Tasmanian Liberals on notice as ‘Lambies’ learn to stand on their own

New to politics, let alone balance of power, the ‘Lambies’ have asserted their independence over founder Jacqui - and now have a shock in store for Tasmania’s minority Liberal government.

JLN MPs, from left, Miriam Beswick, Andrew Jenner and Rebekah Pentland. Picture: Linda Higginson

The “Lambies” propping up Australia’s last Liberal government will demand a new, less binding minority deal, having cut the apron strings with their founder Jacqui Lambie to assert their “autonomy”.

Elected at Tasmania’s March state election, the three Jacqui Lambie Network MPs in April struck a formal deal providing confidence and budget supply to the minority Rockliff government. However, the deal has been widely criticised as giving up too much of the fledgling party’s independence, preventing the three from backing motions binding on the government.

JLN Lyons MP Andrew Jenner told The Australian the three would renegotiate the deal once it expired after 12 months.

They wanted an agreement similar to the government’s far looser arrangement with several independent MPs, which does not preclude voting against the government on binding motions and parliamentary adjournments.

While these clauses were seen as key by the government, which is expected to resist the changes, Mr Jenner said it would have little choice. “What can they do? If they say ‘no’, what, do we go to an election?” he said. “We will work them. But there’s no reason we can’t have the same contracts as the independents.”

The former British magistrate and Tory mayor said the JLN MPs had proven their commitment to stable government and the ­Liberals should now accept a “less binding” agreement.

A trio of previously unelected small businesspeople, the JLN MPs are understood to have in May clashed with Senator Lambie, the party founder, forcing the departure of two staffers they saw as too controlling and close to the senator.

Speaking exclusively to The Australian, the three MPs suggested Senator Lambie had reduced her initial involvement and now had either “no” or “very little” ­influence over their work.

Mr Jenner, 64, said Senator Lambie’s involvement was now largely limited to assisting with constituents’ federal issues.

“We still work as a team that way, but on a day-to-day basis, she doesn’t influence our votes – she doesn’t influence anything,” Mr Jenner said.

Andrew Jenner. ‘She (Jacqui Lambie) doesn’t influence anything;. Picture: Matthew Denholm

JLN Bass MP Rebekah Pent­land, who owns accommodation businesses, said there had been “teething issues” within the party.

“It’s just politics within, like any organisation – not everyone gets on in life,” Ms Pentland said. “We’ve needed to do what was right for the three of us.

“We just wanted a bit of autonomy because there’s a significant difference to what’s happening federally compared to the state level. You have two divisions of the JLN that just need to be ­managed separately. I think it’s sorted.”

The three MPs recently hired journalist and ex-Labor staffer Alex Johnston as their combined chief of staff and plan to bolster their parliamentary output, ­derided by Labor as “the silence of the Lambies”.

“Once we get AJ starting with us and other staff members we’ll obviously still be close-knit with Jacqui but running our own rock show,” Ms Pentland said.

Rebekah Pentland: ‘Running our own rock show’. Picture: Linda Higginson

Braddon JLN MP Miriam ­Beswick said the three – who ­appear to work well together and have so far opted not to elect a leader – did not need to run anything past Senator Lambie.

Like her two colleagues, Ms Beswick, 40, would not commit to remaining in the JLN for the rest of the four-year parliamentary term.

She “loved the values” of the JLN but quoted Senator Lambie, who earlier this year parted ways with senator Tammy Tyrrell, who now sits as independent.

“I’ve heard Jacqui say if you’re getting up the morning and vomiting because you are stressed out and unhappy, she would never hold someone to that,” Ms ­Beswick said.

Miriam Beswick ‘loves’ her party’s values but won’t stay if it makes her unhappy. Picture: Linda Higginson

Ms Pentland, 46, could not say if she would remain in the JLN full term. “At the moment, this is working and I’m happy to be part of the JLN … but I wouldn’t want to say that’s me two, three, four, 10 years from now,” she said.

Mr Jenner suggested it was ­extremely unlikely he would leave the JLN.

“It would have to be something monumental,” he said.