Sue Hickey quits Liberals, government now in minority and election tipped soon
The departure of Sue Hickey from the Liberals leaves the party in control of less than half of the seats in the House of Assembly, ending seven years of self-proclaimed “strong majority government”. Latest, plus David Killick’s expert analysis >>
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- Sue Hickey fights to get Liberal Party preselection
- Happier Speaker Sue Hickey still won’t toe the Liberal Party line
THE Gutwein government will face the first test of its grip on minority government on the floor of state parliament this morning.
The departure of Sue Hickey from the party leaves the Liberals in control of 12 seats in the 25-seat House of Assembly, ending seven years of self-proclaimed “strong majority government” — making an early election more likely.
Ms Hickey says she will support the government in any no-confidence vote and to pass budget bills but will consider all other legislation on its merit.
On Monday, she said she was “bloody happy” to be out of the party she stood for at the 2018 election.
“I feel like this giant boil has been lanced and all the poison and the pus and the toxicity of the last three years is over,” she told reporters in Hobart.
“Today I start my new campaign, as an independent for Clark,” she said.
“I’m happy that I’m able to go on and fight for all the things I truly believe in, and I am not bogged down by party structure, dogma, groupthink, all the stuff that’s so toxic.
“The tribe has spoken, I don’t belong.”
She said “blind Freddy could see we’re going into an election” and said she hoped to be able to continue in the role of Speaker.
“The Premier did what he had to do and probably if I was in his situation I would have done the same. So there’s no bad blood from that point of view.”
Ms Hickey said there had been a campaign against her by evangelical right-wing Liberals since she took the job of speaker on her first day in parliament ahead of the party’s preferred candidate Rene Hidding.
Well, so far Sue Hickey's gem from today is in the running for quotable Tasmanian quotes of 2021.
— Amber Wilson (@ambervwilson) March 22, 2021
"I feel like this giant boil has been lanced and all the poison and the pus and the toxicity of the last three years is over." @DavidJKillickhttps://t.co/6FXaINgzpZ
“You think I’ve murdered somebody. I’ve suffered for three years I’ve done my penance and, unfortunately, the good Christian souls in our party are just not capable of forgiveness or recognising that I could be rehabilitated and useful.”
Mr Gutwein said he had brought forward plans to inform Ms Hickey she would not be preselected after an interview she gave to the Sunday Tasmanian.
“I thought it was important yesterday after the Speaker brought this on after comments she made over the weekend in the press about preselection that I provide clarity to her,” he said.
“I informed the Speaker yesterday that I’ve taken soundings across the party and that there was no support for her to be preselected or very little support for her to be preselected.
“And I informed her yesterday that that was a view that I held as well. I thought it best to be upfront.
“It does take us into new territory, and that is unfortunate but at the end of the day, Ms Hickey will act as she sees fit in the parliament moving forward.”
Mr Gutwein would not be drawn on the timing of the state election — which is due by March next year, but is now tipped to be sooner.
“That’ll depend on what occurs in the parliament and with Ms Hickey moving forward,” he said.
“As I said we are in new territory, but as I made it clear last week I have an open mind in terms of an election and Tasmania would have an election when it needed.”
Labor’s David O’Byrne said it was clear the Liberals were in disarray.
“It shows that this is a Liberal Party that’s focused not on the issues confronting Tasmania: and that is getting access to good health care, getting a roof over your head, making your way through a congestion in our major cities, a failure to deliver on infrastructure,” he said.
“Instead of dealing with those key issues, they’re very much focused on themselves and they’re a divided rabble.”
He did not rule out an no-confidence motion in the government during this sitting week.
“We’re not going to be distracted by a government that’s lost the numbers on the floor of the House, that is hopelessly divided and not focused on what Tasmanians need
Mr O’Byrne said the outsing of Ms Hickey from the Liberals was different to Labor’s treatment of its rebel member Madeleine Ogilvie, who now sits as an independent.
ANALYSIS: Temptation to turn to the people almost irresistible
ASKED last week about the prospects of an early election, Premier Peter Gutwein used an interesting turn of phrase.
Tasmania he said, would go to the polls “when it needed to”.
The government enjoys two considerable advantages over its Labor opposition at the moment: it is riding high in the polls and it alone controls the timing of the election.
But at no time since it’s 2014 victory has the party’s grip on power been so tenuous. The departure of Sue Hickey from the fold puts to an end seven years of rhetoric about “strong majority Liberal government”.
Today's @themercurycomau cartoon: Catch Twenty-Sue pic.twitter.com/KNyi6hHm3Y
— Christopher (Tasmanian cartoonist) Downes (@CJDownes) March 21, 2021
The party must now govern in minority.
There are 12 Liberals left in the Lower House.
It seems likely developments today will reveal the role Labor MP turned-independent Madeleine Ogilvie will play in propping up the government in the short term.
