'Sad day' as state faces fourth election in seven years
Tasmanians are set to return to the polls with Premier Jeremy Rockliff confirming he will seek an election after losing a no-confidence motion.
The Liberal leader's grip on power was lost after a marathon two-day debate in parliament finished on Thursday afternoon.
The motion brought by Opposition Leader Dean Winter passed by the barest margin, with Labor speaker Michelle O'Byrne casting a deciding vote.
With Governor Barbara Baker absent, Mr Rockliff spoke with her lieutenant, Christopher Shanahan, before announcing he would reconvene parliament on Tuesday to pass an emergency funding bill for public servants' wages.
"It's at that point, when the bills go through both houses of parliament, that I will seek an audience with Her Excellency, the Governor of Tasmania, to call an election," he told reporters outside Government House.
"But my most highest priority right now is to ensure that we continue to fund our essential services that all Tasmanians need, deserve and care about."
In a speech following the vote, an emotional Mr Rockliff said it was a "sad day".
"What we have in this parliament, as I've said over the course of the last 14 months, is an eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds, which is how parliament should be, in actual fact," he told the House of Assembly.
"And I wanted it to work. I believed in it and I actually still do.
"We've got most of our agenda through simply because of our negotiations between each other. And that's why I'm so disappointed, if not broken-hearted, frankly."
Mr Winter brought the no-confidence motion following the Liberal minority government's budget, winning the support of the Greens and three crossbenchers for an 18-17 vote.
Liberal MPs yelled out "weak" as the house divided for the vote.
Mr Rockliff, premier since 2022, conceded the numbers were against him but vowed to "fight to his last breath" and not resign.
He said Tasmania did not want and could not afford its fourth state election in seven years.
"Be that on Mr Winter's head. This has been a selfish grab for power. I have a lot more fight in me," he said.
"The only job Mr Winter is interested in is mine. And I am not going anywhere."
Mr Winter, opposition leader since Labor's loss in 2024, said Tasmanians wanted to see the end of Mr Rockliff and the Liberals, who have governed under three different premiers since 2014.
The 40-year-old brought the no-confidence motion following last week's budget, which forecasted deficits through the forward estimates and a debt blowout beyond $10 billion.
"We are ready for an election," he said, flanked by his caucus outside a substation in Mt Wellington's foothills, a site chosen to press home arguments against privatisation.
"We will not stand by and let this premier wreck our budget and sell the assets that Tasmanians have built."
During the debate, Labor also lashed Mr Rockliff for delays and cost blowouts to the delivery of two new Bass Strait ferries.
Mr Rockliff called the motion "a selfish grab for power" but Mr Winter pushed back against claims of an opportunistic powerplay
"The premier did confidence and supply agreements with the crossbench when he became premier ... and it was up to him to hold those agreements together," he said.
"He couldn't do it. Those agreements have fallen apart."
Tasmania went to the polls just 15 months ago in an election which returned the Liberals to power in minority with just 14 of 35 seats in the lower house.
Some crossbenchers and the Greens have gripes with a new $945 million stadium in Hobart, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028.
Labor supports the team and a stadium, a position it reiterated on Wednesday in writing to the AFL.
But the Devils fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at risk.
Tasmanians are set to return to the polls with Premier Jeremy Rockliff confirming he will seek an election after losing a no-confidence motion.
The Liberal leader's grip on power was lost after a marathon two-day debate in parliament finished on Thursday afternoon.
The motion brought by Opposition Leader Dean Winter passed by the barest margin, with Labor speaker Michelle O'Byrne casting a deciding vote.
With Governor Barbara Baker absent, Mr Rockliff spoke with her lieutenant, Christopher Shanahan, before announcing he would reconvene parliament on Tuesday to pass an emergency funding bill for public servants' wages.
"It's at that point, when the bills go through both houses of parliament, that I will seek an audience with Her Excellency, the Governor of Tasmania, to call an election," he told reporters outside Government House.
"But my most highest priority right now is to ensure that we continue to fund our essential services that all Tasmanians need, deserve and care about."
In a speech following the vote, an emotional Mr Rockliff said it was a "sad day".
"What we have in this parliament, as I've said over the course of the last 14 months, is an eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds, which is how parliament should be, in actual fact," he told the House of Assembly.
"And I wanted it to work. I believed in it and I actually still do.
"We've got most of our agenda through simply because of our negotiations between each other. And that's why I'm so disappointed, if not broken-hearted, frankly."
Mr Winter brought the no-confidence motion following the Liberal minority government's budget, winning the support of the Greens and three crossbenchers for an 18-17 vote.
Liberal MPs yelled out "weak" as the house divided for the vote.
