No-confidence motion fails with 26-6 loss
A vote change by Labor has changed the circumstances for a previously unsteady-looking Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Here’s how it went.
Tasmania
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It will be a packed schedule in Parliament House in Hobart today with the first day of the last two sitting weeks in 2024. Follow for The Mercury’s rolling coverage.
No-confidence motion defeated late on Monday
7.34pm: The minority Liberal government has dodged the threat of an early election after Labor voted against a motion of no-confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff brought by the Greens.
After a day of debate in state parliament on Tuesday, the motion was defeated 26-6 around 7.30pm.
The Greens and independent Kristy Johnston voted in favour.
Earlier, the government looked to be in trouble when it lost a vote to bring the motion on for debate.
Ferguson ‘disappointed’ in shelving of pokies card reform
5.16pm: Former Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson has expressed his “great disappointment” at the government’s decision to shelve his nation-leading poker machine reforms.
The backbencher has told parliament he will not give up on fighting for the mandatory pre-commitment scheme dropped on Tuesday by the government – but will not cross the floor on the issue.
“I am not going to give up on these reforms and while I tonight express my great disappointment that the government and the Cabinet have made the decision that they have,” he said.
“It may be that they have information that I don’t have access to and I respect that.
“I’m disappointed, and I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say that.
“It’s fair to say that I am deeply committed to these reforms.
“And one day I will die and until that day, I will stand by my record of fighting for those people who don’t have a strong voice in this House.
“What I can do while I’m a member of this house to make a difference, a positive difference, something that I could feel pleased about and that perhaps others may feel proud of.”
Mr Ferguson ruled out crossing the floor to back a Greens no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
“I want to say, in dealing with this motion, I will not be supporting this motion and it surprises me that anyone might consider that I would cross the floor on a vote of confidence motion in the government that I believe in, and in the Premier,” he said,
“I will make it very clear: it surprises me that given my record, and my great love for the Liberal Party, that would be put into question.”
‘The Tasmanian people do not want an election’
4.10pm: Premier Jeremy Rockliff says the Tasmanian people do not want an early election.
In a passionate speech to parliament, as he tried to head off a no-confidence motion, Mr Rockliff said there had already been an election this year and his government had been installed to power.
“The Tasmanian people do not want an election. They want a government that was elected on March 23 to get on with the job,” he said.
“But if this motion was to pass I will have no hesitation to go to the governor and ask for an election.
“Be it on your heads for the pretty politics you are playing today.
He accused Labor and the Greens of “massive overreach”.
“If you want to bring a motion to this place around policy and not personality, then do it.
“It is very much a personal attack when it comes to the language you use and I reject it.”
Debate on the motion was expected to stretch well into Tuesday evening.
Party leaders are allocated 30 minutes each to speak and MPs, 20 minutes each.
Government fails to vote down no-confidence
12.22pm: Parliament will debate a motion of no-confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff after the government failed in a bid to vote it down.
The standing orders have been suspended for debate after the government lost the critical vote 17-15.
The Liberals and former Lambie independents voted against debating the motion.
The Greens, Labor and the remaining independents backed it.
By longstanding convention, a Premier who was the subject of a successful no-confidence motion from parliament would be expected to resign.
Greens leader moves motion of no-confidence in Premier
11.51am: The Greens have moved a motion of no-confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff over his handling of the government’s poker machine reforms.
Party leader Rosalie Woodruff moved the motion at the end of Question Time after the government announced it was walking back on plans for a mandatory pre-commitment card.
Dr Woodruff said the government’s announcement was a sign the government could not be trusted.
The motion accused Mr Rockliff of being “a liar who cannot be trusted”.
“In September 2022 his government announced a policy for a mandatory pre-commitment card to reduce the harm caused by Electronic Gaming Machines,” the motion says.
“During the 2024 election campaign, the Liberals put out a vague, dishonest media release which appeared on its surface to reflect their 2022 policy.
“Meanwhile the Premier made a promise to the Tasmanian Hospitality Association that a re-elected Rockliff Government would walk away from the policy.
“The Premier sold out the Liberals’ policy to the gambling lobby and deliberately lied to Tasmanians about it during an election.
