Professor Richard Herr urges Premier to do deal with Greens for stability

A Tasmanian academic says everyone is asking how long the government will last. He’s got some advice for the Premier in the wake of the shock election results.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Princes Park, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

The only way for Jeremy Rockliff to maintain stable government and investor confidence is with an arrangement with the Greens, a Tasmanian academic says.

Professor Richard Herr says he’s surprised at the “rage” shown by voters who elected an unprecedented 11 cross benchers to the House of Assembly, “more than double any historic levels in the past”.

He said everyone was asking “how long will it last?” which was bad news for investors.

“The only stable arrangement will be with the Greens. As unpalatable as that might appear, the Greens can bring five disciplined members to the table,” Prof Herr said.

Doctor Richard Herr.

“The remainder of the crossbench is raw, inexperienced, and not necessarily disciplined.

“The Greens have proven their durability, they’re not going anywhere.

“If he is unwise enough to recreate the uncertainty that he experienced in the last year of his government, and to do so deliberately, it will be on his own head.”

Mr Rockliff has ruled out doing deals with the Greens or independents.

Prof Herr said he was asked on election night how long the minority government would last.

“If the Premier wants an investment and Tasmania to be an investment destination, he’s got to persuade the investors that people aren’t asking the question ‘how long will it last’?

“It’s not a good investment environment to have that question hanging in the air.”

Prof Herr, said he like the Premier, did not expect to see 11 MPs on the crossbench.

“It is amazing that without a how to vote card, the rage in the community was such that you could elect a suite of untried newcomers,” he said.

“The rage was such that the crossbenchers more than double any historic level in the past, and that just tells you that it was a voter backlash against the two party system.

“I think he thought, as indeed I did, there would be a large suite of people taking a chance, but in the end it would settle on, you know, six to seven on the crossbench and with him having enough numbers to be able to negotiate a more sensible agreement than he had with (Liberal defectors) John Tucker and Lara Alexander.”

Prof Herr believes Mr Rockliff’s leadership is safe and he is the best negotiator in the lower house.

“If anybody’s going to find a reasonably effective negotiated path through the next parliament, he’s probably the only one in the chamber that has that skill.

“He has never deserted his party, he’s always taken the worst jobs and he didn’t abandon the party when Peter Gutwein did.

“So I trust his integrity and his commitment to Tasmania.”