Collective lunacy has gripped the Tasmanian parliament.
Forcing a second election in 15 months – one that no-one wants – is worse than lunacy, it is reckless.
It will damage investment and business confidence. It makes the island a laughing stock – an Australasian Italy, unable to govern itself for more than five minutes.
There is blame on all sides.
Labor did not mean to trigger an election by moving a no-confidence motion in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
The tactic was designed to wedge the crossbench and potentially bring down Rockliff; not collapse the entire house of cards. Labor leader Dean Winter miscalculated.
Even so, it is sheer hubris of Rockliff to force the state to an early election to try to save his personal political skin or salvage his pride.
He’s not the only Liberal MP with leadership capabilities, so why should the whole team go down on his behalf? Some senior Liberals are not alone in asking themselves this question.
The Liberals will use any election campaign to argue Labor is irresponsible and power-crazed, but you could level the same charge at the doomed Premier.
Wiser heads within the Liberal Party believe it is on a bizarre course for electoral suicide.
A strange limbo period is now expected, until an emergency budget bill is passed to keep the public sector lights on during any caretaker period.
That means there is still time for all of Tasmania’s politicians to put the state first and resolve the impasse.
That could involve the Liberals offering concessions to disaffected crossbenchers to restore confidence. It could involve the party finding a new leader.
Labor could approach the Premier for discussions on privatisations and – heaven forbid – offer a unified approach to repairing the state’s parlous fiscal situation.
Chances are, Tasmanians will instead be forced to the polls. Chances are, they will return a similar parliament.
The problem is not just the individuals involved in this drama. The Hare Clark voting system, however democratic, is a recipe for instability. Either it, or the political culture, or both, must be up for review.
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