Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter out after failed no confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff
Josh Willie will take over as Opposition Leader following a caucus vote.
The Mercury reported that under Labor rules, a spill of leadership positions occurs after an election loss.
Mr Willie emerged victorious in a ballot against fellow Clark MP Ella Haddad to secure the leadership candidacy.
'It is a great honour to be elected Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party,' Mr Willie said in a statement.
'Tasmanian Labor has a proud history and I look forward to giving this role everything I've got to return Labor to government.'
Mr Willie thanked Mr Winter for his service, saying he had 'strong Labor values'.
Janie Finlay was elected unopposed as new deputy leader, replacing Anita Dow.
The spill comes after Labor suffered a humiliating defeat in Tasmania's parliament on Tuesday – the first day of sitting since the snap state election resulted in a hung parliament – with the motion failing to secure a single crossbench vote.
Mr Winter's motion was met with a rare display of unity from all other sides, leaving Labor exposed and widely criticised.
Newly elected member for Franklin and former ABC reporter Peter George delivered one of the most scathing assessments of Labor's performance.
'Labor set about undermining the very notion of collaboration and compromise as it sought to lead a minority government,' Mr George told the House of Assembly.
'In my years of reporting politics, which stretch back to the Whitlam years, never have I come across an opposition party less ready for government.'
Premier Rockliff, the only Liberal MP to speak on the motion, emphasised the need for collaboration in a minority government.
'We cannot ignore the fact that in minority government we must come together and agree on policy positions that reflect the wider will of the people,' Mr Rockliff said.
'Minority government may well be here for decades to come, and that's why we need to listen, learn and continue to make progress. We might not always agree, but everyone deserves to be heard.'
He blamed Mr Winter for sending parliament 'right back where we were.'
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said her party could not back a motion that put Labor into power – but said the minor party did not have confidence in the Liberals either.
'We tried really hard to work with Labor,' Ms Woodruff said.
'Mr Winter showed no capacity or intention to negotiate with the Greens or to make policy compromises.
'Labor has nothing to offer. They continue to blindly back building a billion-dollar stadium the state doesn't need and clearly can't afford.'
Labor won only 10 seats in the 35-seat parliament at the snap July election called after a previous no confidence in Mr Rockliff succeeded.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
11 minutes ago
- ABC News
Residents in Australia's first renewable energy zone speak out about mental health pressures
Rural NSW residents say a renewable energy proposal has driven a wedge through their tight-knit community, as developers roll out more mental health support for affected landholders. The Hampton Park solar development, 11 kilometres outside Dubbo and part of Australia's first declared renewable energy zone (REZ), has triggered an emotional response from affected landholders. "This development is driving a nail in our community out here," Michael Edwards, who has lived in the area for 35 years, said. "The construction out here is going to turn our lives upside down." The community's campaign against the project comes amid the release on an interim report from a parliamentary inquiry into the impacts of REZs on communities and industries in NSW. The report, released on Thursday, found there has been "inadequate consultation between the NSW government, renewable energy developers and the Central-West Orana community". It said that among the impacts of this were the mental health of community members and the "eroding of social cohesion". The Director of the Institute for Infrastructure in Society at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University professor Sara Bice explained why the rollout of renewables projects had caused backlash in some communities. "For many rural Australians, the energy transition will require major, likely irreversible, changes of scale and nature that could alter their local communities, land, livelihoods, or identities," Dr Bice said. "Far fewer urban residents will be asked to make such trade-offs or sacrifices for the common good. The report recommended the state government "urgently conduct an independent cumulative impact study" on the Central-West Orana REZ and that EnergyCo provide mental health support to affected landowners. Fourth-generation farmer Angus Kelly, whose property adjoins to the project, said the mental health impact was often underestimated. "There's been a lot of sleepless nights, rolling over all the what-ifs," he said. "My dad is in his 80s. Other projects have affected him over time, but nothing to this extent." In a statement, the developer of the Hampton Park project, Australian Renewable Energy Services (ARES), said it recognised the 360-hectare solar project and 180-megawatt battery project meant a great deal of change for the local community, and it was offering support. "As part of our engagement program, best practice and listening to feedback from neighbours who say they are experiencing stress, we offer confidential wellbeing support," an ARES spokesperson said. The solar and battery proposal was open for community feedback until July 25 to inform a scoping report that is being reviewed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. Locals opposed to the Hampton Park project have formed a group, Stop Hampton Park, which now has about 40 members and more than 1,000 followers on Facebook. They said they were determined to halt the development and protect their community's wellbeing. Stop Hampton Park member Peter Dwyer said he was aware ARES was offering wellbeing support to residents near the proposal, but that did not make the process less daunting. "That has a major impact." Many residents feared the proposal could negatively impact their property values, other had concerns about their safety in the event of a fire. Dr Bice said opposition to specific projects did not mean communities were against renewable energy entirely. "They are often opposing how the transition is being implemented and rightly asking what trade-offs they are really being required to make and what the benefits for themselves, their families and neighbours will be." In response to growing concern, the NSW government's EnergyCo has partnered with Grand Pacific Health to deliver mental health services to landholders living within 500 metres of proposed infrastructure. EnergyCo is the delivery lead for renewable energy zones in NSW but is not the developer of Hampton Park. GPH decides how many staff, including psychologists, social workers, mental health occupational therapists and Aboriginal health workers, are required to deliver the program. The program complements existing support for landholders affected by property acquisition that has been in place since 2016. The support includes 24/7 helplines, one-on-one counselling and reimbursement for private clinicians. Meanwhile, other states are watching closely. Delivery bodies in Queensland and Victoria are considering similar mental health support programs as renewable energy zones expand nationwide. In Queensland, where there are no declared REZs yet, delivery body Powerlink said it offered support to all landholders impacted by its project through free telehealth sessions from the counselling service Rural Health Connect. And in Victoria, REZ-coordinator VicGrid said they were exploring partnerships to "provide mental health support for communities and landholders in proposed renewable energy zones in Victoria." The Stop Hampton Park group is preparing submissions, attending community consultations and council meetings, and calling for greater transparency and engagement from government and developers.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Tim Wilson correction
Insiders: On the 17th of August Insiders published a headline on YouTube, Facebook and the ListenApp that was incorrectly attributed to the Shadow Employment Minister Tim Wilson. The ABC wishes to clarify that this was a production error. An ABC correspondent said 'Vladimir Putin outfoxed Donald Trump' not the shadow minister. This comment has been amended on all platforms. Insiders apologises for the error.
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Filipino, Thursday, 21 August 2025
Philippine, Australian and Canadian warships take part in Exercise ALON (Amphibious and Land Operations) 2025 in Mindoro. Australian Deputy Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles to visit the Philippines. Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan says national child safety reform is urgently needed, alongside state reform LISTEN TO SBS Filipino 07:51 Filipino 📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino 📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit or stream on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , Youtube Podcasts , and SBS Audio app.