Mr Rockliff, premier since 2022, conceded the numbers were against him but vowed to "fight to his last breath" and not resign.
He said Tasmania did not want and could not afford its fourth state election in seven years.
"Be that on Mr Winter's head. This has been a selfish grab for power. I have a lot more fight in me," he said.
"The only job Mr Winter is interested in is mine. And I am not going anywhere."
Mr Winter, opposition leader since Labor's loss in 2024, said Tasmanians wanted to see the end of Mr Rockliff and the Liberals, who have governed under three different premiers since 2014.
The 40-year-old brought the no-confidence motion following last week's budget, which forecasted deficits through the forward estimates and a debt blowout beyond $10 billion.
"We are ready for an election," he said, flanked by his caucus outside a substation in Mt Wellington's foothills, a site chosen to press home arguments against privatisation.
"We will not stand by and let this premier wreck our budget and sell the assets that Tasmanians have built."
During the debate, Labor also lashed Mr Rockliff for delays and cost blowouts to the delivery of two new Bass Strait ferries.
Mr Rockliff called the motion "a selfish grab for power" but Mr Winter pushed back against claims of an opportunistic powerplay
"The premier did confidence and supply agreements with the crossbench when he became premier ... and it was up to him to hold those agreements together," he said.
"He couldn't do it. Those agreements have fallen apart."
Tasmania went to the polls just 15 months ago in an election which returned the Liberals to power in minority with just 14 of 35 seats in the lower house.
Some crossbenchers and the Greens have gripes with a new $945 million stadium in Hobart, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028.
Labor supports the team and a stadium, a position it reiterated on Wednesday in writing to the AFL.
But the Devils fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at risk.
Tasmanians are set to return to the polls with Premier Jeremy Rockliff confirming he will seek an election after losing a no-confidence motion.
The Liberal leader's grip on power was lost after a marathon two-day debate in parliament finished on Thursday afternoon.
The motion brought by Opposition Leader Dean Winter passed by the barest margin, with Labor speaker Michelle O'Byrne casting a deciding vote.
With Governor Barbara Baker absent, Mr Rockliff spoke with her lieutenant, Christopher Shanahan, before announcing he would reconvene parliament on Tuesday to pass an emergency funding bill for public servants' wages.
"It's at that point, when the bills go through both houses of parliament, that I will seek an audience with Her Excellency, the Governor of Tasmania, to call an election," he told reporters outside Government House.
"But my most highest priority right now is to ensure that we continue to fund our essential services that all Tasmanians need, deserve and care about."
In a speech following the vote, an emotional Mr Rockliff said it was a "sad day".
"What we have in this parliament, as I've said over the course of the last 14 months, is an eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds, which is how parliament should be, in actual fact," he told the House of Assembly.
"And I wanted it to work. I believed in it and I actually still do.
"We've got most of our agenda through simply because of our negotiations between each other. And that's why I'm so disappointed, if not broken-hearted, frankly."
Mr Winter brought the no-confidence motion following the Liberal minority government's budget, winning the support of the Greens and three crossbenchers for an 18-17 vote.
Liberal MPs yelled out "weak" as the house divided for the vote.
Mr Rockliff, premier since 2022, conceded the numbers were against him but vowed to "fight to his last breath" and not resign.
He said Tasmania did not want and could not afford its fourth state election in seven years.
"Be that on Mr Winter's head. This has been a selfish grab for power. I have a lot more fight in me," he said.
"The only job Mr Winter is interested in is mine. And I am not going anywhere."
Mr Winter, opposition leader since Labor's loss in 2024, said Tasmanians wanted to see the end of Mr Rockliff and the Liberals, who have governed under three different premiers since 2014.
The 40-year-old brought the no-confidence motion following last week's budget, which forecasted deficits through the forward estimates and a debt blowout beyond $10 billion.
"We are ready for an election," he said, flanked by his caucus outside a substation in Mt Wellington's foothills, a site chosen to press home arguments against privatisation.
"We will not stand by and let this premier wreck our budget and sell the assets that Tasmanians have built."
During the debate, Labor also lashed Mr Rockliff for delays and cost blowouts to the delivery of two new Bass Strait ferries.
Mr Rockliff called the motion "a selfish grab for power" but Mr Winter pushed back against claims of an opportunistic powerplay
"The premier did confidence and supply agreements with the crossbench when he became premier ... and it was up to him to hold those agreements together," he said.
"He couldn't do it. Those agreements have fallen apart."
Tasmania went to the polls just 15 months ago in an election which returned the Liberals to power in minority with just 14 of 35 seats in the lower house.
