Jeremy Rockliff set to become Tasmania’s new Premier

Jeremy Rockliff will be elected unopposed as the Premier of Tasmania on Friday – but who will be his deputy?

JEREMY Rockliff will be elected unopposed as the 47th Premier of Tasmania on Friday after his only potential rival confirmed he would contest the deputy position instead.

Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson confirmed he would contest the position of deputy leader of the Parliamentary Liberal Party at a party room meeting on Friday.

Attorney-General Elise Archer has also indicated she will nominate for the job, meaning it will go to a vote of members of the Parliamentary Liberal Party.

Mr Ferguson issued a statement on Thursday confirming he would not contest the position of Liberal leader left vacant by Premier Peter Gutwein.

“I’m excited to confirm that after positive conversations with Jeremy Rockliff and the Parliamentary Liberal Party, I will nominate to support Jeremy as his deputy,” Mr Ferguson said.

“It is Jeremy’s time to lead the party and the government that has taken Tasmania’s economy and employment outcomes from nation-lagging to nation-leading.

“Jeremy has served both Will Hodgman and Peter Gutwein as a deputy with energy and loyalty.

“A deputy with that same energy and loyalty is precisely what Jeremy will require.

“He, together with all our incredible team, will be able to depend on me as a unifying and supportive person and experienced hand.”

Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Chris Kidd

The meeting to determine the deputy leadership position will be held in Hobart on Friday.

Government MPs were lying low on Thursday, but Labor’s Ella Haddad said the Liberals have lost two ministers and a Premier in the first year of this term in office.

“I think the Liberal Party have got real problems in this state, they have lurched from crisis to crisis since the last election,” she said.

“They’ve lost many senior ministers and the premier himself is out the door.

“There is no doubt that they are embroiled in factional warfare. They are at war with one another and they’re focused on things about themselves not focused on the issues that affect Tasmanians.

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff welcomed Mr Rockliff as the next Premier and said he had shown himself to be a politician with a heart.

“A heart is a very important part of being the premier of Tasmania,” she said.

“But equally important, you have to have a spine, you have to have a capacity to stand up for things that matter for people.

“That’s what we’ll be looking for in the new premier of Tasmania, they have to have a brain, they have to also be looking at the future.

“They have to understand that the actions we take now in Tasmania are critical for not only the people here today, but for all the people coming after us.”

‘I’m very optimistic’: Rockliff edges closer to Premier – April 6

State Parliament will not sit again until May in the wake of Premier’s Peter Gutwein’s resignation, it has been revealed.

A notice published in the Tasmanian Government Gazette proclaimed the parliament prorogued from 6pm Wednesday until 11am on May 3.

In his resignation statement, Premier Peter Gutwein said as quickly as possible after Easter, but the new date will mean state parliament will had met on only nine days in the first four months of the year.

Deputy premier Jeremy Rockliff on Wednesday confirmed he would stand as Premier in a Liberal party meeting on Friday in comments to reporters at a function in the state’s north.

“Of course I’m absolutely keen to put my hat in the ring,” Mr Rockliff told 7Tasmania News.

“I look forward to that but it’s up to my colleagues.

“Talking to my colleagues I’m very optimistic.”

Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Parliament question time. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Attorney-General Elise Archer announced she would be running for the position of Deputy Premier.

“I have been a member of parliament for over 12 years, the first female Speaker — in our then 157 year parliamentary history — a Cabinet Minister since September 2017, and Attorney-General for five years – a senior position as the first law officer for the state of Tasmania,” she said.

“We need a strong leadership team with gender and geographical balance, not only for the long-term future of our party, but more importantly, to continue our work on behalf of all Tasmanians as the strong united team we have always been.

“Our entire Liberal team demonstrates an incredibly broad diversity of skills, backgrounds, expertise and gender, and therefore, I would be proud to serve as Deputy Premier — last held by a female in our party by the late Sue Napier from 1996 to 1998.

Mr Ferguson on Wednesday said he would “have more to say later” about what position, if any he would nominate for.

Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson.

Labor’s Dean Winter said Mr Rockliff wasn’t interested in being premier two years ago and questioned what had changed.

“Mr Rockliff’s only motivation now appears to be to stop Michael Ferguson becoming Premier.

“As bad as Michael Ferguson would be, factional jostling is not the right reason to want to lead our state.

“If Peter Gutwein’s tank was empty, Jeremy Rockliff’s running on his reserve tank.

“It is an open secret Jeremy Rockliff has been planning his retirement and won’t run at the next state election. He had to be convinced to run last year.”

The Australia Institute Tasmania said Mr Gutwein’s departure underlined the case for

“The Premier’s resignation demonstrates again that MPs workloads are too high, Australia Institute Tasmania Director Eloise Carr said.

“The Tasmanian lower house should be restored to 35 seats ahead of the next state election.

‘Very keen’: Rockliff set to become Premier

Jeremy Rockliff is set to become Tasmania’s next Premier, the Mercury understands.

Sources close to the Deputy Premier and Health Minister say he is “very keen” to take on the top job following the resignation of Premier Peter Gutwein.

The Liberal Party’s parliamentary members will meet to decide the senior leadership team on Friday.

Elise Archer is tipped to contest the deputy position currently held by Mr Rockliff.

Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson was an early contender in the race to replace Will Hodgman, but it remains unclear whether he will stand or whether he could muster a majority of votes from members of the Parliamentary Liberal Party if he did.

A Rockliff-Archer result would provide an even mix of the party’s moderate and conservative factions, between members from the north and south of the state and greater gender diversity in the senior leadership team.

If Mr Rockliff and Ms Archer were to run unopposed, Mr Ferguson — who is also the Finance Minister — could be appointed as Treasurer.

None of the MPs made a public statement on Tuesday and no other candidates have yet emerged as possible contenders in a contested ballot.

“Things have altered and I think Elise will run for deputy,” a senior Liberal source said on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy Premier and Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Linda Higginson

Political analyst Professor Richard Herr had called for Ms Archer to be considered as leader but said she would be a good fit as deputy leader.

“It would make geographic sense and help with the blokeyness of the party, especially federally,” he said.

“The party needs to present unity and a leadership team that can work well together.”

Mr Rockliff, who has been the member for Braddon for 20 years, had been rumoured to want to quit politics.

It is understood his father is unwell but he has decided he wants to see out the government’s agenda for its current term.

Bolstering his credentials for the top job is his strong electoral support.

Mr Rockliff garnered 19,186 primary votes in the seats of Braddon at the last state election, winning more than a quota in his own right.

By contrast, Mr Ferguson won 3,806 primary votes, or around a third of a quota, but was in the same electorate as Mr Gutwein who was riding a high from his handling of the Covid pandemic.

The 16 members of the Parliamentary Liberal Party will meet on Friday to decide who will be the state’s next premier.

Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Chris Kidd