Latest news with #LaborLeadership
ABC News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Who is Josh Willie, new leader of Tasmanian Labor, tasked with trying to engineer a comeback?
Joshua Barton Willie, a 41-year-old former primary school teacher, is the new leader of Tasmanian Labor. Mr Willie, from Labor's left faction, became leader after a party meeting on Wednesday — the day after former leader Dean Winter led a failed no-confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff's Liberal government. Mr Willie did not front the media after becoming leader — instead issuing a press release thanking Mr Winter for his service. "It is a great honour to be elected leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party," he said. The Tasmanian Labor Party spent the majority of Wednesday locked in leadership discussions, with Mr Willie emerging as elected leader, and Janie Finlay his deputy, with both appointments unopposed. The party's dominant left faction had earlier that day held a meeting where Mr Willie won a ballot against fellow Clark MP Ella Haddad to become the left's leadership candidate. Labor has spent 11 years in Opposition, and at the last election experienced its worst-ever result in the state with just 26 per cent of the primary vote. Mr Willie's profile on the Tasmanian Labor page describes him as "a proud University of Tasmania alumnus, holding a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and Journalism and a Bachelor of Teaching". Married with three young children, Mr Willie was a primary school teacher in Hobart's northern suburbs before being elected as the Labor member for Elwick in the Tasmanian Legislative Council, serving from May 2016 to February 2024. At the 2024 state election, Mr Willie stood for the House of Assembly in the Hobart metropolitan seat of Clark and was successful. In the previous government he served as Labor's Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for Cost of Living and Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. At his inaugural speech to Tasmania's lower house in May 2024, Mr Willie began with an Acknowledgement of Country, followed by an admission his move from the upper house might be seen by some as "moving out of the frying pan and into the fire". Mr Willie spoke of his grandparents from the electorate of Bass, "Alf and Mary", who ran a 132-year-old "fourth-generation" family engineering business. "I am a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a teacher, a member of parliament and always a learner. I approach every day, wanting to make a difference. That is how I came to be here." In 2017, Mr Willie wrote for NewsCorp about the pain of losing his father Mike and advocated for people to sign up for organ and tissue donation, which his father had done after a family conversation. Mr Willie comes from a family of teachers and is an advocate for public education. Both of his parents trained as teachers. "I know education is a tool of social justice and a vehicle for opportunity," he has said. "Tasmanians, in our regions, need to have equal access to opportunity, equal access to education and skills and training to make their communities stronger. Mr Willie said he chose teaching as a career path "to make a difference" in communities, and saw politics as an extension of that goal. In his maiden speech as an MLC, Mr Willie said his middle name "Barton" was a family name initially chosen by his great‑great‑grandmother for her son in honour of Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton. "I do not think my parents could ever imagine … I would end up in parliament myself," he said at the time.
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Josh Willie named new Tasmanian Labor leader after party officially concedes election defeat
Tasmanian Labor has replaced Dean Winter as parliamentary leader, with Josh Willie elected unopposed to serve as the state's new opposition leader. The party, which has been in opposition for 11 years, met for more than seven hours on Wednesday before announcing Willie's appointment. 'Tasmanian Labor has a proud history and I look forward to giving this role everything I've got to return Labor to government,' he said in a statement. It came a day after Winter's bid to take power via a no-confidence motion in parliament fell spectacularly flat. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Neither the incumbent Liberal government (14 seats) nor Labor (10) got the 18 seats needed for majority at a snap poll on 19 July, meaning both parties had spent the past month courting the 11-member crossbench in an attempt to form government. Tasmania's governor had declared that in the absence of a confidence and supply agreement, Jeremy Rockliff would remain premier as the incumbent, but Winter had flagged a motion of no confidence in the Liberals on the first day of the new parliament. None of the crossbench, made up of up five Greens, five independents and one Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP, backed Winter's bid on Tuesday. The result meant the election was declared officially lost by Labor, with party rules meaning the leadership was automatically spilled as a result. Winter was criticised by several crossbench MPs on Tuesday for failing to compromise during policy negotiations. The Liberals made a number of concessions to the largely left-leaning crossbench, including a pledge to ban greyhound racing and review salmon farming. Labor suffered a 3% swing against it at the election and picked up 25.9% of the primary vote, the party's worst election result in more than a century. Winter, who assumed the Labor leadership 16 months ago, said he took 'full responsibility' for the election result and it was 'understandable' for the party to have a new leader. He accused Rockliff of selling out workers by shifting positions. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'Some say that politics is the art of compromise, but compromise does not and should not mean capitulation,' said Winter, who will continue as an MP for the seat of Franklin. Willie, from the party's left faction, was a teacher before entering politics and spent eight years in the upper house before being elected in the lower house in 2024. Janie Finlay has been elected as deputy leader, replacing Anita Dow. The Greens and several independents said they lacked faith in the Liberals, but had less faith that Labor could form a workable government. Rockliff said it was time to 'get on with the job' and policy shifts were a recognition of a minority scenario. Tasmania's fourth election in seven years was triggered after Rockliff lost a no-confidence motion in June that criticised the state's ballooning budget debt.
News.com.au
15 hours ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter out after failed no confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff
Dean Winter is out as Tasmania's Labor Party leader a day his no confidence motion in Premier Jeremy Rockliff failed spectacularly. 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.
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Josh Willie replaces Dean Winter as Tasmanian Labor leader after election loss
Josh Willie is the new Tasmanian Labor leader, replacing Dean Winter. In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, Opposition whip Meg Brown said "in accordance with Labor Party rules, the leadership was spilled at today's caucus meeting". Mr Winter led the no-confidence motion which failed in parliament yesterday, which officially resulted in Labor losing the July 19 state election. Tasmania's Labor Party had been locked in a day-long leadership discussion since 9am. The party's dominant left faction had earlier held a meeting in the morning, where Mr Willie won a ballot against fellow Clark MP Ella Haddad to become the left's leadership candidate. The party's leader and deputy leader roles automatically spilled after Labor's election defeat. Janie Finlay from the party's right faction was elected unopposed as new deputy leader, replacing Anita Dow. Labor's dual motion of no confidence in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and confidence in Dean Winter failed to secure any crossbench support. The motion was defeated 24 votes to 10.