Some crossbenchers and the Greens have gripes with a new $945 million stadium in Hobart, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028.
Labor supports the team and a stadium, a position it reiterated on Wednesday in writing to the AFL.
But the Devils fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at risk.
Tasmanians are set to return to the polls with Premier Jeremy Rockliff confirming he will seek an election after losing a no-confidence motion.
The Liberal leader's grip on power was lost after a marathon two-day debate in parliament finished on Thursday afternoon.
The motion brought by Opposition Leader Dean Winter passed by the barest margin, with Labor speaker Michelle O'Byrne casting a deciding vote.
With Governor Barbara Baker absent, Mr Rockliff spoke with her lieutenant, Christopher Shanahan, before announcing he would reconvene parliament on Tuesday to pass an emergency funding bill for public servants' wages.
"It's at that point, when the bills go through both houses of parliament, that I will seek an audience with Her Excellency, the Governor of Tasmania, to call an election," he told reporters outside Government House.
"But my most highest priority right now is to ensure that we continue to fund our essential services that all Tasmanians need, deserve and care about."
In a speech following the vote, an emotional Mr Rockliff said it was a "sad day".
"What we have in this parliament, as I've said over the course of the last 14 months, is an eclectic mix of people from all backgrounds, which is how parliament should be, in actual fact," he told the House of Assembly.
"And I wanted it to work. I believed in it and I actually still do.
"We've got most of our agenda through simply because of our negotiations between each other. And that's why I'm so disappointed, if not broken-hearted, frankly."
Mr Winter brought the no-confidence motion following the Liberal minority government's budget, winning the support of the Greens and three crossbenchers for an 18-17 vote.
Liberal MPs yelled out "weak" as the house divided for the vote.
Mr Rockliff, premier since 2022, conceded the numbers were against him but vowed to "fight to his last breath" and not resign.
He said Tasmania did not want and could not afford its fourth state election in seven years.
"Be that on Mr Winter's head. This has been a selfish grab for power. I have a lot more fight in me," he said.
"The only job Mr Winter is interested in is mine. And I am not going anywhere."
Mr Winter, opposition leader since Labor's loss in 2024, said Tasmanians wanted to see the end of Mr Rockliff and the Liberals, who have governed under three different premiers since 2014.
The 40-year-old brought the no-confidence motion following last week's budget, which forecasted deficits through the forward estimates and a debt blowout beyond $10 billion.
"We are ready for an election," he said, flanked by his caucus outside a substation in Mt Wellington's foothills, a site chosen to press home arguments against privatisation.
"We will not stand by and let this premier wreck our budget and sell the assets that Tasmanians have built."
During the debate, Labor also lashed Mr Rockliff for delays and cost blowouts to the delivery of two new Bass Strait ferries.
Mr Rockliff called the motion "a selfish grab for power" but Mr Winter pushed back against claims of an opportunistic powerplay
"The premier did confidence and supply agreements with the crossbench when he became premier ... and it was up to him to hold those agreements together," he said.
"He couldn't do it. Those agreements have fallen apart."
Tasmania went to the polls just 15 months ago in an election which returned the Liberals to power in minority with just 14 of 35 seats in the lower house.
Some crossbenchers and the Greens have gripes with a new $945 million stadium in Hobart, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028.
Labor supports the team and a stadium, a position it reiterated on Wednesday in writing to the AFL.
But the Devils fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at risk.
