2024 Tasmanian government formation
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (March 2024) |
Following the results of the 2024 Tasmanian state election, which resulted in a hung parliament with the Liberal Party winning the most seats, the incumbent Liberal government, led by Premier Jeremy Rockliff, will negotiate with independents and the Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) to seek confidence and supply to form a minority government for the party's fourth consecutive term in office.[1]
The Labor opposition, led by Opposition Leader Rebecca White, will not form government. White conceded defeat the day after the election, stating that Labor could not realistically form a government, even with the support of the Greens, led by Rosalie Woodruff.[2] White also resigned as Labor leader after leading the party to defeat for a third time under her leadership, and a new leader will be elected.[3][4]
Background
The 2024 state election delivered a hung parliament, with no party winning a majority of seats. 18 seats are required for a majority in the 35-seat House of Assembly.
Potential alliances
Before White conceded defeat, many proposals had been considered possible.
One potential alliance was the "traffic light alliance" or the "traffic light coalition", which was a hypothetical alliance or coalition between Labor, the Greens and the JLN. The hypothetical alliance or coalition's name is derived from the colours of the three parties, which are the colours used on traffic lights: red (Labor), yellow (JLN) and green (Greens).[5]
Rockliff government formation
Due to Labor having conceded, the Rockliff Liberal government will continue governing Tasmania for another four-year-term, with Rockliff remaining Premier. Tasmania is currently the only state with a Liberal premier.
Rockliff ruled out working with the Greens, and ruled out forming a coalition government as that would require some crossbenchers to be given cabinet portfolios.[5] He also stated that he will not compromise on his 2030 Strong Plan policy.[5]
The Liberal Party is currently negotiating with the JLN and independents.[6]
References
- ^ https://www.themercury.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TMWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themercury.com.au%2Fnews%2Ftasmania%2Ftasmanian-state-election-2024-liberal-party-prepare-to-form-government-with-lambie-network-independents%2Fnews-story%2F06c134f6c0fff7f3cc1f8a3752281e5f&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium
- ^ https:/www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/labor-concedes-defeat-in-tasmanian-state-election/news-story/f699b7a9af2310b5cd43c755c6841874
- ^ "Labor concedes Tasmanian election, leaving Liberals to negotiate with new crossbench". ABC News. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Vyas, Heloise (24 March 2024). "Tasmanian Labor leader concedes defeat after rare election outcome". Sky News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Morton, Adam (24 March 2024). "Liberal minority rule, Lambie alliance or Labor 'traffic light' coalition: where to now for Tasmanian politics?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ https://www.themercury.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TMWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themercury.com.au%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fwho-will-form-the-next-state-government-live-coverage-of-the-tasmania-election-2024%2Fnews-story%2F287eda1b1116da672d3bb0dc8edef2b1&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium