Latest news with #crossbenchers
ABC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberals walk back plan to open 39,000 hectares of native Tasmanian forest to 'short notice' logging
Tasmania's government has backed out of a controversial plan to open up more native forests for logging, saying the decision is "in line with community expectations". But political opponents say the policy "backflip" is a move to woo crossbenchers as the Liberals face the realities of a minority government. In early 2024, the Tasmanian Liberals announced as an election promise it would make 39,000 hectares of forest available for logging at short notice from what they described as a "wood bank" — Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF). The government argued it would "give certainty" to sawmillers and logging contractors, but at the time the decision was criticised by the industry. The government has refused to provide the exact location of the forests it wanted to open up, but in March this year, right-to-information [RTI] documents revealed the government's five "preferred" parcels of native forest were in the north-east of the state. At the time, the Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Greens claimed these were two parcels west of Ben Lomond, two near Mount Arthur and one in the Mount Barrow area. In a statement released on Saturday, Liberal Member for Braddon Felix Ellis announced the party would no longer proceed with the plan. "The government will instead focus on maximising value from existing resources, including private forests, and ensuring growth in the industry through more innovative on-island processing." Labor leader Dean Winter said, although he welcomed the decision, he was sceptical about the motivation and timing. "You have got to question the cynicism. This is a Liberal government who is desperate to cling onto power, desperate to get the votes of the crossbench." The recent state election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Liberals holding 14 seats, Labor 10, Greens 5, independents 5, and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers 1. The minority Rockliff government is currently negotiating with crossbenchers to secure their support ahead of a promised no-confidence motion by Labor when parliament resumes later this month. Labor, which is also in negotiations with crossbenchers, was opposed to the government's "wood bank" plan. A spokesperson for the government said they have been consulting with the industry and community on this matter "for some time". Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the announcement was a win for both the Greens and the local communities that had campaigned against the project. "[With] the Greens in the crossbench and a more progressive group of independents there with us, too, there is no doubt that the vote in Tasmania will be able to put pressure on the major parties to deliver these sorts of policy changes." Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA) chief Nick Steel said the walk-back reflected the "political reality" of Tasmania's new minority government. "While this decision may be disappointing for some in Tasmania's forestry sector, the TFPA remains committed to working with both major parties to secure the long-term sustainability of our industry," he said. "Tasmania's forestry sector is a key component for the success of regional Tasmania and essential to help the state overcome its current budget crisis."
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Tasmania government to end funding for greyhound racing
The Tasmanian government will end its funding for greyhound racing in the state by 2029, the ABC understands, effectively winding up the industry. The timing coincides with the end of the current funding deal for the code, which concludes in 2029. The ABC understands the gradual approach has been taken to allow time for trainers and industry participants to transition. It will also allow for the re-homing of dogs. The Liberal government's move comes amid its attempt to secure the support of crossbenchers, after failing to win a majority at the recent snap election. Tasracing, which manages the state's three racing codes, is backed by a 20-year funding deed it signed with the government in 2009. At the time it was worth $27 million per year, but it's indexed for inflation. In the 2023-24 financial year, Tasracing received $36 million under that deed. The governing body has previously said the "vast majority" of funding provided for the greyhound code came through commercial revenues it directly generated. In March this year, a report commissioned by 12 animal welfare advocacy organisations found the sport had received a total of $74.6 million from Tasracing over the past 15 years, rising from $3.5 million in 2010-11 to a projected $7.5 million in 2024-25. The report, written by independent economist Saul Eslake, found funding for the greyhound industry was rising faster than for education. The death of a champion Tasmanian greyhound last week also brought the sector back into the spotlight, with calls for it to be abolished. Raider's Guide, which had claimed a Tasmanian record of $664,975 in prize money from 79 starts, was put down after suffering a fall during Race 6 at Launceston last Monday. Greyhound racing was banned in the ACT in 2018. Last year, it was also banned in New Zealand. Tasracing and the state government have been contacted for comment.
