Tasmanians are set to return to the polls after a Labor motion of no-confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff passed the House of Assembly by a single vote.

He proclaimed the result “a sad day for Tasmania” and condemned what he called Mr Winter’s “selfish grab for power”.

The motion that effectively ends Mr Rockliff’s term as Premier and topples the Liberal minority government came at 3.30pm on Thursday.

It is just 439 days since the election that heralded the party’s fourth consecutive term since gaining power at the 2014 election.

>> BLOG: Re-cap how it all went down over 48 hours

Mr Rockliff visited Lieutenant Governor Christopher Shanahan at Government House early Thursday evening to inform him he has lost the confidence of the parliament.

He has not yet stepped down as Premier and parliament will return next week to try to pass the budget before the election.

Opposition leader Dean Winter has ruled out forming a government with the support of the Greens and the crossbench.

Although that means an election is almost certain, the date and timing are yet to be determined.

Special parliamentary sittings will be needed in the coming days to pass the Budget bills to ensure the government can pay its bills over the election period and before parliament sits again.

Mr Rockliff began the day defiant, with a statement outside parliament.

“If Mr Winter’s divisive and destructive motion is passed, I will be going to the Lieutenant Governor and seeking an election,” he said.

“This will be advice that I will provide to the governor: that an election is needed unless Mr Winter forms government with the Greens.

“This will be an election that Tasmanians don’t want and Tasmania cannot afford.

“Be that on Mr Winter’s head, this has been a selfish grab for power of which Tasmanians will look upon very poorly indeed.”

During a lengthy debate on the no-confidence motion, it became apparent that government entreaties to key independent MPs had failed to change their minds.

With the votes of the five Greens MPs, Labor secured the 17 votes it needed to achieve a tie — thanks to the support of independents Craig Garland and Kristie Johnston and Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner.

Former JLN members Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland and independent David O’Byrne voted with the Liberal members.

The result left speaker Michelle O’Byrne with the casting vote.

In a dramatic conclusion to two days of debate, Ms O’Byrne said she would vote for the motion.

“No one in this chamber could realistically expect me to provide confidence to a Liberal Government, no one would expect me to turn my back on the rules of a party I have believed in my entire life and been a member of for longer than some members in this chamber have been alive,” she said.

“Notwithstanding the considerations of the Premier or the Governor in this process, the die is cast and the state is on the inexorable path to another early election.”

“Under the provisions of Standing Order 167 and with reference to the commitment given when I was elected to the Chair I cast my vote with the Ayes.

“The Ayes have it.”

Mr Rockliff accepted the result with a mixture of sadness and anger.

“Thank you, honourable speaker, and I acknowledge and respect the vote of the house today, as I have respected every single vote that has taken place in this house in my 23 years,” he said, his voice briefly cracking with emotion.

He described the motion as a “selfish grab for power” by the Labor leader.

“In my personal opinion, this is a very sad day for Tasmania.

“What I find most disappointing is the personalisation of the vote … and I’ll be damned if the Labor Party is going to choose the leader of the Liberal Party that I love.

“It is a sad day and I mean what I say: I will advise the governor of the vote in the House and the context of it.

“I will also advise if Mr Winter cannot command a majority in this place, most reluctantly, we would need to go to an election.

“I saw the honourable member’s statement today where he would not do a deal with the Greens.

“Well, what’s this all about? What is this all about?”

Mr Rockliff said he has no regrets about his government’s backing for the Macquarie Point stadium.

“If we cannot invest in a team in the infrastructure required in industrial wasteland next to a sewage works, then what the hell are we doing?

“And that’s why, and that’s why I believe so passionately, which ultimately I believe is probably why I stand here right now, but I will always believe in it.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Winter said the state’s deteriorating budget situation had left the Labor Party with no choice but to move the motion, whose success took many by surprise.

“Jeremy Rockliff is leading Tasmanians towards yet another early election, the second one in 16 months that he’s had to call early because his government has fallen apart,” Mr Winter said.

“I’m the leader of the opposition. I have to stand up for Tasmanians who need a better government.

“There’s been one person who’s been responsible for the deterioration of our budget and that’s been Jeremy Rockliff.

Mr Winter said he supported the AFL team and the stadium, but the state had other priorities as well.

“We support the Tasmanian Devils and the AFL team that Tasmanians have dreamed of forever,” he said.

“But I’ve got to say that I’ve got a lot of very high priorities around health and education.

“Yes, we absolutely support getting this team, but Tasmanians, when I talk to them, they talk about cost of living, they talk about education, they talk about the future for our young people.

“I’m not prepared to stand idly by and let this Liberal government led by Jeremy Rockliff ruin this state.”

Parliament will return on Tuesday morning in a bid to pass budget bills to keep public services operating.

Ms O’Byrne told parliament the government’s ability to continue to pay its bills under such circumstances extended only for limited periods, and both houses would need to approve “appropriate supply bills” to pay for government services and public sector salaries beyond the end of this month.

Governor Barbara Baker is expected to return from overseas at the weekend.

david.killick@news.com.au