What we learned: Wednesday 10 April
We’re going to leave it here for the day. Here’s what happened:
Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff has reached an agreement with the Jacqui Lambie Network to form government, with JLN members Miriam Beswick, Andrew Jenner, and Rebekah Pentland agreeing to provide confidence to his government on a number of measures.
Former federal Coalition senator Eric Abetz has been named Tasmanian minister for business, industry and resources, which includes salmon and forestry. Abetz will also be minister for transport, and the leader of the government in the lower house.
The Coalition’s defence spokesperson, Andrew Hastie, has said “we are seeing breakouts of strategic disorder across the globe” and accused the Albanese government of being “weak at articulating the threats we face”.
A Melbourne council in the city’s west says asbestos has been discovered at Altona Coastal Park, as the discovery of contaminated material spreads to seven parks across the city.
Thanks for reading. We’ll be back tomorrow to take you through all the news Thursday has to offer.
Updated
Eric Abetz named a minister in Tasmanian government
The conservative Liberal will have responsibility for contentious salmon farms and native forest logging in Tasmania after being appointed to senior roles in Jeremy Rockliff‘s new cabinet.
The former federal Coalition senator has been named the state minister for business, industry and resources, which includes salmon and forestry. Abetz will also be minister for transport, and the leader of the government in the lower house as the Rockliff government attempts to navigate a parliament in which it holds only 14 of 35 seats.
The announcement of the cabinet followed the Liberals reaching an agreement with the state’s three new Jacqui Lambie Network MPs - Miriam Beswick, Andrew Jenner and Rebekah Pentland.
JLN promised to back the Liberals on confidence and censure votes that did not involve “malfeasance or corruption” and guaranteed to support all budget bills. The minor party also said it would give the government notice if it intended to vote against any of its legislation, and then vote for an adjournment so the parties could negotiate.
Rockliff still needs a deal on confidence votes with at least one of the state’s three independent MPs – Craig Garland, Kristie Johnston and David O’Byrne – to reach the 18 votes needed in parliament.
Updated
