MPs John Tucker, Lara Alexander issue new demands of Premier Jeremy Rockliff following defection

Former Liberal MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander, who now sit on the crossbench, have turned up the heat even further on Premier Jeremy Rockliff, issuing a new demand.

Independents Lara Alexander and John Tucker. Question time in the Tasmanian parliament with two new independent members. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Rogue MPs John Tucker and Lara Alexander have issued a further demand of Premier Jeremy Rockliff, calling for the massive Marinus Link interconnector project to be subjected to the same process of parliamentary scrutiny as the Macquarie Point stadium.

During a debate around a no-confidence motion moved in state parliament by Labor on Tuesday, former Liberals Mr Tucker and Mrs Alexander spoke at length about their defection from the government, offering new insights into why they quit.

The chief reason for their decision was a perceived lack of transparency relating to the stadium, but the now independent MPs have gone into detail about a range of other grievances.

Neither of the pair supported the no-confidence motion, which the Liberals survived, but both of them directed sharp criticism at Mr Rockliff and his government.

They have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Premier, guaranteeing confidence and supply.

Independents Lara Alexander and John Tucker. Question time in the Tasmanian parliament with two new independent members. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“The Liberal Party is supposed to be a broad church but many members, particularly those with traditional views and strong religious values, feel the leadership focused on progressive reforms and football grounds means that they are no longer being heard,” Mr Tucker said in a speech on Tuesday night.

“I believe as an independent I will be able to offer those people a genuine alternative.”

Mr Tucker, who represents the rural electorate of Lyons, said the government had “stopped listening”.

“It is not listening to the community, is not listening to the Liberal Party, is not listening to the federal Liberal members and senators and has certainly not been consulting with the backbench,” he said.

Mr Tucker urged the Premier to seek to declare the Marinus Link and Battery of the Nation initiatives as projects of state significance instead of major projects, just as he and Mrs Alexander had successfully asked Mr Rockliff to do for the stadium.

Such a declaration would see the proposed energy infrastructure put to a vote in both houses of parliament.

Independents John Tucker and Lara Alexander with Premier Jeremy Rockliff in Launceston after reaching an agreement to work together. Picture: Rob Burnett

Bass MP Mrs Alexander, an accountant and former CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Tasmania, said the Mac Point stadium threatened to saddle the state with billions of dollars in debt.

“My concern is that the interest bill will swamp the Premier’s heroic assumption that the stadium will unleash a wave of economic activity across the state, which in turn will help fund essential services,” she said.

Mrs Alexander said if she had put forward a business case as “thin” as the government’s case for the stadium in her previous career, she would have been “laughed out of the room” and “probably … looking for a new job”.

“Work done by TasCOSS has shown that there are at least 120,000 Tasmanians struggling to survive on incomes which are at, or below, the poverty line,” she said. “Many of those people are homeless.”

“We are heading into winter, and we need to address their needs long before we start building a new, third AFL stadium.”