Tasmanian Governor agrees to early election, July date set
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The news: Tasmanians will head to the polls on 19 July, after Liberal premier Jeremy Rockliff’s request for an early election was granted.
The context: Rockliff visited Government House on Wednesday evening to meet with Tasmanian Governor Barbara Baker, one week after losing the confidence of the parliament.
Baker confirmed that she would dissolve parliament and issue the writ for an election for 19 July.
"Notwithstanding the recent 2024 election, the public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election, I have granted Premier Rockliff a dissolution," Baker said in a statement.
Baker added: "I make this grant because I am satisfied that there is no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed."
Rockliff had visited Baker on Tuesday after parliament passed an emergency budget supply bill to greenlight $4.5 billion in spending for public servants during an election campaign, but Baker rejected the request, arguing that all available options needed to be considered.
The election will be the second for Tasmanians in under 18 months, when the minority Liberal government sought to boost its position in March last year, but fell short of a majority.
Last week, Labor Opposition Leader Dean Winter said he had tabled the motion to hold a vote of no-confidence “because [Rockcliff has] wrecked the budget, because he's planning to sell our power companies, our ports and our public transport, and because no one can trust him after the handling of the Spirit of Tasmania fiasco”.
The Tasmanian state budget, released last Thursday, forecast net debt would hit $7.3 billion in FY26 before reaching $10.8 billion in four years’ time.
It also forecast four consecutive years of deficits. However, this was expected to shrink from more than $1 billion in FY26 to $236 million in FY29 before hitting surplus in FY30.
