’s what the voters expect. And so I don’t think it would be a popular thing if the Premier pulled the plug now, but that’s his choice. It’s not what the Greens are focused on. Whether we go back to Parliament, or whether there’s an election now, we’re ready. And we’ll continue to fight for the things that Tasmania is really care about. The action on the climate biodiversity crisis, the terrible situation in housing and health in Tasmania. Every day, people come to the Greens and tell us these are the things they desperately want action on.
Journalist – unidentified
Have you got all your candidates and policies ready to go for an election?
Rosalie Woodruff
We have got some exciting announcements to make very soon. So we’ll be telling you more about that. But yes, we are ready. We are very energised as a movement, as a party of people across Tasmania who really care about real action on the climate, protecting forests and the natural environment, housing reform for renters, and particularly people who need help in the health system and with cost of living. These are the things that we’ve already been focusing on in Parliament and we will continue to focus on whenever an election is called and every day in between. So we are looking forward to telling Tasmanians more about the new Greens team, and we’ve got a lot of work happening in across Tasmania in our movement.
Journalist – unidentified
[inaudible] Tasracing has made some steps to prevent certain individuals racing at [inaudible]. Is that something you welcome?
Rosalie Woodruff
We obviously welcome that. The Minister read the writing on the wall; it was absolutely untenable for him not to have signalled that this has to happen. There is no doubt that he has throttled Ray Murrihy in the scope of powers he gave him in the inquiry. Mr Murrihy all but said it himself yesterday on radio, he didn’t have the power to recommend that, but it’s obviously required. You cannot have that trainer anywhere near a racetrack or training animals until there is a proper conclusion to an investigation into what’s been uncovered.
Media release – Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 2 February 2024
TCCI calls for certainty and stability
The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the voice of business in Tasmania and is calling for certainty for Tasmania’s business community following reports there may be an early election.
TCCI CEO, Michael Bailey, said Tasmania needs a Parliament that delivers certainty for the community.
“The business community and the broader community both need certainty that their Government is getting on with the job of providing the strong leadership that the State needs,” Mr Bailey said.
“The business community supports the Premier’s call for certainty from the Parliament.
“Tasmania currently has a strong economy, low unemployment and record levels of investment in health, education and infrastructure. We need to keep that going and avoid uncertainty affecting business confidence.
“We urge all of our elected members to work in the best interests of the State and focus on the community.”