“During Budget Estimates this year, the Minister for Finance, Nic Street, was unaware his Premier intended to back away from this policy.
“It appears, on the evidence, the Premier lied to his former Minister for Finance as well.
“The Premier is a liar who cannot be trusted by his own party room and Cabinet, the parliament or the people of Tasmania.
“The only people who can trust the Premier’s word are the gambling lobby.”
Leader of Government Business Eric Abetz condemned the motion and the comments made by Dr Woodruff in favour of it, saying it besmirched the reputation of the Premier.
“There is no doubt the Premier and the government are committed to harm minimisation,” he said.
“There is no doubt the Premier and the government are committed to getting the balance right.”
Labor’s Shane Broad indicated Labor would support the suspension of standing orders to debate to motion.
Federal MP Andrew Wilkie slams government as ‘cold-hearted’
11.00am: Independent Clark MP Andrew Wilkie has launched a blistering attack on the Tasmanian government after its shelving of a mandatory pokies pre-commitment card, calling Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s administration the “most incompetent, cold-hearted and self-serving” in the country.
The anti-pokies MP said the Liberals “don’t give a toss about gambling addiction or the harm it causes the community”.
“They’re in the back pocket of the gambling industry,” he said.
“Moreover they couldn’t care less about the fact that the NSW Crime Commission has found money laundering is commonplace through poker machines and that the only way to rein it in is with cashless play.
“Frankly, the Tasmanian government is the most incompetent, cold-hearted and self-serving administration in Australia.”
Government under fire in parliament’s return
10.22am: Question Time in state parliament has again been dominated by questions over the government’s handling of the TT-Line ferries and poker machine reform.
The House of Assembly has resumed for its final two sitting weeks of the year.
Opposition leader Dean Winter says the business community and Tasmanians more generally were dismayed by the delays to the Spirits project and were losing faith in the Liberals’ ability to deliver.
“How can Tasmanians trust a single word you say?” Mr Winter asked.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff defended the government’s efforts to get the project back on track.
“I have said many times that what has occurred with the Spirits is not good enough,” he said.
“But what I have said is that we will fix it.
“You’re standing in the way at every opportunity, negative the whole time and offering absolutely no solutions.”
The Greens took aim at the government’s announcement about changes to its poker machine reform plan.
Party leader Dr Rosalie Woodruff accused Mr Rockliff of having watered-down plans to protect gamblers and accused him of letting the “poker machine industry win”.
“This will be your legacy – a plan for perpetual harm,” she said.
Mr Rockliff said gambling reform was a “complex” process.
“There’s not one solution here – there are many solutions for supporting people with gambling addiction,” he said.
Mr Rockliff said he would write to other state leaders about co-operating to implement card-based play with mandatory pre-commitment limits.
“We believe the most practical way forward is to work with other states on this matter,” he said.
Mr Rockliff said he had spoken to a range of stakeholders about the government’s plans.
“I have to get the balance right – as Premier I have to listen to all views and get the balance right.”
Independent Kristy Johnston accused the Premier of “failing the moral test” and abandoning Tasmanians with gambling problems.
“Is the Tasmanian Hospitality Association running this government, Premier?” she said.
Labor coy on whether it will support planning bill it hasn’t seen
Labor leader Dean Winter says he can’t say if his party will support a planning reform bill the government wants passed in the last two parliamentary sitting weeks commencing on Tuesday — because he hasn’t seen it yet.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Monday indicated that the Liberal minority government was keen to progress reforms introducing development assessment panels to replace councils as decision makers for some projects.
The proposal has run into strong opposition from local government.
Mr Rockliff said the government was also keen to pass legislation to back in the $40m Stony Rise retail centre proposed for Devonport.
More to come.
String of failures not enough to privatise, merge GBEs, MP says
A key independent MP says he is strongly opposed to any attempt to merge or privatise government-owned businesses despite a series of failures in service delivery.
Iconic sign could be history as redevelopment plan revived
A proposal to redevelop a century-old heritage-listed Hobart building into accommodation has been revived, with the backing of property giant Fragrance Group.