Premiership of Jeremy Rockliff

The premiership of Jeremy Rockliff begun on 8 April 2022, when he was sworn-in as Premier of Tasmania by Governor Barbara Baker following his predecessor, Peter Gutwein, resigning.^[1] Rockliff previously served as deputy premier under the Hodgman and Gutwein governments.

On 5 June 2025, a motion of no confidence against him passed the parliament.^[2] He then announced that he would visit the governor Barbara Baker requesting a snap election, which was then called for 19 July 2025.^[3]

Since the 2025 election was called, the government has been in a caretaker mode.^[4]

Jeremy Rockliff, who had been the Deputy Premier since 2014, was elected unopposed as leader of the Tasmanian Liberal Party on 8 April 2022 following the resignation of former leader Peter Gutwein. Owing to the Liberal Party already being in government in Tasmania, Rockliff also became premier on 8 April.^[5]

The 2024 Tasmanian state election was held on 23 March 2024. The election took place a year ahead of schedule due to 2 Liberal MPs (Lara Alexander and John Tucker) resigning from the Liberal Party over the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium, which plunged the party into minority government.^[6] Polls leading up to the election predicted that a hung parliament was likely; with then-Labor leader Rebecca White ruling out forming a coalition government with the Tasmanian Greens.^[7][8] Following the election, the Liberal Party won 14 out of 35 seats, with Labor conceding defeat.^[9] The 2024 Tasmanian government formation led to the Liberal Party gaining confidence and supply from all 3 elected members of the Jacqui Lambie Network and Independents David O'Byrne and Kristie Johnston.^[10]

A major part of the Liberal campaign in the 2024 state election was the 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future, which included policies such as:^[11]

• $250 energy credit per Tasmanian household prior to 30 June 2024;
• Using more Tasmanian hydropower in the state rather than exporting to Victoria;
• Half price bus and ferry fares;
• Stamp duty exemption for first home buyers with a home valued under $750,000;
• Banning ambulance ramping;
• Legislation so that if MPs switch parties during their term, their seat becomes vacant.

During the Premiership of Jeremy Rockliff, the Economy of Tasmania has had strong economic growth by means of wage growth and investment.^[12] However, the proposed Macquarie Point Stadium has drawn criticism to the government due to the lack of private funding, which could increase the state debt.^[13] According to a Roy Morgan business report released in 2025, businesses have declining confidence in Tasmania.^[14]

The Parliament of Tasmania has conducted an inquiry into ambulance ramping. The inquiry has discovered that the Royal Hobart Hospital was negligent, with the inquiry hearing about over-medicating with opioids such as fentanyl as well as reports about mental health patients that were ramped for long enough as to allow a mental health order (MHO) to expire.^[15]

The Government announced in 2024 that a new $90m mental heath facility would be built at the Launceston General Hospital, accommodating 30 patients with a short-stay unit and safe haven to reduce pressure on the hospital emergency department.^[16]

In 2022, the Tasmanian Government spent approximately $5.9b on healthcare, which is around 57% of state expenditure.^[17]

Tasmania has had a housing crisis since 2017/18, caused by an economic boom.^[18] In 2018, Tasmanian capital-city Hobart has the lowest rental vacancy rate of any Australian capital city at 0.3%.^[18] In 2024, the waiting list for social housing averaged 80 weeks, increasing 4-fold from 2019.^[19]

During Rockliff's premiership, his government has promised to deliver 10,000 social or affordable homes by 2032, with the majority being purchased affordable homes.^[20] As of 2025, the government has abolished stamp-duty for first home buyers with a house valued under $750,000.^[21]

The Macquarie Point Stadium is a proposed multi-purpose stadium for Hobart. Since announced in 2022, the stadium has drawn wide criticism from Tasmanian residents and political parties due to the cost of the project and distraction from the surrounding scenery.^[22] The stadium was mainly proposed in order to allow Tasmania to have an Australian Football League team, with an AFL executive saying that there would not be a Tasmanian team without the stadium being constructed.^[23] The estimated cost of the stadium is slated to exceed the projected $775m and surge to around $1.1b with the estimated cost for Tasmania being $785m. The Rockliff government pledged to not spend more than $375m on the project, with the rest covered by federal funds, however an independent analysis deems this unlikely.^[24]

During Rebecca White's leadership of the Tasmanian Labor Party, Labor did not support the stadium and instead pledged to build an elective surgery hospital in Hobart as a 2024 state election commitment.^[25] Under Dean Winter's leadership, Labor has agreed to support the stadium due to the large amount of local jobs that will open for its construction.^[26] The Tasmanian Greens and Jacqui Lambie Network are vehemently opposed the stadium.^[27]

In 2025, it was announced by the government that the stadium would be pulled out of the Project of State Significance process and instead be enabled by special legislation in the parliament with the support of Labor.^[28] Rockliff was criticised for giving members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council an ultimatum regarding the stadium legislation.^[29]

