Tasmania politics: Governor delays making election call
The Governor is set to ponder a way to resolve the state’s political crisis after a meeting with Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
Tasmania
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Tasmania will remain in limbo for several days as Governor ponders a way to resolve the state’s political crisis.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff met with Governor Barbara Baker at Government House in Hobart on Tuesday night.
After losing a vote of no-confidence on the floor of the House of Assembly last Thursday, Mr Rockliff was expected to ask for an election to be called — the state’s fourth in seven years.
He emerged from a 40-minute meeting without comment to the waiting media.
Shortly afterwards, Government House issued a statement saying a resolution to the state’s politics crisis could take several days.
“This evening Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania, received the Premier, the Honourable Jeremy Rockliff MP, at Government House,” Official Secretary David Hughes said.
“Following their conversation, Her Excellency is now taking the time necessary to give due consideration to all available options.
“By the end of the week the Premier will meet with Her Excellency again.
“Further statements will be made in due course.”
The Governor, who is paid $560,000 a year, has just returned from leave.
She has several possible courses of action, including asking the Liberals to nominate another leader, asking Labor leader Dean Winter whether he is able to form a government or granting the Premier’s request for a new election.
Mr Rockliff issued a statement shortly before 7pm.
“I respect the need for Her Excellency to take the appropriate time to consider important matters of State,” the statement said.
“I remain committed to serving the people of Tasmania."
Mr Rockliff has not resigned as Premier, as is the convention after losing a vote of no confidence, nor has he stepped down as Liberal leader.
The evening’s announcements follow a Parliamentary sitting day in which two emergency budget bills were passed to fund government services until after a possible election and the Speaker announced her retirement from politics.
Treasurer Guy Barnett said the bills authorised the expenditure of more than $4.5bln up until the end of the year.
“As is standard practice, when appropriation acts for the forthcoming budget year will not be in place at the commencement of the budget year, a supply bill is required to make interim provision for the appropriation of funding from the public account for the continuation of normal government services until the budget appropriation bills are enacted,” he said.
“Supply bills are a contingency measure consistent with longstanding constitutional and fiscal conventions.
“The supply bills support the continued delivery of existing services.”
The passage of the bills was delayed by the discovery of an multimillion dollar mathematical error by Huon MLC Dean Harriss.
The bills bounced between the two houses during the afternoon before finally being passed.
Independent MLC Ruth Forrest said they had been rushed and were lacking in detail.
“The situation we find ourselves in is an absolute mess, a mess of the government’s own making,” she said.
Labor’s Josh Willie said the an error in the bills was an embarrassment for a government which was in already trouble for budget mismanagement.
Liberal MP Eric Abetz accused Mr Willie of drawing attention to an understandable error by hardworking Treasury staff that he hadn’t managed to spot himself before voting for the bill.
If an election is not called, the House of Assembly is scheduled to sit again next Tuesday.
Saturday July 19 has been tipped as the most likely election date.
Originally published as Tasmania politics: Governor delays making election call
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