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He said there were no shortage of options for a new leader, who would need to organise support from enough crossbenchers to stave off an election. "Eric Abetz is ambitious, Michael Ferguson still has a baton in the knapsack, Guy Barnett is ambitious and Madeleine Ogilvie is ambitious," he said. Mr Stansfield, who has advised the Liberals to four straight election wins, said the Liberals' charge to an election was "lemming-like behaviour". "They have willingly chosen to go to their own political execution rather than change their policies or change their leader in order to stay in power," he told the FontCast podcast. Former Liberal Premier Will Hodgman attacked the vote of no confidence, saying it was "politically reckless, and seriously damaging to Tasmania's reputation" on social media. AAP has spoken with multiple past and present MPs and advisers, who have confirmed Liberal MPs are privately canvassing options to topple Mr Rockliff and avoid an election. 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It will be a smooth transition of power to a new leader and Jeremy will be under all sorts of pressure from internal Liberal party people to make that happen. "I'm not even convinced Jeremy Rockliff wants to go to another election. He'd probably rather retire to the farm." Mr Bartlett led a Labor government between 2008-2011, including the 2010 election which required him - like Mr Rockliff after the 2024 poll - to govern in minority. He said there were no shortage of options for a new leader, who would need to organise support from enough crossbenchers to stave off an election. "Eric Abetz is ambitious, Michael Ferguson still has a baton in the knapsack, Guy Barnett is ambitious and Madeleine Ogilvie is ambitious," he said. Mr Stansfield, who has advised the Liberals to four straight election wins, said the Liberals' charge to an election was "lemming-like behaviour". 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"I'm as proud as anyone to be a Tasmanian but at times it is embarrassing. "I was with (Brisbane Lions coach) Chris Fagan the last few days at the football club, everyone you speak to, they ask if it's gonna happen. "Even Fages, a proud Tasmanian, you could see in his face and the look in his eye, he was shocked that once again we have gone out of our way to stuff something up that would be great for our state. "It's a doomsday scenario, but what if the AFL revokes the licence?" The former Test wicketkeeper felt Tasmania would continue to be the butt of jokes if it can't deliver an AFL team. "Tassie has for a long time been the laughing stock for the other states because of our inability to get stuff done," Paine said. "When I was playing cricket people would say, 'Oh you're heading back to 'Slowbart', nothing ever happens'. "It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and we keep proving people right. "It's embarrassing when you're involved in national or international sports and businesses and you go to carnivals or Tests and people just continually shit-can us. "They talk down to us and we continually prove them right." Former Australia cricket captain Tim Paine has lashed Tasmania as "self-sabotaging", admitting he's embarrassed by the political upheaval that threatens to kill off the island's planned AFL team. The Tasmania Devils are at risk of extinction before they have even played a game, after Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Thursday lost a no-confidence motion. It means Tasmanians are set to return to the polls, likely delaying construction of a new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart. The proposed 23,000-seat roofed venue, which is now slated to cost $945 million, is a condition of the Devils entering the AFL in 2028. Devils chief executive Brendon Gale and chairman Grant O'Brien fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at serious risk. The saga has prompted an emotional response from Devils staff, politicians and public figures this week. "It is staggering that we do this to ourselves, we are self-sabotaging state," Paine said on SEN radio. "I'm as proud as anyone to be a Tasmanian but at times it is embarrassing. "I was with (Brisbane Lions coach) Chris Fagan the last few days at the football club, everyone you speak to, they ask if it's gonna happen. "Even Fages, a proud Tasmanian, you could see in his face and the look in his eye, he was shocked that once again we have gone out of our way to stuff something up that would be great for our state. "It's a doomsday scenario, but what if the AFL revokes the licence?" The former Test wicketkeeper felt Tasmania would continue to be the butt of jokes if it can't deliver an AFL team. "Tassie has for a long time been the laughing stock for the other states because of our inability to get stuff done," Paine said. "When I was playing cricket people would say, 'Oh you're heading back to 'Slowbart', nothing ever happens'. "It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and we keep proving people right. "It's embarrassing when you're involved in national or international sports and businesses and you go to carnivals or Tests and people just continually shit-can us. "They talk down to us and we continually prove them right." Former Australia cricket captain Tim Paine has lashed Tasmania as "self-sabotaging", admitting he's embarrassed by the political upheaval that threatens to kill off the island's planned AFL team. The Tasmania Devils are at risk of extinction before they have even played a game, after Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Thursday lost a no-confidence motion. It means Tasmanians are set to return to the polls, likely delaying construction of a new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart. The proposed 23,000-seat roofed venue, which is now slated to cost $945 million, is a condition of the Devils entering the AFL in 2028. Devils chief executive Brendon Gale and chairman Grant O'Brien fear an early election would delay the stadium project and put the club's licence at serious risk. The saga has prompted an emotional response from Devils staff, politicians and public figures this week. "It is staggering that we do this to ourselves, we are self-sabotaging state," Paine said on SEN radio. "I'm as proud as anyone to be a Tasmanian but at times it is embarrassing. "I was with (Brisbane Lions coach) Chris Fagan the last few days at the football club, everyone you speak to, they ask if it's gonna happen. "Even Fages, a proud Tasmanian, you could see in his face and the look in his eye, he was shocked that once again we have gone out of our way to stuff something up that would be great for our state. "It's a doomsday scenario, but what if the AFL revokes the licence?" The former Test wicketkeeper felt Tasmania would continue to be the butt of jokes if it can't deliver an AFL team. "Tassie has for a long time been the laughing stock for the other states because of our inability to get stuff done," Paine said. "When I was playing cricket people would say, 'Oh you're heading back to 'Slowbart', nothing ever happens'. "It's the same as it was 10 years ago, and we keep proving people right. "It's embarrassing when you're involved in national or international sports and businesses and you go to carnivals or Tests and people just continually shit-can us. "They talk down to us and we continually prove them right."
