Due to concerns over a $715 million stadium in Hobart, Tasmania’s Liberal government appears to be forced into minority today when two MPs leave the party to become independents.
The ABC is reporting Lara Alexander and John Tucker who represent seats in the state’s north, want to resign as both party members and members of the parliamentary Liberal Party.
They will also quit their parliamentary roles.
As independents on the crossbench, the two MPs will continue to represent their constituents.
The two have expressed worries about how Tasmania’s future debt may be impacted by Hobart’s $715 million Macquarie Point Stadium.
Tucker and Alexander both expressed concern about the proposed undersea and underground electricity link between Tasmania and Victoria. Tucker also questioned the transparency of government decision-making.
Before it would grant a license for a team in Tasmania, the Australian Football League (AFL) stipulated that a stadium had to be constructed in Hobart.
Alexander and Tucker both expressed disapproval of the state cabinet’s lack of transparency in the stadium decision-making process.
Alexander assured the ABC that as an independent MP, she would scrutinize the construction project.
“Being an independent, I do feel that I am more free in actually presenting policies and positions and suggesting solutions to some of the critical issues,” the speaker stated.
Tucker stated that he wished to prevent Tasmania from having to bear a “nightmare” debt burden in the future.
For the Tasmanian taxpayer, “I want to make sure that these are the right decisions, so we’re not going to create a nightmare for them going forward with the debt load,” he told the ABC.
The 13 out of 25 seats in the House of Assembly that the Liberal government of Premier Jeremy Rockliff has maintained up to this point constitutes a thin majority.
However, if the Liberals lose their majority, they will have to work with independents and members of other parties to pass legislation.
