- In short: Tasmania's Liberals now lead a minority government after two northern MPs quit the party to sit as independents, partially over concerns about a $715 million stadium for Hobart.
- What's next? The new minority Liberal government needs the votes of two other MPs to pass legislation in the lower house — which now has four independents, two Greens MPs and eight Labor MPs.
Two Tasmanian Liberal MPs have quit the party to sit as independents, pushing Australia's only remaining Liberal stronghold into minority governance.
Bass member Lara Alexander and Lyons member John Tucker resigned this morning as both party members and members of the parliamentary Liberal Party.
They have also left their parliamentary positions, including memberships of parliamentary committees.
Both politicians will continue to serve their electorates as independents on the crossbench.
They have both said they did not plan to bring down the government, with Mr Tucker saying he hoped Mr Rockliff would remain as premier.
The pair spoke to the ABC before holding a press conference this morning.
Both have flagged concerns about future debt surrounding Hobart's $715 million Macquarie Point Stadium, with Ms Alexander also taking issue with the transparency of government decision making, and Mr Tucker airing grievances against Marinus Link.
The building of a stadium was a central condition by the AFL before the league agreed to award Tasmania the game's 19th team licence.
"I don't want to disrupt the government. We need to make sure that the right decisions are being taken, and the last thing the community needs is a big upheaval," Ms Alexander told the ABC.
'I just can't get my head around it': MPs want more information on stadium
The Tasmanian MPs took issue with the proposed AFL stadium, saying decisions were made by cabinet behind closed doors, and they could not support it based on the information they had.
"To have the capacity to influence government decisions, you have to see the issue first before it goes to cabinet, and in this instance, I have not had the opportunity to," Ms Alexander said.
She told a press conference there needed to be far more transparency around how the stadium became part of deal with the AFL for a new team licence.
"I have not been able to understand where did that [the stadium] come from," she said.
"For a lot of Tasmanians, and a lot of our constituents, the question is if we all started to support the [AFL] team and the further along the line it became a package with the stadium.
"A number of questions are unanswered — questions that have created this big anxiety and split in our community — and people deserve to get an answer to all these genuine questions."
Ms Alexander said her intention was not to derail the stadium, but to put it under greater scrutiny.
"Being an independent, I do feel that I am more free in actually presenting policies and positions and suggesting solutions to some of the critical issues," she said.
"For me, as an accountant, as an economist, as a person that has worked in a not-for-profit sector, it's really hard for me to understand this particular investment [a stadium]; I just can't get my head around it."
Mr Tucker said he was neither for nor against the stadium, but wanted greater transparency.
"I want to ensure that these are the right decisions for the Tasmanian taxpayer, so we're not going to create a nightmare for them going forward with the debt load," he told the ABC.
Later at the press conference, Mr Tucker said he did not think their move to the crossbench would kill the project.
"Myself and Lara do not believe that it [becoming independent] will derail the stadium," he said.
"We are interested to look at what the contractors say and what the business case says, if the business case stacks up and everything looks right.
"I do not have a problem supporting the stadium. I suppose you could say I'm sitting on the fence with this, I want to see what the books say."
Ms Alexander told the ABC she first raised her concerns with Premier Jeremy Rockliff late last year and asked for more information, but she "still had not seen anything of a significant nature".
While she then told Mr Rockliff she was upset, she did not tell him she was considering quitting.
Meanwhile, Mr Tucker reached out to the premier in December over the government's competency, saying there was a disconnect with the people of Lyons, but acted after he said nothing had changed.
He said he told the premier of his intention to quit in late March, and they had been in discussions since, but had not been able to resolve the issues.
Mr Tucker also has concerns over the Marinus Link deal.
"If we put cheap power at risk for the Tasmanian public, people would not forgive us," he said.
"I want to see what the business case is, that we're going to see benefit from this, the Tasmanian taxpayers, and that's that's the crux of this.
"I want to see what the deal has been done with the federal government on this."
Ms Alexander and Mr Tucker sent their resignation letters to Mr Rockliff this morning.
Early election? 'No,' says Rockliff
On Friday afternoon, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he had received the two MPs' resignations, calling their actions "disappointing".
He said he would not resign as premier and would carry out the job "for all Tasmanians".
