We deserve stability and unity

A government in disarray cannot govern Tasmania, writes Rebecca White

IT’S hard to believe that it was just over a year ago that the Liberal government sent Tasmanians to the polls 12 months early based on the promise of stable, majority government.

For most of this year all we have seen is a government descending into chaos and disunity, lurching from crisis to crisis, to the point where they are now refusing to even show up for work.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s decision to cancel parliament again after the resignation of yet another minister is an insult to all Tasmanians who expect their elected representatives to get on with the job of governing the state, not run scared because their MPs are dropping like flies.

Proroguing parliament is normally a routine process that brings to an end a regular session of parliament, or is used when an election is called.

But cancelling parliament for political reasons is extremely rare and doing that twice in one year is, in fact, unprecedented in Tasmania for the past 40 years.

The only other time it has happened in our recent history was 1981 – at the height of the Tasmanian dams controversy. So, for it to happen twice this year demands greater analysis of what is going wrong with the government.

Let’s be clear, the only reason the premier decided to prorogue parliament next week is because the government is struggling.

The Liberals first cancelled parliament this year following the resignation of Peter Gutwein – the former premier who had promised Tasmanians stable government.

This is the same premier who endorsed Adam Brooks as a candidate in Braddon, only for him to spectacularly quit one day after he was declared elected, after being charged by police with offences related to firearms, explosives and identity documents.

It was also under Mr Gutwein that former ministers Sarah Courtney and Jane Howlett resigned from Cabinet, with Ms Courtney leaving the parliament entirely.

Now, just a few months later, Jacquie Petrusma has also quit parliament and, instead of getting on with the job, the new premier is again dodging scrutiny.

For the second time in four months the parliament has been prorogued because the Liberal government has a revolving door of ministers.

Despite the obvious failings of this government, Labor was prepared to return to parliament to do our job – we had offered the government confidence and supply, meaning we would not take advantage of the fact they are currently a minority government and move a motion of no confidence in them.

We wanted to return to parliament to deal with the issues affecting Tasmanians because the last time we sat was in June – seven weeks ago.

In that time we have witnessed the compounding stress placed on many households that are struggling with the rising cost of living.

We need to return to parliament so Labor can progress our legislation to cap power prices to protect Tasmanians from price increases that are hurting every household.

From the start of July, the government has passed on an 11.88 per cent increase in power prices, which will add an extra $227 a year to the average household bill.

Too many Tasmanians are having to make the unthinkable choice between heating and eating, and the parliament has the ability to do something about it.

Unfortunately, this weak and struggling government opted to ignore the very real pressures facing Tasmanian households and cancel parliament instead.

I’ve heard the government say they can’t support Labor’s plan to cap power prices, but what they don’t mention is that in 2018, an election year, they did exactly that.

Mr Rockliff came into the role of premier promising to put the interests of Tasmanians first and deliver improvements to their lives.

But he has simply carried on the Liberal tradition of putting his party first and the Tasmanian people second.

In contrast, Labor has a strong and determined team that understands the rising cost of living is a major challenge for many Tasmanians. We won’t be deterred by this government’s opposition to our plan to cap power prices and intend to push forward with our legislation.