Tasmanians are heading to the polls today for an election that Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff said no one wanted after he received a damning vote of no confidence.
The polls opened across the island state at 8am and will close at 6pm today, with electoral officials to begin counting soon after.
Voters are deciding whether to re-elect Rockliff, who has held the position since 2022, or replace him with Labor Leader Dean Winter.
The election was called last month after Winter tabled a no-confidence motion in parliament, arguing that rising debt, delayed ferries and a previous plan to privatise state assets made Rockliff’s leadership untenable.
The Liberals’ state budget in May revealed that debt was forecast to reach almost $11 billion by the end of the decade.
The motion was passed and, instead of resigning, Rockcliff decided to take the state through their second election in 15 months.
”Another election is not what I wanted, and I know that it’s not what Tasmanians wanted,” he said in June.
“But it was forced upon us by the leader of the Opposition.”
Governor Barbara Baker granted the dissolution of parliament to hold another election because she believed there was “no real possibility that an alternative government can be formed”, but acknowledged the “public interest in avoiding the cost of another election and the prevailing public mood against holding an election”.
Tasmania has been in political turmoil after having a total of four elections in seven years.
Rockliff called an early election last year in the hope of regaining majority rule in parliament after two of his MPs quit the Liberal Party and defected to the crossbench.
He suffered a 12 per cent swing at the polls, but won more seats than Labor, creating a hung parliament.
He later reached a deal with three MPs from the Jacqui Lambie Network to form government.
Then-Labor leader Rebecca White conceded defeat and resigned following her third straight loss at the polls, allowing Winter to successfully contest the role.
There are concerns the turbulence will derail Tasmania’s incoming AFL team, which is due to join the league in 2028.
One thing is for sure — Rockliff and Winter have a lot to prove at this election.
The Liberals have held Tasmania since 2014, but the vote of no confidence means that Labor may have a fighting chance.
