Tasmanian Liberals Hold Power as Crossbench Rejects Labor's No-Confidence Motion

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Tasmania’s minority Liberal premier has been given the parliamentary green light to govern, with Labor copping a crossbench hiding for its failed bid to seize power.

Jeremy Rockliff was reinstated as premier following a state election on July 19 that resulted in another hung parliament, but he encountered a challenge regarding his support when parliament reconvened on Tuesday.

Labor leader Dean Winter moved a no-confidence motion for debate as flagged, despite knowing his party didn’t have the numbers to topple the Liberals.

Labor’s bid to govern required the support of the five-seat Greens, who on Monday declared they were unable to support an “uncompromising” Winter.

Even though the Labor leader, Dean Winter, was aware that his party lacked the necessary votes to unseat the Liberals, he proceeded to introduce a no-confidence motion for discussion. Source: AAP / Chris Kidd

The Liberals have made several policy concessions during crossbench negotiations, including pledging to ban greyhound racing and review salmon farming.

“We did campaign for majority government. That is not what the people of Tasmania decided,” Rockliff said.

“The opposition leader has continued to demonstrate that he has learned nothing.”

‘Deeply disappointing and frustrating’

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said she was unable to back Winter as premier after he showed “contempt” for her party and refused to budge during talks.

“We tried really hard to work with Labor,” she said.

“We tried to negotiate constructively with the Labor leader in an attempt to form a workable government.

“It is deeply disappointing and frustrating that we’ve gotten to this point.”

Woodruff said her decision not to back Labor wasn’t a show of support for the Liberals.

The Liberals claimed 14 seats, with Labor getting 10, with a cross bench featuring five independents and one Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP.

Independents, former Labor leader David O’Byrne and Kristie Johnston, who also declared they wouldn’t support Labor prior to parliament sitting, took aim at Winter.

“You don’t build trust and confidence by making grossly inappropriate and contemptuous statements, like ‘the Greens are the enemy of the working people’,” Johnston said.

O’Byrne said Winter had disrespected the cross bench by not negotiating and said the no-confidence motion shouldn’t have been moved with the writing on the wall.

“You don’t have the numbers. You’ve been publicly made aware,” O’Byrne said.

“Here we are again, groundhog day … because you want to score a political point.”

First-term independent Peter George, a former journalist, also voted against the motion, saying Labor had undermined the very notion of collaboration and compromise.

“In my years of reporting politics, which stretch back to the Whitlam years, never have I come across an opposition party less ready for government,” he said.

Winter, whose party recorded its worst primary vote in more than a century at the election, said Rockliff had “sold out” industry by announcing the greyhound and salmon pledges.

“The premier’s word now means nothing. There is no job he won’t sell out to save his own,” he said.

The Greens and all other six members of the cross bench voted against the no-confidence motion.

The Liberals have been in power since 2014 and in minority since 2023.

Labor also lost its bid for Speaker, with Liberal MP Jacquie Petrusma, who turned down portfolios due to a leg injury, winning a vote against Jen Butler.