Sparks fly as parliament resumes: leaders clash over federal election result

The outcome of the election and the proposed Macquarie Point stadium dominated an energetic question time on the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Tasmanian House of Assembly question time. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Premier Jeremy Rockliff has distanced himself from former Liberal Leader Peter Dutton in the wake of the federal election result.

The outcome of the election and the proposed Macquarie Point stadium dominated an energetic question time on the House of Assembly on Tuesday.

Labor leader Dean Winter told Mr Rockliff the result of the federal election was a reflection on state issues and accused the Premier of adopting federal Liberal policies inspired by US President Donald Trump.

“Tasmanians have given up on you and your minority Liberal government,” he said.

“You are responsible for an unprecedented budget disaster, the ferry fiasco, and 7000 full time Tasmanian jobs have been lost since you went into minority, something you promised not to do.

“Premier, do you accept responsibility for the wipe-out your party suffered on the weekend.”

Mr Rockliff said the result was not of his making.

“I acknowledge the contribution of Peter Dutton and his service to public life over the course of the last couple of decades,” he said.

“And can I say very clearly, while I respect enormously Peter’s contribution to public life, I am no Peter Dutton — but can I say with absolute certainty, Mr. Winter, you are no Anthony Albanese.”

Mr Rockliff said he was interested in Mr Albanese’s origin story as someone who had overcome his humble origins and who had a well-known origin story.

A new campaign presents another opportunity for a new origin story for @DeanWinterMP. At this point it might be easier to ask where he wasn't born. #politaspic.twitter.com/TM60FzC9Mg

— RockliffTeamMedia (@RockliffTeam) May 6, 2025

But the Premier accused Opposition leader Mr Winter appeared less certain of his own.

He said Mr Winter had variously claimed have been born on Tasmania’s West Coast, in Kingston and in Hobart, something which should give voters pause.

“Do they trust a leader that doesn’t even know where he was born?” he asked.

“In actual fact, was it Kingston Beach? Was it the West Coast? It also it appears that when he was running for the seat of Hobart, he said he was born and raised in Hobart.”

♪♪ You’re a million different people from one day to the next ♪♪

Just like his crusade for privatisation, @DeanWinterMP didn’t think we’d notice he’s claimed to have been born and raised in 3 different places, coincidentally while campaigning for 3 different jobs. #politaspic.twitter.com/PFfUdc89S3

— RockliffTeamMedia (@RockliffTeam) May 6, 2025

On Monday, former Senator, now state minister Eric Abetz added his reflections to the weekend’s federal election result.

“It has now been borne out over many years: ‘Labor-lite Liberals’ lose,” he said on Monday.

“That is a maxim within the Liberal Party pantheon. People understand that and I’ll leave it at that.

Labor’s Josh Willie said the Liberals had suffered a stunning reversal of their electoral fortunes in Tasmania

“In Tasmania the Liberals polled just 24 per cent – the worst of any state – and the swing to Labor was three times the national result,” he said.

“The Premier is responsible for an unprecedented budget disaster, for making Tasmania an international embarrassment with the ferries fiasco, and for costing 7,000 Tasmanians their full time job since he went into minority.

“Tasmania has sent the Liberal Party a resounding message, and the Premier is ignoring it.”

Originally published as Sparks fly as parliament resumes: leaders clash over federal election result