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Labor's no-confidence motion to oust Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff set to succeed

Labor's no-confidence motion to oust Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff set to succeed

The Guardian4 days ago

A no-confidence motion in the Tasmanian premier appears likely to succeed on Wednesday.
Jeremy Rockliff has been under increasing pressure over his handling of the state's budget, Bass Strait ferry delays, a plan to sell assets and a new stadium.
The Labor opposition on Wednesday moved a no-confidence motion in the Liberal premier, after a day earlier threatening to if it could find the numbers.
The motion will be debated on Wednesday.
The independents Craig Garland and Kristie Johnston and Jacqui Lambie Network MP Andrew Jenner have indicated they will support the motion.
The Greens, who have five MPs, voiced their support for the no-confidence motion on Wednesday morning, meaning it has the numbers to pass.
'The deals the premier struck for minority government after the last election have collapsed,' the Labor leader, Dean Winter, told parliament.
'Three independent members of the crossbench have lost confidence in the premier.
'(This is) due to his financial mismanagement, his appalling handling of the Spirit of Tasmania project, and his plan to privatise Tasmania's most precious assets.'
If a no-confidence motion against Rockliff is successful, convention dictates he resign.
In a social media post, Rockliff said a successful no-confidence motion would force Tasmania back to the polls.
'An election just over 12 months since the last one,' he said.
'That's the last thing Tasmania needs. That's the last thing Tasmanians want.'
The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, are governing in minority with just 14 of 35 seats in the lower house.
Last week's 2025-26 budget predicted debt would more than double to $10.8bn in four years' time, with deficits each year.
The Greens leader, Rosalie Woodruff, said the premier had brought the no-confidence motion on himself.
'Poll after poll have made it abundantly clear that Tasmanians do not, will not, support a new stadium at Macquarie Point in Hobart,' she said.
The stadium, which is supported by Labor, is a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028.

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