The first week of parliament for the year typically provides relatively clear air for state governments, when legislative agendas are outlined and summer achievements are spruiked.
The cherry on top is the State of the State address, a kind of mini-budget where the government tells people what it will do this year.
But that clear air quickly became murky for Tasmania’s Premier Jeremy Rockliff in 2023.
His address contained funding for endoscopies, a new initiative to make it easier to access medications, permanent employment for 97 paramedics and energy relief for some medium and large businesses – but the media focus has been on issues he is less keen to talk about.
Premier’s popularity takes a hit
There have been concerted attacks on two government MPs: one facing claims of misleading parliament; the other questioned over government funding for a hall where he is a committee member.
On Wednesday, a well-respected veterans’ organisation added to the government’s pain when it said it couldn’t support its signature policy of building an AFL stadium on Hobart’s waterfront.
Then on Thursday, polling showed Mr Rockliff’s popularity has taken a tumble, dropping to 44 per cent – the lowest a Liberal premier’s rating has been since March 2020.
All together, it is hardly the start Mr Rockliff might have hoped for.
And crucially, none of these issues are going away quickly.
Speaker under fire for hall committee links
Take, for example, Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, Mark Shelton.
New documents released under Right To Information laws have raised fresh questions about $400,000 of funding awarded to build a new Bracknell Hall – and the steps Mr Shelton took in declaring or avoiding any conflict of interest.
Mr Shelton and three of his family members sit on the hall’s committee.
Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor told State Parliament Mr Shelton had clearly failed to avoid that conflict, by meeting with the Meander Valley Council and personally receiving its request for state government assistance, a request the government says he passed on to then-premier Peter Gutwein.
Mr Rockliff has consistently maintained it was all above board.
“Why are you so against local MPs advocating for their local communities, because this is what Mr Shelton has done?” he said in parliament.
Ms O’Connor launched multiple attempts to censure Mr Shelton: referring him to a privileges committee, trying to force him to issue a statement in parliament and even launching a motion of no-confidence.
Each time, the vote on the floor was deadlocked at 12 votes to 12, with Mr Shelton, in his role as Speaker, able to use his casting vote to block the motion.
Although the government argues the speaker voting down such a motion is in line with parliamentary convention, it’s not very often the member is deciding their own future.
The opposition parties are unanimous that it’s a bad look and have vowed to keep pursuing the issue.
But the no-confidence motion involving Mr Shelton wasn’t the only one raised this week.
Racing Minister Madeleine Ogilvie also came under fire after acknowledging she knew TasRacing chief executive Paul Eriksson had been sacked when she issued a press release saying he was moving to Sydney “to spend more time with his family”.
Ms Ogilvie said the statement reflected what had been “communicated” to her.
But Labor claims she misled the public and the parliament and has called on her to resign – or for Mr Rockliff to sack her.
Again, the premier is standing by his colleague, telling reporters on Thursday he has “absolute confidence in Madeleine Ogilvie”, and that she had not misled parliament.
He says both issues are “political muckraking” – but regardless of the outcome, opponents have deprived him and the government of opportunities to talk about their agenda.
So too did RSL Tasmania, announcing it couldn’t support the government’s centrepiece policy of building an arts and sports entertainment precinct at Macquarie Point because of the impact it would have on the nearby Hobart Cenotaph.
It has created a thorny problem for a government that prided itself on its close relationship with the veteran community.
The government has been bullish about the benefits of the stadium but the RSL is not a group it wants to get into battle with.
Mr Rockliff is hopeful the RSL will change its mind once more details about the project are released, but the government will need to proceed with caution.
With the only polling conducted on the stadium revealing it is not overwhelmingly popular with the public, the last thing the government wants is for the RSL to feel railroaded.
Speaking of popularity, while the government’s support remained steady at 42 per cent in Thursday’s EMRS poll, Mr Rockliff’s personal support is down 2 per cent, sliding to 44 per cent. Opposition Leader Rebecca White is up by the same margin, to 36 per cent.
Further narrowing of that gap will cause tensions to rise in the Liberal Party – and the premier’s past comments about being “sent back to the spud farm” at the 2025 state election might prove prophetic.