ABC News
04-08-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Jeremy Rockliff vows to push ahead with forming minority government following Tasmanian election
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff says while he would welcome confidence and supply agreements with independent MPs, he does not need them to form a minority government. Last month's state election — triggered by a successful no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff brought on by Labor — has returned a largely similar parliament. While some faces have changed, the Liberals, Labor and the Greens hold the same number of seats they did before the election. There are five independents and one Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP in the new parliament. With 14 MPs, the Liberals have the most seats, but have fallen short of the 18 needed to govern in majority. The Liberals had been governing in minority in the last parliament with support from four crossbenchers — David O'Byrne, Rebekah Pentland, Miriam Beswick and Andrew Jenner. Mr O'Byrne is the only one of the four to be returned. It is unclear whether Mr Rockliff will be able to secure confidence and supply agreements with enough of the crossbenchers in the next parliament. "While I would welcome individual members of parliament signing confidence and supply [agreements] we don't need that to form a minority government," Mr Rockliff said on Sunday. Under such an agreement, an MP would undertake to support the government if there was a vote of no confidence — usually with some exceptions — and they would also undertake to vote for budget bills. Since election night, Mr Rockliff has said he intends to ask Governor Barbara Baker to recommission his government. On Sunday he was again positioning his party as the best placed to form government. "Tasmanians are sick and tired of the political games. They have elected a parliament, they expect all members of parliament to work together," he said. Mr Rockliff said he would "work with each and every member of parliament to ensure that everyone has their say, like they did before". He said he wanted to ensure the new parliament "lasts a full term", and that crossbench MPs "cannot get 100 per cent of what they want 100 per cent of the time". As recently as last week Mr Rockliff angered some members of the crossbench over the government's handling of the Marinus Link undersea power cable project. His government had promised to release the business case for the project publicly weeks ahead of a final investment decision but failed to do so before signing the state up to the project in the government caretaker period. The coming week will be crucial for the formation of a new government, whether Liberal or Labor. The Tasmanian Electoral Commission will hold declaration of the polls ceremonies on Tuesday for all five divisions. It is expected the election writs will then be returned to the governor on Tuesday afternoon, which is when the process of commissioning a government will start. The governor then sets a date for the return of parliament.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Calls for urgent home support packages after aged care reform delay
The government is under pressure to fund at least 20,000 new at-home care packages for older Australians who need additional support, after the implementation of sweeping sector-wide aged care reforms were postponed. A group of 10 crossbenchers have written to the government calling for the additional packages to be made available from next month, a push that has been backed by the aged care sector and advocates. Under the aged care reforms — which passed parliament in November with bipartisan support — 83,000 home support packages were due to be rolled out from July. But the government announced last week that it would delay the implementation of the wider reforms until November to allow for a smooth transition and allay concerns from the sector. While providers and advocates welcomed the extension for the most part, they have raised concerns that the four-month delay would worsen the existing backlog of people waiting for at-home supports. About 80,000 people are currently on the waitlist for home care packages, with some people waiting a year for their correct supports to help with things like cleaning, cooking and showering. Independent Senator David Pocock, who was part of the group that wrote the letter to the government, warned on Wednesday that "people are dying on the waitlist". While he said delaying the majority of reforms was a good thing, he argued there is "absolutely no reason" to hold off on the home care packages. "The government has already budgeted for this," he said. "They need to bring that part of the reform forward so people can actually age at home with dignity rather than ending up in hospital or in aged care facilities, which are far more expensive." Fellow independent Helen Haines said the longer the wait for services, the bigger the backlog will grow. "The longer that they wait, the higher the chances are of further deterioration in their health and in many cases, people have a premature entry into residential aged care," she said. Canberra resident Kaye Pritchard has seen first-hand what the waitlist for at-home support means for the people that need it. Her cousin, Robin Rawson, was 93 when she died in April last year after being approved for a level four home care package — the highest one available. She had been told it would take six to nine months before she would be able to access that additional support. "I can remember her saying at the time, 'well, that's not much use to me because I'm going to be dead by then,'" Ms Pritchard said. "And she certainly was within the next couple of months. She deteriorated and passed away without ever receiving any of the benefits that she needed in those crucial last weeks of her life." Ms Pritchard said her cousin wanted to stay at home and the additional supports would have given her peace of mind that she could "die with dignity". "Six to nine months to wait for a package for someone who is terminally ill is just not good enough," she said. The reworked Support at Home Program is designed to shorten wait times for home care packages and lift funding for the highest classification of need up from $60,000 to $78,000 a year. It will provide support for nursing care, occupational therapy, help with showering or taking medications, and everyday living like cleaning and gardening, as the government aims to help more people stay in their homes for longer. Those packages will also be subject to greater means testing, which will vary depending on individual circumstances. Tom Symondson, the chief executive of peak body Ageing Australia, warned that the waitlist would grow to over 100,000 people if the packages are held up until November. "We need to see packages start to flow," he said. "We just can't have people waiting longer than they already are." Craig Gear, head of the Older Person Advocacy Network, told the ABC that many people want to be able to age at home. "And we also know that the residential aged care system, it's under a lot of pressure and it's pretty full at the moment," he said. "So we need to help support people to stay in their home as long as they can." Aged Care Minister Sam Rae did not respond to ABC News' request for comment. But Health and Ageing Minister Mark Butler last week said the government had decided to push back the start date after listening to the sector. "We need to think about a delay of a few months to ensure that all of the systems are in place to deliver a smooth transition to the new laws, and also that older Australians are fully informed about what those new laws will mean for them," he said. "Nonetheless, what we see into the future is a once-in-a-generation reform to the aged care system that will deliver high quality, world class aged care services to older Australians who have built this community."