Today may also reveal whether Ms Hickey continues to sit in the Speaker’s chair.
At any rate, the government has no guarantee it will be able to pass legislation.
The Liberals have taken delight in pointing to the perceived shortcomings of Labor in minority government. Now it is their turn.
The inherent instability of their position post-Hickey is just one potential trigger for an early election.
The protest laws, which will go before the upper house on Wednesday, are another.
Is either scenario what Mr Gutwein meant when he said the state would vote “when it needed too”?
The temptation to ask the voters to sort out the mess must be well nigh overwhelming.
‘Lancing a boil’: Hickey’s parting blow to the Libs
SPEAKER Sue Hickey says she will quit the Liberal party putting the Gutwein government into the minority on the floor of the parliament.
Ms Hickey — who was told at the weekend she would not be preselected again — on Monday likened her departure from the party as like “lancing a boil”.
“I feel like this giant boil has been lanced and all the poison and the pus and the toxicity of the last three years is over,” she told reporters in Hobart.,
Ms Hickey said she hoped to continue in the role of speaker — and would guarantee her support for the government in matters of confidence and supply.
But the Liberals now have only 12 members in the 25-seat House of Assembly. Labor has nine, the Greens two and there are now two independents
She said “blind Freddy could see we’re going into an election” and that Liberal preselection had been stacked against her.
“Today I start my new campaign, as an independent for Clark," she said.
“I’m happy that I’m able to go on and fight for all the things I truly believe in, and I am not bogged down by party structure dogma group think, all the stuff that’s so toxic.”
Earlier, Mr Gutwein said he was forced to inform Ms Hickey she would not be preselected after an interview she gave to the Sunday Tasmanian.
I informed the speaker yesterday that I’ve taken soundings across the party and that there was no support for her to be preselected or very little support for her to be preselected. And I informed her yesterday that that was a view that I held as well. I thought it best to be upfront
“It does take us into new territory, and that is unfortunate but at the end of the day, Ms Hickey will act as she sees fit in the parliament moving forward.”
Mr Gutwein would not be drawn on the timing of the election.
“That’ll depend on what occurs in the parliament and with Ms Hickey moving forward,” he said.
“As I said we are in new territory, but as I made it clear last week I have an open mind in terms of an election and Tasmania would have an election when it needed.”
You’re fired! Liberals give Hickey cold shoulder
Blair Richards
PREMIER Peter Gutwein says there is no “I” in the Liberal team, confirming Sue Hickey will not be endorsed by the party again.
“I informed her that there is not support across the wider party for her to be endorsed as a Liberal candidate for the next election and that is a view that I share,” Mr Gutwein said in a statement issued on Sunday afternoon.
“A Government needs to operate as a strong team and I believe that each Liberal Government member must work as part of that team to serve the people of Tasmania whilst upholding the values, principles and policies of the Liberal party.
“Our clear plan for the State is working and my focus remains firmly fixed on securing Tasmania’s future.”
Following the news Ms Hickey had been booted by the Liberals, Election analyst Dr Kevin Bonham said it would be hard for her to be re-elected as an independent.
Dr Bonham said at the last election Ms Hickey got a “decent vote but it wasn’t super high”.
“If Sue Hickey runs as an independent she will take votes from the Liberals,” he said.
“It’s possible voters will elect one independent but two would be a stretch.
“My feeling is that Kristie Johnston is the most likely one to get in.
“As mayor of Glenorchy she has a high profile and no party involvement history.”
The Clark electorate was, he said, the one most likely to elect an independent.
“Anecdotally we know that some voters are not happy with any of them (the major parties) and half of them vote for Andrew Wilkie at the federal level,” Dr Bonham said.
He said former Labor MHA, now independent Madeleine Ogilvie, would benefit from incumbency but would struggle to hold her seat.
Meanwhile, Labor member for Elwick, Josh Willie has declined to comment on speculation he will run for Clark.
It has been rumoured Mr Willie, who easily won his Legislative Council seat when he first stood, would give Labor the best chance of winning two seats in Clark.
EARLIER:
HOUSE of Assembly Speaker Sue Hickey is set to run as an independent at the state election after being “sacked” by the Liberal party.
As revealed by the Sunday Tasmanian, Ms Hickey had been hoping to run again for the Liberal Party as a candidate in the seat of Clark.
However, she said she would run as an independent in the election, due some time between now and May next year, if the Liberals did not want her.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon Ms Hickey said she had been told by Premier Peter Gutwein she would not be endorsed by the Liberals again.
Ms Hickey said she had effectively been sacked from the Government party, with the Premier saying she was not supported by either her Liberal parliamentary colleagues, or the party machine.
She said it was disappointing but symptomatic the Liberal Party could not accommodate strong women of independent thought and initiative.
