After 19 days of uncertainty, Tasmania has edged close to having stable government after The Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) announced a deal with the Tasmanian Liberals, which will keep the Rockliff government in power.
The Liberals ended election night with 14 seats, four shy of the total needed to govern. The deal with JLN leaves them just one MP short.
Lambie’s new MPs—Miriam Beswick (Braddon), Andrew Jenner (Lyons), and Rebekah Pentland (Bass)—have promised parliamentary confidence and supply to the Liberals. That means they'll side with the government on motions of no confidence, and won’t block appropriation bills, which would otherwise prevent the government from spending money.
But under the agreement they’ve signed, they also have to support the government on motions that “bind” it, which means anything that forces it to act in a particular way. So, for instance, they’re prevented from supporting a motion that orders the government to produce a document or make more information public.
They also have to side with the Liberals on questions such as whether committees of inquiry—such as last year’s examination of ambulance ramping—should be established, and even how many questions government MPs get to ask in question time.
If they feel they have to vote against the government (on anything but confidence and supply, where they have no choice) they have to give notice the day before—something Liberal MPs don’t have to do when they cross the floor.
MPs Will be Outside Government
Unlike a coalition deal, the Lambie MPs remain outside of government—further limiting their influence.However, they have won some concessions in return for their support: a strengthening of the Integrity Commission and political donation reform—though these are non-binding, meaning the government doesn’t actually have to deliver on much of its part of the agreement—and extra resources to do their work.
But those extra resources are just equivalent to those provided to the Greens in the past: four extra full-time staff plus a parliamentary office, which each MP is entitled to anyway.
The deal has been derided by other MPs as giving up too much for too little.
Independent member for Bass, Lara Alexander, who signed an agreement with the government almost a year ago, said she would have refused to sign if offered a similar set of options.
“I think it’s going to make it quite hard for them to maintain the desired independence they expressed at the start of the election campaign,” she said.
For Stability, Says Premier
Premier Jeremy Rockliff , now just one crossbencher away from forming a government, has denied JLN aren’t getting enough.“It’s an agreement that provides stability and certainty,” he said.
“You can see what they’ve brought to the table in terms of transparency, in terms of [an] independent review of the Tasmanian finances, in terms of a more well resourced RTI system, in terms of a more resourced Integrity Commission
“And [it] provides that certainty within Tasmanian parliament as well, so we can get on with the job and deliver for Tasmanians.”
Mr. Abetz will be minister for business, industry, and resources and minister for transport, as well as leader of the House.
Ms. Howlett will serve as the minister for primary industries and water, as well as the minister for racing, a portfolio she previously held.
Mr. Rockliff said the pair will both bring extensive ministerial experience to the table when parliament resumes in May.
During the election, the Liberals won 14 seats, while 10 seats were secured by Labor, five Greens, three JLN, and three independents.
