Marinus Link: Premier Jeremy Rockliff exploring ways to bypass Labor and approve $5bn project

Premier Jeremy Rockliff is exploring ways to green light Tasmania's $5bn Marinus Link project during the caretaker period despite Labor's reluctance to support the deal.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff is exploring ways to bypass Labor and approve the $5bn Marinus Link project during the caretaker period.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff says he is seeking advice about whether he can sign Tasmania up to the next stage of the $5bn Marinus Link interconnector project even if Labor won’t agree.

Mr Rockliff said on Thursday that the project was the largest since hydroindustrialisation and was vital to the state’s further development.

He is seeking advice on whether the government can agree to move forward without Labor’s support during the caretaker period.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: PATRICK GEE

“The enormous economic and social benefits that Marinus Link will bring: 2000 jobs Marinus Link will deliver for Tasmania and improve Tasmania’s bottom line by some over $400m every single year,” he said.

“The benefits of Marinus Link, that bottom line, when it comes to hydro is more than every single other government business we have in Tasmania combined yearly.

“It will also deliver $4.4bn of investment coming into Tasmania, significant, but it will also set up Tasmania in terms of its energy security.”

Mr Rockliff said he had done what he could to brief non-government MPs “to the nth degree”.

“What is holding this up is Mr Winter, who has absolved himself of his responsibility in caretaker convention and as such, I’ve sought formal advice to see that we can proceed,” he said.

Marinus Link route from space - artist's impression.

The Premier said the business case would “most certainly be released … as soon as possible” and added it was a good deal for Tasmania and would not increase power prices.

Mr Winter said despite a briefing earlier in the week, he still did not have enough information to decide Labor’s position.

“This business case has been sitting on Jeremy Rockliff’s desk since May — and he has refused to release it,” he said.

“Yesterday, the Premier wrote to me at around 10:15am and told me that I needed to make a decision by 9am today about whether I could endorse his deal. I couldn’t do that.

“It would be reckless and irresponsible for me to come back and endorse a deal that I wasn’t fully aware of and I hadn’t had time to consume.”

Mr Winter said Labor supported Marinus Link and the benefits it would bring with it, but needed to properly understand the implications for the state before giving its full support.

Labor leader Dean Winter speaks to the media at Parliament Square in Hobart on Thursday, July 31, 2025

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Michael Bailey said Marinus Link was critical to the state’s future.

“We can’t forget why we’re here now. We’re here because Tasmania doesn’t have enough power,” he said.

“We need to have a plan for the future for our state, which will not only fix that power issue, but also provide the finance that we need in our coffers to really fix our budget. Marinus does all of those things.

“What it also does is to unlock the $28 billion worth of developments that are sitting waiting these wind farms and clean energy projects like our renewable fuels and the like that Tasmania desperately needs.”

Originally published as Marinus Link: Premier Jeremy Rockliff exploring ways to bypass Labor and approve $5bn project