Asked if he would call an early election, he responded: "No."
"Today is a challenging day, but there are many, many things of which all Tasmanians need to be, and should be, proud of, of where we have come as a state over the course of the last 10 years under a Liberal government," he said.
"We will continue to invest in enabling infrastructure, growing our economy, and supporting and investing in essential services that Tasmanians expect their government to invest in."
Mr Rockliff said he would work "across the parliament" to work in the best interest of Tasmanians.
Both Ms Alexander and Mr Tucker have called for better transparency from the government, but Mr Rockliff said he was "always open, transparent, consultative with our team".
Asked if he expected more members of his party to quit, Mr Rockliff said he had spoken to other Liberal MPs and they were committed to the government's plan.
He said people might not always agree with what the government did, but that decisions would always be made "for the right reasons".
Despite leading a minority government, Mr Rockliff said it would not impact on his team's plan for the state.
The premier said he was confidence the Liberal Party could win the next election — currently set for 2025.
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Voice support causes rift
Ms Alexander's other issue is the state government's stance on the Voice to Parliament.
Both the premier and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Roger Jaensch are campaigning for it.
Ms Alexander said the Voice was divisive, and there had not been enough transparency.
"Some of my constituents, the ones that have reached out, are against the Voice, and I will be campaigning against it on the basis of the information that has been made available," she said.
Both MPs said they took no issue with the premier personally.
She said while some in her electorate may have voted for her due to her Liberal association, she believed many supported her personally.
"Maybe for those people who voted for me purely because I was a representative of the Liberal party, then maybe for them it's going to be a disappointment," she said.
"But for others that have voted because they've read about my principles, and what I have done in my life and in my position … maybe they will look at it and they'll say, 'She's actually standing firm on what she believes.'"
Mr Tucker said he believed Lyons voters voted for him personally, rather than as a Liberal.
"I think people that know me know, that I'm a conservative, that I'm a true liberal, and the people that voted for me, I think they'll vote for me again, because they know what I stand for and what my family stands for," he said.
While Ms Alexander has not yet firmed up any policies, she said cost of living, healthcare and housing — particularly in regional and rural areas — were priorities.
"So many Tasmanians are battling with the rising cost of food, mortgages, rent and other living expenses," she said.
"I'm going to do everything possible to represent the constituents of Bass.
"I will … be a voice that says to the government, 'You need to be accountable and transparent and make the community understand the decision process and why certain decisions have [been] arrived at and how it's impacting them.'"
Government will need help to pass legislation
Until now, the Liberal government has held a narrow majority of 13 of 25 seats in the House of Assembly.
The new minority government, once the resignations take effect, will be forced to negotiate with other parties and independents to get policies over the line.
The Labor Party will hold eight seats, while the Greens will hold two, and there are now four independents.
The independents are Kristie Johnston, Lara Alexander, John Tucker and David O'Byrne — a former Labor leader who is no longer part of the parliamentary Labor team.
It also leaves non-government MPs in a stronger position to work together to push their own policies.
Mr Tucker said he would not instigate or support a vote of no confidence, while Ms Alexander said she would not instigate, and probably would not support one.
Ms Alexander and Mr Tucker have assured the premier they would guarantee supply for the upcoming state budget.
Both politicians said they were open to working with the parties and independents to pass policies.
Ms Alexander did not forecast legislative deadlocks and both MPs believed the new parliamentary make up would strengthen democracy.
Ms Alexander said the Liberal government was out of touch, but believed it could still win the next election if it focused on the "bread and butter issues".
She said she planned to contest the next election.
Opposition wants numbers tested on the floor
Labor has called on the premier to recall parliament to test if he maintains the confidence of the lower house, following his backbenchers' resignations.
Labor leader Rebecca White said the government no longer had the trust of Tasmanians.
"They have quit because they believe that Tasmanians deserve a better government than the one we currently have," she said.
"If they don't trust the government, how can the rest of the Tasmanian community?"
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said Jeremy Rockliff's position as premier was hanging on by a thread.
"I am sure at the moment the numbers are being done on the premiership, I'm sure Michael Ferguson is making a few calls," she said.
"That's a matter ultimately for the Liberal Party but Jeremy Rockliff's position is bordering on untenable."
