Labor risks Green light to govern in power grab twist
The Tasmanian Liberals have been reinstalled in minority government under Jeremy Rockliff but will face an immediate test when parliament returns on August 19.
Neither the Liberals with 14 seats nor Labor with 10 won the required 18 to control the lower house in their own right after the July 19 snap poll resulted in a hung parliament.
Mr Rockliff has no formal agreements of support with the 11 minor party MPs and independents, but the governor said the incumbent had the right to remain in office to test the numbers.
The premier, who had another meeting with Shooters, Fishers, Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco on Thursday, said a draft stability agreement would be updated in coming days.
"No one member of the 35-seat House of Assembly can expect to get 100 per cent of what they want 100 per cent of the time," he told reporters in Launceston.
Labor needs the support of the Greens, who hold five seats under leader Rosalie Woodruff, along with at least three other crossbenchers, for a planned motion expressing no confidence in the Liberals and confidence in its party to succeed.
Mr Winter met with all five independent crossbenchers on Thursday to outline his vision for a stable and lasting parliament.
The Greens and independent Craig Garland have already ruled out supporting a Liberal government.
But Greens deputy leader Vica Bayley claimed the minor party had not been "boxed into a corner" by that and said Mr Winter must have "meaningful negotiations" to win their support.
"Taking things for granted is one of the biggest political risks that there can be," Mr Bayley said.
"We've made it really clear that we do want a change of government.
"But if he's unprepared to sit down and have a proper, meaningful conversation about what that looks like, we are yet to determine what that might mean going forward."
Labor MP Sarah Lovell reiterated her party was not interested in doing deals or compromising on policies with any of the crossbench, including the Greens.
"Dean has had conversations with Rosalie Woodruff and will continue to have conversations," she said.
"The Greens will make their own decision on the 19th of August, as they're entitled to do."
Mr Rockliff has unveiled his new cabinet to be sworn in early next week, ceding all of his other ministerial roles.
Newly elected ex-federal MPs Bridget Archer and Gavin Pearce were elevated straight onto his frontbench, with Jacquie Petrusma and Roger Jaensch making way.
Deputy Premier Guy Barnett has lost the treasury portfolio following immense backlash over the 2025/26 state budget, which was partially responsible for the original no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff in early June.
Conservative former senator Eric Abetz has replaced him as treasurer.
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He described the greyhound racing announcement as a "political bid to cling onto power". Any decisions of that magnitude, like shutting down a greyhound industry that employed hundreds of people, should be taken carefully and follow due process, he said. Veteran economist Saul Eslake recently reviewed the state's finances and found greyhound racing in Tasmania was almost entirely dependent on government funding. The industry would receive $7.5 million in state funding in 2024/25 alone and it was spending more than twice the national average to keep the sport afloat, he said. A state leader's bid for political power could spell the death knell for greyhound racing across Australia as animal activists hail an end to the controversial sport in the Apple Isle. The timing would coincide with the end of a government funding agreement and make the island state the second jurisdiction in Australia to stop the sport. The ACT banned greyhound racing in 2018. 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