Comment: Hickey and Hodgman’s unhappy marriage continues

Tasmanians are hoping the Sue Hickey and Will Hodgman relationship starts having some ups – and not just downs.

Premier Will Hodgman, right, glares at Sue Hickey after her surprising nomination for Speaker. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

IT was a bleak spot in the relationship, we were told. All marriages have their ups and downs.

This week, Speaker Sue Hickey and the Liberal Party hit a stumbling block common to many relationships – when two people must decide if they will stay together or go their separate ways.

“I think this time we’ve reached the crescendo in the marriage where you have to stop and say are we going to go forward and hold hands or are we going to split up and divide the kids,” Ms Hickey said.

Ms Hickey and Premier Will Hodgman on Friday emerged from a week of crisis meetings holding hands. Lucky, because this couple’s kids are the more than 520,000 Tasmanians dependent on the Government, well, governing.

SPEAKER SUE HICKEY REVEALS PARTY DECISION

Let’s not lose sight of the issue that saw Ms Hickey spectacularly threaten to plunge the Government into minority: that she did not get what she wanted. This week, it was a ministry – a reward she claims was dangled before her before she nominated to run for the Liberals in last year’s state election. It should be noted new Local Government Minister Mark Shelton was an MP for nine years before receiving his first portfolio on Sunday.

Speaker Sue Hickey and Premier Will Hodgman in Question Time. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

All smiles on Friday, Mr Hodgman and Ms Hickey were insistent the Government was keen to get on with the job of looking after Tasmanians’ best interests. The Premier even suggested Ms Hickey’s behaviour was a “Hobart bubble issue”, rather than a question of whether his Government would remain in power.

Ms Hickey claimed Mr Hodgman had committed to building and funding a 50-bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in greater Hobart – an extraordinary promise, if it was made. The Premier, for his part, insisted he had offered nothing beyond an agreement to meet regularly and work constructively on issues important to the Speaker.

The issues the Speaker says are important to her are extremely important: homelessness, poverty, drug and alcohol addiction. And she has been right to hold the Government to account on these measures.

But after a week in limbo, here we are. No clear guarantees or funding for a rehab centre, nor a pledge from Ms Hickey that we won’t find ourselves in this position again. Sure, all marriages have their ups and downs. Let’s hope this pair works together constructively going forward – for the sake of all us kids.