“I strongly support what I believe are true Liberal ideals, such as promoting small business and providing increased opportunities for the community. But at the same time, I believe we should provide the necessary services and support for those who are vulnerable and in need,” Ms Hickey said.
“While the Liberals may not have been happy with the manner in which I assumed the Speakership, I have always acted fairly in the role and in accordance with proper parliamentary processes and requirements.
“As well, I have always supported the Liberal Government in matters of confidence and budget supply, as well as commending Premier Gutwein particularly for his handling of the COVID-19 emergency.
“I have also provided significant input into the parliamentary party’s policy direction and indeed a number of initiatives in the Premier’s State-of-the-State address were in line with my suggestions as part of my regular discussions directly with the Premier.”
Ms Hickey said she believed she was a strong advocate for the electors and community of Clark and was determined to continue to serve them in the Tasmanian parliament.
“However, it is evident from my discussion with the Premier that this will not be as a member of the Liberal Party and this is a cause for regret on my part and will also be for the thousands of people who voted for me at the last election,” she said.
“This is a challenging time for the Liberal Party and its supporters. It appears that the men in dark suits are firmly in control and there is no place for small ‘l’ Liberal women who refuse to kowtow or be subservient to the dominant males.”
Ms Hickey said she would now consider her position, but her intention was to continue to serve in the Tasmanian parliament.
EARLIER:
SUE Hickey is in the battle of her political life as she fights to get Liberal Party preselection for the next state election.
Ms Hickey, 62, has decided to stand again in Clark but realises it will be an uphill battle to get party re-endorsement and re-election.
“I’ve been told it will be stacked against me,” Ms Hickey said.
“A Liberal staffer told me to my face, ‘why don’t you resign and leave on your own terms’ because he thinks the process will be ugly.
“Preselection shouldn’t be about ideologies, but your skills set.
“I hope the selectors can move on from the events of the past and acknowledge the contribution I have made, and can make.
“I hope they will see that I’m prepared to work together to get things done.”
Senior Liberal Party sources have told the Sunday Tasmanian it is unlikely Ms Hickey will get endorsed.
“Sue’s burnt too many bridges and has bagged the party,” he said.
“She only got over the line last time because of the casting vote of the chair of selectors and because (Premier) Will Hodgman publicly endorsed her.
“People didn’t want the Premier humiliated and embarrassed if she wasn’t endorsed.”
Political analyst Richard Herr said he believed it would be difficult for Ms Hickey to get Liberal endorsement.
“It will be hard because of the way in which she got the speakership and she hasn’t done the government any favours,” he said.
“With the high approval rating of Peter Gutwein the party will not be desperate to get candidates.”
Ms Hickey has experienced a “tough” three years because she said she believed she was sent to “Coventry” after taking on the role of Speaker after the shock nomination by Labor and the Greens.
“I was the only new Liberal member elected and the 13th member, so I helped make the majority for the government,” she said.
“The thing that upset me the most was that I never heard from the Premier (Mr Hodgman) — not even a text message — after I was elected.
“Only one member of the parliamentary Liberal team sent me a thumbs-up emoji.”
The former Hobart Lord Mayor maintains she had no inkling she would end up in the Speaker’s chair.
“I thought a male was planning to take the chair,” Ms Hickey said.
“The concept of disunity and disloyalty did not enter my head at the time. In the Liberal Party you can cross the floor, but in reality you can’t come back.”
Having accepted the nomination, she was removed from all government communication when she became Speaker and chose not to attend Liberal Party meetings.
Ms Hickey said her relentless pursuit of housing and health issues came after her electorate office in Glenorchy was inundated by people desperate for help.
“I was unprepared for the tsunami of pain people were going through,” she said.
“People living in tents at the showgrounds and others who were living in drug dens. It was frightening.
“Women waiting years for gynaecological procedures — so I had to lobby for funding and changes and sometimes go public to get my voice heard because I could not live with these things on my watch.”
Ms Hickey said she has taken a step back from being publicly critical of the government since Peter Gutwein became Premier.
She said he needed clean air to focus on the pandemic.
She has fortnightly meetings with Mr Gutwein, he is always available and she feels she has been listened to.
“I’m proud of his leadership, he’s a reformist, but he’s tough and believes in delivering government services, but more efficiently,” she said.
“I listened to his state-of- the-state address this week and I felt I’d had an influence in many of the announcements. It was big, bold, brave and accountable.
“He is a popular Premier and deserves to be.”
Ms Hickey pointed to a long list of achievements from her lobbying, especially in housing and health.
If she is not backed by the Liberals, Ms Hickey said she would run as an independent.
“I’ve always been a Liberal, I believe in Liberal philosophies of fairness and small business being the engine room of the economy, and getting people into jobs so they have a purpose in life and better access to education and health,” Ms Hickey said.
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