Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff seeks to re-form government as Labor heads towards its worst ever result
Saturday's poll, called after Jeremy Rockliff lost a vote of no-confidence in June, has returned a very similar parliament.
The Liberals had picked up a 3.5 per cent swing with counting continuing late on Saturday night, with Labor losing about three per cent of their vote.
Labor's primary vote of below 26 per cent is on track to be the worst in Tasmania's history.
The Liberals have secured 13 seats and appear on track for 14-15, short of the 18 required for majority but ahead of Labor's eight confirmed seats.
Speaking alongside his family, Mr Rockliff claimed a win, saying a Labor-led motion of no-confidence had backfired on leader Dean Winter.
'A little over six weeks ago, the leader of the opposition forced this unnecessary election on the Tasmanian people by moving a vote of no-confidence,' Mr Rockliff said.
'The people of Tasmania, in return, have said they have no confidence in the Labor Party to form government.
'It is our team, the Liberal Party, who will achieve the most seats in this election, with a significantly increased vote.'
Mr Rockliff said intended to visit the governor and ask her to recommission his government.
However, Mr Rockliff faces dealings with a left-leaning crossbench including at least three independents who are opposed to his pet-project new AFL stadium.
Labor could potentially form government with the Greens, who appear set to hold five seats, along with independents.
Mr Winter has previously ruled out doing a deal with the Greens but has kept the door ajar for some sort of minority government agreement.
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff urged Mr Winter to pick up the phone and have a conversation about working together.
'We are ready to work collaboratively in the best interest of Tasmanians,' Ms Woodruff said.
Independents Kristie Johnston and Craig Garland, who voted no-confidence in Mr Rockliff, have been returned to parliament.
Anti-salmon farming independent Peter George has been successful in getting a state seat after a strong run at the recent federal poll.
Labor upper house MP Sarah Lovell seemed to indicate her party was keeping the door open to forging a path to its own minority government.
'We have seen Jeremy Rockliff... fail to make a minority worker twice now,' she told the ABC.
'We don't want to be back here in 12 months.'
The Liberals, who have been in power since 2014, have been in minority since 2023 when two MPs quit to the crossbench.
The Liberals entered the campaign with 14 seats and Labor 10.
It could be weeks for the final count to be completed, with the last postal votes not expected to arrive until the end of July.
The no-confidence motion against Mr Rockliff, put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbenchers, was critical of budget debt and a bungled ferry delivery.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
10 minutes ago
- Reuters
Japan's minority government likely to lose upper house control, exit polls show
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, exit polls showed after Sunday's election, potentially heralding political turmoil as a tariff deadline with the United States looms. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's shaky minority government falls, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito needed 50 seats to retain control of the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs. They are forecast to secure 32 to 51 seats, the exit poll by public broadcaster NHK showed. Other broadcasters forecast the ruling coalition would hold 41-43 seats. If the coalition holds less than 46 seats, it would mark its worst result since the coalition was formed in 1999. That comes on top of its worst showing in 15 years in October's lower house election. That has left Ishiba vulnerable to no-confidence motions that could topple his administration and trigger a fresh general election. Opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and increased welfare spending look set to make gains, the exit polls show, with rising consumer prices - particularly a jump in the cost of the staple rice - a key issue for voters. "The LDP was largely playing defence in this election, being on the wrong side of a key voter issue," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. "Polls show that most households want a cut to the consumption tax to address inflation, something that the LDP opposes. Opposition parties seized on it and hammered that message home." The LDP have been urging for fiscal restraint, with one eye on a very jittery government bond market, as investors worry about Japan's ability to refinance the world's largest debt pile. Adding to the anxiety around the world's fourth largest economy, Japan faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market.
Reuters
40 minutes ago
- Reuters
Japan's ruling coalition likely to lose upper house majority, exit poll shows
TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - Japan's ruling coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, an exit poll for Sunday's election showed, potentially fuelling political instability in the world's fourth largest economy as a tariff deadline with the United States looms. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's shaky minority government falls, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more-powerful lower house in October. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito needed 50 seats to retain control of the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats are up for grabs. They are forecast to secure 32 to 51 seats, the exit poll by public broadcaster NHK showed. The LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war period, had its worst showing in 15 years in October's lower house election. That has left Ishiba vulnerable to no-confidence motions that could topple his administration and trigger a fresh general election.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Tasmanian election: Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff declares victory as Labor loses ground after forcing early poll
Tasmania faces a period of political talks after a snap election delivered another hung parliament and more seats to the Liberals than Labor. The Liberal premier, Jeremy Rockliff, declared victory on Saturday night after his party secured 14 seats to Labor's nine, both short of the 18 required for a majority. Rockliff said he would ask the governor to recommission his government, noting a roughly 3% swing to the Liberals. They had secured 40% of the vote with two-thirds of the ballots counted. However, the Labor leader, Dean Winter, whose party experienced its worst-ever result in Tasmania with just 26% of the primary vote, didn't concede defeat. He appeared to leave the door open to governing, if the Liberals couldn't make it work. 'The result of this election is that the Liberals will have the most seats, but it is uncertain as to how they will achieve a majority,' Winter said. 'Another election is not an option, which means we need to figure this out.' The Greens retained at least five seats with 14% of the vote, while there are three independents, with counting potentially extending for weeks to determine four undecided seats. Rockliff would need to work with left-leaning independent crossbenchers to govern. Independents Kristie Johnston and Craig Garland, who both voted for the June no-confidence motion against Rockliff that triggered the election, have been returned. Johnston urged the next premier to be more collaborative and said she wouldn't enter into a formal deal for confidence and supply with either major party. 'They need to negotiate and respect the views of parliament,' she said. Anti-salmon activist and independent Peter George has been elected after a strong campaign in the federal election. The state Greens leader, Rosalie Woodruff, has called on Winter to 'have a conversation' about forming an alliance with her party. However, Winter has repeatedly ruled out doing a deal with the Greens and on Saturday night also said he wouldn't 'be trading away any of Labor's policies or our values'. The drawn-out post-election scenario, just 16 months after the previous poll, will further delay the parliamentary approval process for a new $945m stadium in Hobart. The venue, a condition of Tasmania's AFL licence, is supported by the Liberals and Labor but opposed by the Greens, Garland, Johnston and George.
