Media release – Independent candidate for Clark Sue Hickey, 18 March 2024
Majority government notion a fallacy. Who governs is up to the people
The notion of so-called majority government is a fallacy dreamt up by the Liberal and Labor Parties for self-interest to entrench their control of the Tasmanian political processes.
Independent candidate for Clark Sue Hickey said it was a gross slight against democracy for the Liberal and Labor parties to suggest they should govern in majority.
“With the writing on the wall and all the polls indicating neither Labor nor Liberal will win a majority of seats, both Ms White and Mr Rockliff have changed tunes and are no longer saying they will only govern in majority,” Ms Hickey said.
“Who is elected and who forms government is not up to them, it is up to the people, and the will of the people should and must be respected,” Ms Hickey said.
“The fact is minority and coalition governments can and do work well.
“Consider New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and countless other European countries where minority parties have put together workable coalitions of diverse interests that have governed successfully and effectively for years.
“The fact is, minority Governments have worked effectively around the world. Compromise and negotiation mean fairer and more inclusive outcomes can be delivered.”
Ms Hickey said minority governments are progressive and produce good outcomes for the community.
“Just remember, it’s Cabinets that make decisions and if they produce good legislation, it will be supported by the Parliament.
“If you want an assessment about how majority government has worked in Tasmania over the past 10 years, just ask anyone who works in health where the hospital system is in crisis, or in housing where the waiting list grows by the day, in public transport where buses are regularly cancelled, or in infrastructure where the Government’s rollout of major projects suffers continual delays.”
Ms Hickey said both the Liberal and Labor parties were ruled by factions.
“As for Mr Rockliff’s coalition of chaos, the only political chaos in Tasmania has been caused by the selfish ambitions and factional brawling within political parties,” she said.
“We need people in Parliament who can think and talk for themselves, and not be dominated by factional warlords whose instructions the parliamentary members must follow robotically.
“A broader based more diverse parliament with strong independents will work. A minority government will have to negotiate with the other parties and independents and Tasmania will get superior decisions, so we’ll all be better off for it.
“If I am elected on March 23, I will negotiate the best outcome for the people of Clark and all of Tasmania.
“That could mean I may support the Liberals in minority, or Labor or a combination of political interests and issues.
“But we won’t know until the election outcome is determined. I have a range of policy positions that will form the basis of any negotiations should I be a member of the next parliament,“ Ms Hickey said.
