Tasmanian Premier ‘backed into a corner' and fighting no-confidence motion
Sky News contributor Chris Uhlmann discusses Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff fighting against the no-confidence motion against him.
The premier claimed he will fight with his 'last breath' against the motion.
'Backed into a corner, he's defending himself reasonably well,' Mr Uhlmann told Sky News Australia.
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Game on for state election 'referendum' on AFL stadium
Opponents of a billion-dollar waterfront stadium proposal that would play home to a Tasmanian AFL team vow to step up campaigning if a snap election is called. They will be met with the voices of Tasmanian AFL legends - such as the Riewoldts, Matthew Richardson and Brendon Gale - in an election one analyst describes as a "referendum" on the project. Tasmanian politics was up-ended this week by the successful vote of no confidence in Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Unless the Liberal party opts to remove Mr Rockliff and negotiate a new deal with crossbenchers, an election is set to be called no earlier than Tuesday. It will be the first winter campaign on the island state for more than two decades and the fourth in seven years. Senior Liberal figures including senator Jonno Duniam are calling the prospect of a snap election "nuts". "I would have thought every effort should be put into not going to an election ... the people that lose out most in all this - forget the parliamentarians - it's the people of Tassie," he told ABC Radio. Analysts tip an unpredictable campaign given the nature of the political turmoil, with fresh candidates from the federal election in May adding another dimension. Ex-federal Liberal MP Bridget Archer is viewed as a likely candidate in Bass should Mr Rockliff hang on. Anti-salmon independent Peter George, who ran Julie Collins close in the safe federal seat of Franklin, told AAP he was considering his options. Opposition leader Dean Winter moved the no-confidence motion due to the state budget, which included ballooning deficits and debt forecasts, as well as proposals to privatise state assets. However, it's the stadium that looms as the biggest issue. Veteran political campaigner Brad Stansfield, who has worked on the Liberals' last four election wins, said it would be issue No.1. "At the last election ... we mostly kept it hidden from the campaign," he said on his FontCast podcast. "This campaign is going to be the referendum on the AFL stadium that we haven't yet had. It is coming like a steam train." The roofed Macquarie Point stadium is a condition of the AFL licence, with the state government responsible for delivery and cost overruns. But recent polls suggest Tasmanians are not sold on the need for a new stadium. Labor and the Liberals support the stadium, but Mr Stansfield said Mr Rockliff would be the one who paid the electoral price. "If you don't like the stadium, you will vote against the Liberals," he said. Roland Browne, spokesperson for the anti-stadium Our Place group, told AAP they would campaign if there is an election. Firebrand senator Jacqui Lambie, independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie and acclaimed author Richard Flanagan are among well-known Tasmanians to front their cause. Mr Browne said he foresaw a scenario where one or both of the major parties would join the Greens in opposing the project. "Everybody wants the AFL teams. But the stadium is a millstone," he told AAP. Stadium supporters hope the Devils, who have employed favourite son Brendon Gale as its chief executive, can win over stadium opponents. Senator Duniam said while the state government was copping flack for its struggles to complete the project, the AFL should look to amend the deal or its timelines. "There's one party to this debacle which seems to keeping pretty quiet for the most part and that's the AFL," he said. "How about the AFL actually look at what's going on here because of what they've asked us to do?"
ABC News
5 hours ago
- ABC News
Tasmania politics in turmoil
Samantha Donovan: And staying in Tasmania, the political situation there remains unclear this evening after the parliament passed a motion of no confidence in the Liberal Premier, Jeremy Rockliff, yesterday. The motion was brought forward by the Labor opposition leader, Dean Winter, who'd raised concerns about Mr Rockliff's management of the economy and infrastructure and his plans to sell off state assets. Plenty of Tasmanians rang in to ABC Radio today with their thoughts on the situation. Opinion: This is not in the interests of the people of Tasmania. Opinion: Yes, I certainly do. What an election. I like that way. It's my choice. It's not their choice who does what. I'd want to change the government. Opinion: I think they've been disgraceful. Opinion: I'd like to see a change of government, but I'd like to see the stadium continue. Opinion: The amount of money that would be swallowed up in a stadium would fund our health, our decrepit health system for months. That's it, money gone. Opinion: If we go to an election, the one thing I'd really say is I hope the Premier is not part of that election. He was the one that had the no confidence vote against them. He should have the dignity to resign. Opinion: My vote would support the candidate who doesn't support the stadium. I feel we've got far greater pressing needs at the moment. I've been on the public housing list for two years and there's over 5,000 people waiting and it's growing daily. Samantha Donovan: For the latest on the political situation in Tasmania, I spoke to the ABC's state political reporter, Adam Langenberg. Adam, is another election in Tasmania now inevitable? Adam Langenberg: Not inevitable, Sam, but everyone in the political sphere here says it's