Reshuffle, reset – and no early election: Australia’s last Liberal Premier promises to ‘get back on track’

After months of political setbacks, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has promised to ‘get back on track’, refocus on costs of living, jobs and growth – and to reshuffle his team.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Wrest Point. Picture: Chris Kidd

After months of political setbacks, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has promised to “get back on track”, refocus on costs of living, jobs and growth – and to reshuffle his team.

Mr Rockliff on Thursday used a “state of the state” address to attempt to reset the nation’s last Liberal government, which he conceded had been “knocked off course” after MP defections, internal revolts and policy backflips.

Ruling out the calling of an early election, Mr Rockliff instead foreshadowed a reshuffle, saying he would hand the health portfolio to another minister to allow him to focus on “economic growth and creating more jobs”.

And he challenged two ex-Liberal MPs, who in May quit the party to sit as independents, to continue to support the government given they were “elected as Liberals on our policy platform and plan”.

“In my view, they retain an obligation to Tasmanians to continue to provide that stability and certainty until May 2025,” Mr Rockliff said, in a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in Hobart.

“The only way there will be an early election will be if Labor and the Greens decide to once again team up and put their own political self-interest ahead of the interests of the state.”

Mr Rockliff said the reshuffle in coming days would be minor, flowing from his belief that now was the “right time” for him to hand health to another minister.

“I won’t be changing the people within cabinet; just making some small changes to the roles they are doing,” he said.

A concept image of Hobart's proposed stadium at Macquarie Point — the design is yet to be finalised.

He conceded the government had been “knocked off course by events” in recent months and that political debate had become “mired in an argument about just one project – the Macquarie Point Stadium – at the expense of everything else”.

While standing by the $715m-plus AFL stadium, Mr Rockliff foreshadowed a return to the “long-term plan” that helped the Liberals return to power in 2014, and “what matters to all Tasmanians”.

These “core values” included “tackling cost of living; supporting more Tasmanians into their own homes; ensuring Tasmanians get the healthcare system they deserve; keeping our economy strong, creating jobs, and improving education; and making Tasmania the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

Labor mocked the Premier’s “PR makeover”, which follows his decision – contentious even inside government – to hire an external PR and lobbying firm to assist with communications.

“The fact is Jeremy Rockliff has plunged his government into minority, made our health system worse, caused a housing crisis and broken his promise to cap power prices,” said Labor frontbencher Dean Winter.

“On his watch, Tasmania has the worst health outcomes in Australia, the worst education outcomes of any state, people are living in tents and cars and people are struggling with cost of living pressures....all while the state’s debt balloons out of control.

“While Tasmanians are rightly worried about the state’s health, housing and cost-of-living crises, the Premier has made it clear he’s more worried about his government’s image than coming up with answers to our biggest problems.”