Tasmania parliament debates budget bill ahead of expected snap election call

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Tasmania's upper house is yet to pass emergency supply bills that will clear the way for Premier Jeremy Rockliff to ask for an early election. A motion of no-confidence in Mr Rockliff passed the lower house last week.

Transcript

00:00It was supposed to be a relatively straightforward day in State Parliament today, passing emergency

00:07supply bills so public servants can continue to be paid during an election campaign.

00:13That would then pave the way for Premier Jeremy Rockcliffe to come here to Government

00:16House and ask for an early election to be called.

00:19But of course, it's turned out to not be so straightforward.

00:22An error has been spotted in one of the budget supply bills which had already passed the

00:27lower house this morning.

00:28That means it will have to go back to the lower house to be amended and then sent back

00:33up to the upper house for it to then be debated and passed.

00:37It's pretty remarkable and blows out all the time frames for when Premier Jeremy Rockcliffe

00:41will come here to Government House.

00:43We've been expecting him here sort of one or two o'clock this afternoon.

00:47It's now going to be much later than that, with State Parliament set to resume at 2.30

00:51from its lunch break.

00:52OK, so when might we know if there's going to be an early election, Adam?

00:58We're hoping to know this afternoon.

01:01But the longer things happen in State Parliament this afternoon in debating this bill, the more

01:06likely it is that this meeting with the Governor or a decision might be pushed over until tomorrow.

01:12But everyone at the moment is still operating under the assumption that there is going to

01:17be a state election.

01:18The Liberal Party, over the weekend, they removed privatisation.

01:23They'd been considering privatising some state-owned companies.

01:26They took away that possibility over the weekend.

01:29And both major parties have been trying to shore up and ensure that they've got 35 candidates

01:33to contest the election.

01:35But we do know that some big names won't be part of that election campaign if it goes

01:39ahead.

01:40Speaker Michelle O'Byrne told Parliament this morning that her long political career

01:44will end if the election is called.

01:46Here's what she had to say.

01:48And so today, it ends for me quite strangely.

01:52I do not leave this House disendorsed or defeated because it is actually the right time for me

01:56to go.

01:57I believe passionately in the need for government and parliament to work.

02:01And I want to take this opportunity to remind you all that it is not enough to say that

02:05you want minority government or indeed majority government to work.

02:08You must be mature enough to make it work.

02:11Now, of course, an election doesn't have to happen.

02:14It's not the only option in front of the Governor.

02:16She can ask another Liberal MP to try and form a minority government.

02:20Or ask Labor to try and form one with just 10 MPs in concert with the Greens and some

02:26other crossbenchers.

02:27So there's still lots to play out here in Tasmania.

02:30And the anxious wait in the rain at Government House continues.

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