logo
Liberals present draft 'stability agreement' to Tasmanian crossbenchers as Labor wins 10th seat in Franklin

Liberals present draft 'stability agreement' to Tasmanian crossbenchers as Labor wins 10th seat in Franklin

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff has presented a draft "stability agreement" to newly elected independent crossbenchers as he seeks support for a minority Liberal government following Saturday's election.
As counting continues, the Liberals have locked in at least 14 seats in the new parliament, the most of any party — but still short of the 18 needed for a majority.
Labor has won at least 10 seats, after gaining the final spot in the electorate of Franklin, according to ABC chief elections and data analyst Casey Briggs.
At least four independents have also been elected — previous MPs David O'Byrne, Kristie Johnston, and Craig Garland, as well as newcomer Peter George.
Carlo Di Falco from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party also has a chance to gain a seat in Lyons.
Mr Rockliff said he is seeking feedback from each on a draft stability agreement.
"And I look forward to meeting with key independents over the course of the next number of days to ensure that I can get their feedback on how what I have presented as a draft can be further improved upon as well."
Saturday's snap poll took place after Labor last month moved a successful no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, including in his ability to improve the state's soaring debt level.
Mr Rockliff said his draft stability agreement would allow the co-development of parliamentary protocols and would feature a "multi-partisan budget panel".
"So we can have good discussions prior to the budget and have everyone's input on that," he said.
The agreement would also feature "ministerial consultation protocols" and a "crossbench liaison office".
The ABC has contacted the elected crossbenchers for their response to Mr Rockliff's approach.
Mr Garland, who has been re-elected in the seat of Braddon, said he was pleased to receive the draft agreement and was actively considering it.
Earlier on Wednesday, he told ABC Radio Hobart the major parties needed to be open to collaboration if they wanted his support.
"Well, there's a lot of talk, and then in the same breath, I hear [them say] 'We're not moving on salmon. We're not moving on native forest logging'.
He said he wanted to be included in "budget repair" and the "development of policy".
"Those two things, I think, are absolutely crucial with the talk of compromise and working together.
"We have to be at the table to have input into that, I think."
Other crossbenchers have not yet responded to the ABC. But on Monday, Mr George, who will represent Franklin, posted a video on Facebook in which he suggested the major parties needed to be more flexible in their approach with crossbenchers.
"One area of concern is that Labor and Liberal seem to have drawn lines in the sand, saying we won't talk about this, we are going to insist on that," Mr George said.
"Well, that's not how minority government works, that' certainly not how collaboration works.
"So, a slight warning there, but we will deal with this down the track."
A spokesperson said Labor was "working on a similar document but won't be releasing anything publicly before consulting with the cross bench and receiving their feedback".
On election night, the party's leader, Dean Winter, indicated he would try to form a minority government if Mr Rockliff was unable to garner enough support from the crossbench.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tasmania to proceed with Marinus Link decision, with Labor given a day to agree after 'sham' briefings
Tasmania to proceed with Marinus Link decision, with Labor given a day to agree after 'sham' briefings

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Tasmania to proceed with Marinus Link decision, with Labor given a day to agree after 'sham' briefings

The Tasmanian Liberal government intends to approve a final investment decision on the Marinus Link interconnector project after months of negotiations with the Commonwealth. But with the government in caretaker mode, the decision requires consultation with the Labor opposition, with Premier Jeremy Rockliff giving Mr Winter until 9am tomorrow morning to give his support. The Commonwealth, however, has extended its deadline for a decision until August 2. Mr Winter and crossbenchers were given a briefing on Tuesday, where they were taken through a presentation on the project and were first able to see thousands of hard-copy pages of information. They were required to keep information confidential and were told the government intended to proceed with its final investment decision for Marinus Link. Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff described the process as "a sham", independent candidate Peter George said it did not show "respect" to crossbenchers, and independent Kristie Johnston called it a "document dump". Mr Winter said they had not been "properly consulted", and that the public should be able to see details in Treasury's whole-of-state business case, which the government received in May. That business case has not been publicly released. Mr Rockliff then sent Mr Winter a letter on Wednesday with an ultimatum for his support. "Pending your agreement, the Tasmanian government intends to make a positive Marinus FID [final investment decision] on the basis of the Australian government's new and current offer of amendments to the Shareholder Agreement," the letter reads. "As you are aware, not taking a positive FID at this stage will be equivalent to taking a negative FID. The final details of Tasmania's stake in the estimated $5 billion project — designed to give the mainland increased access to Tasmania's renewable energy resources — are still not publicly known. In 2023, the Tasmanian government negotiated its stake down from 20 per cent to 17.7 per cent, bringing it to an estimated $117 million. The project was also reduced from two cables to one, bringing its capacity down from 1.5 gigawatts to 750 megawatts. It also involved transmission line projects in Tasmania's north-west that have attracted community opposition due to significant clearing of native vegetation. Labor, the Greens and independents have also questioned whether the project would result in higher power prices for residential and industrial users in Tasmania. The government promised to release the whole-of-state business case by the end of June, for an investment decision by the end of July. Incoming Liberal MP Bridget Archer said it was not released due to the ongoing negotiations with the Commonwealth, that it contained third-party information, and that the government had secured "a better position" since the business case was completed. When asked if the business case should be released publicly before the investment decision was made, she said, "yes, hopefully". Last week, Mr Rockliff said that releasing the business case publicly before the decision "would be my expectation, absolutely". Energy Minister Nick Duigan said Labor, the Greens and independents now had access to all documentation. Mr Winter replied to Mr Rockliff by letter to say that he would be unable to meet the Wednesday morning deadline. Mr Winter said it was an unreasonable expectation. "This morning, I received a letter from Jeremy Rockliff demanding that I give full endorsement to more than 1,000 pages of material and years of work within 24 hours," he said. "Let me be clear: I won't be bullied into making a decision like that quickly. Mr Winter said Labor supported Marinus Link in principle, but needed more time to assess information that was first presented on Tuesday. Ms Archer said the consultation was in line with caretaker conventions, while Mr Duigan said the "new deal that has been struck with the Commonwealth" was beneficial for Tasmania. "Our commitment to Tasmanians is Marinus will protect power prices without any additional cost to our state, and that's what we are delivering," he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store