the most likely scenario. People I've been speaking to today say, you know, 75 or 80% likelihood that we head to an election. Of course, there are other scenarios that can play out. The governor can ask another Liberal MP to try and form government. That's something that the party room has not backed in. They say they'll back Jeremy Rockliff to the hilt and it's either an election or the governor tries to ask Labor to form minority government. That's something the Greens here have said they're open to working with Labor, but Labor leader Dean Winter, who moved this no confidence motion, he says under no circumstances will Labor govern with the Greens. So, it's a standoff and means that everyone thinks the most likely scenario is that election, which won't be called until at least Tuesday, if it does happen. Samantha Donovan: Adam, why is Tuesday the significant day? Adam Langenberg: Well, that's because Tasmanian Parliament needs to be recalled so a supply bill can be passed. The Tasmanian Parliament was in the middle of debating the budget, which hasn't passed. It means the Tasmanian public servants won't be paid after August. What that means is if there's going to be an election, there won't be a supply bill passed until well after that. So, there needed to be a mechanism to get them paid in the short term and that's what the supply bill is. And then after that, the Premier will go to the governor and ask for an early election. Samantha Donovan: Do you think the Labor leader, Dean Winter, fully appreciated what he was setting off with this no confidence motion? Adam Langenberg: That he didn't is an argument that's been prosecuted by the Liberals all week. They say they were just trying to change the Liberal leader and that's not something that they would tolerate. But Labor insists they meant what they did. They knew there were lots of scenarios. Maybe their preferred one might have been for Jeremy Rockliff just to have resigned. Well, they say they knew when they moved this motion, the consequences of it, and that it could mean that we head to an election and they were OK with that. Dean Winter has said repeatedly that he can't sit idly by and let Premier Jeremy Rockliff ruin the state. That's his argument. That debt and deficit are heading the wrong way in Tasmania, that the government can't manage major infrastructure projects, that it's going to sell off government businesses and the state can't afford it. So, Dean Winter says he knew full well what he was doing and now it's up to Tasmanians. Samantha Donovan: Adam, if there is another election, do you think Tasmanian voters are going to punish Labor for sending them back to the polls? Adam Langenberg: Well, Dean Winter's got five weeks or six weeks, depending on how long things take to get underway, to convince Tasmanians that it was the fault of the Premier that we're heading here. This is an argument that he's been making already, that the Premier didn't have the supply and confidence agreements he needed to be able to govern and Labor was just doing what any good opposition should do and holding the government to account. That's an argument he's going to have to make to try and win over Tasmanians. Now, we know that some of the party's biggest vote winners, historically, might not contest this time around. Rebecca White in Lyons has already gone to the federal parliament. It looks like Speaker Michelle O'Byrne in Bass might not contest the election. There's two big vote winners for Labor out of the picture, if that eventuates. So they've got their work cut out for them in growing from 10 seats that they hold currently, let alone getting to the 18 required for majority government. But, yeah, a big task in selling to Tasmanians exactly why they've done what they've done. That's something that's sort of got lost in the noise of the last two days because it's just truly remarkable to see a Premier ousted in the way that he has been. Samantha Donovan: The backers and fans of the long-awaited Tassie AFL club are worried it might fold because of this economic turmoil, even before it really gets off the ground. What's the worst-case political scenario for the Tassie Devils club? Adam Langenberg: I think the club will be hoping that there isn't a minority situation where the only way that one of the major parties can form government is in a coalition with an anti-stadium group of independents or the Greens. Because the first thing on their list when they're looking to form government will be, please don't build a stadium in Hobart. That's a reality that the club is really, really concerned about. Now, Labor have already said that they will not drop the stadium and not drop their support for the club going forward. And the Liberals have said the same thing. But in the harsh reality of post-election, when you need to trade to form power, what happens? And that's a real concern for football fans and the football club. And only time will tell exactly how that works out. Samantha Donovan: Adam Langenberg is the ABC's state political reporter in Tasmania.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Rolled gold baloney': Outrage over Victoria Park Stadium plan
Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman discusses the outrage around the Victoria Park Stadium in Brisbane City. 'The various proponents and hucksters and boosters – it's quite shameful,' Mr Newman told Sky News host Steve Price. 'The government, well maybe they've drunk the Kool-Aid and they believe this, but it's just not true ... there are various other bits and pieces that have been left out.' 'Again, I say to the Olympic Committee, you talk about a sustainable games, this just shows your platitudes are exactly that, rolled gold baloney, you're allowing the destruction of Brisbane's largest inner city piece of green space.'