2 new Spirit of Tasmania ships (Spirit of Tasmania IV and Spirit of Tasmania V) have been constructed in Finland for a cost totalling $900m.^[30] Despite the ships being built, they weren't able to be used in Tasmania because the berth has not yet been built, and is running over-budget.^[31] The government has been criticised due to the required berth not being finished until 2027 as well as the project being on course to go $130m over budget.^[31] In 2025 it was rumoured that the Scottish government, with Spirit IV then based in Edinburgh, intended to use the ship to house refugees of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, however these rumours were shut down by the Tasmanian government and the ship is being sent to Australia.^[32]

In May 2023, two Liberal MPs (Lara Alexander and John Tucker) resigned from the Liberal party to sit on the crossbench due to their opposition of the stadium project.^[33] This put the Liberal party into minority government and Rockliff called an election for 23 March 2024.^[34] Following the election, the Liberal party were 4 seats short of a majority, however Rockliff managed to gain confidence and supply from the 3 Jacqui Lambie Network MPs as well as 2 Independents.^[35] After the Lambie Network collapsed, its final MP pulled out of the confidence and supply agreement in September 2024 leaving the government with a thin majority of just one seat.^[36]

In March 2025, the government survived a motion of no confidence, with Kristie Johnston voting against the government in violation of the confidence and supply agreement due to the government abandoning its integrity commission.^[37]

In a later motion of no confidence put forth in May 2025, the government remained with the Labor party supporting the government for a second no confidence motion.^[38]

In September 2024, then-treasurer Michael Ferguson stated that he was open to selling off one or multiple of Tasmania's state-owned corporations in order to improve the state's budget position, which was not expected to get back into surplus until the end of the 2020s, at the earliest. This was criticised by shadow treasurer Josh Willie, who stated that Labor would staunchly oppose any attempts to privatise the state's publicly-held assets. The proposal was also condemned by Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff, who reiterated her party's opposition to budgetary allocations for the Macquarie Point stadium project.^[39]

In early November, Jeremy Rockliff proposed merging TasPorts, TT-Line and TasRail into a single entity, in order to create a unified passenger and freight business. He stated that the move was intended to address "shortcomings" in state-owned companies, and aimed to "streamline operations, reduce inefficiencies and deliver better outcomes for Tasmanian businesses and residents". The merger was to be coupled with changes in internal managerial arrangements. These included a mandate that 50% of board members of any state-owned enterprise be Tasmanian, that no minister be able to hold more than one shareholding position at a time, and that directorships and board appointments be term-limited.^[40]

On 10 November, Guy Barnett announced that the government planned to sell the heritage-listed Treasury Building, and was seeking expressions of interest from developers. The proposal was denounced by both Labor and the Greens, who compared it to a "fire sale" of publicly-owned assets. Josh Willie claimed that the sale would amount to a "short-term sugar hit", while Greens spokesperson Vica Bayley accused the Liberals of looking to "flog off the family jewels".^[41]

In March 2025, it was reported that Rockliff was considering the privatisation of state-owned assets, including Metro Tasmania, the Motor Accident Insurance Board (MAIB) and the Land Titles Office. However, he ruled out selling Hydro Tasmania, which is the state's largest electricity generator. Rockliff stated that the government would conduct an assessment of the benefits of privatisation, led by economist Saul Eslake. He also proposed a 99-year lease of transmission provider TasNetworks, and pledged that revenues from public asset sales would contribute to a Sensible Pathway to Surplus Future Fund. The announcement was condemned by shadow treasurer Josh Willie, who asserted that the privatisation of utilities would lead to increased costs and inferior public services. CPSU secretary Thirza White accused the government of seeking temporary fiscal relief, while Rosalie Woodruff claimed that Rockliff was beholden to far-right interests within his party. However, Northern independent MPs Rebekah Pentland and Miriam Beswick said they welcomed a debate around asset sales, but that any sale had to be "strategic".^[42]

On 7 June 2025, two days after losing a no-confidence motion in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, Jeremy Rockliff announced that he would no longer be pursuing the privatisation of state-owned assets.^[43]

A poll conducted in 2024 found that youth crime is the primary concern for Tasmanians.^[44] Following youth gang-attacks in Hobart suburbs in 2025, the Rockliff government has committed to introducing Adult Crime, Adult Time legislation to punish youth offenders.^[45] The proposed legislation has been criticised by criminologists, alleging that the laws will create 'career criminals'.^[45] In Tasmania, half of all youth crime is perpetrated by just 57 offenders.^[46]

The state of Tasmania has settled a class action lawsuit by former prisoners of Ashley Youth Detention Centre imprisoned between 1960 and 2023, with plaintiffs alleging that they witnessed, suffered or were threatened with sexual abuse.^[47] A commission of inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings was established in 2021 to advise the government on how to:

• Protect children against sexual abuse in institutional settings;
• Have better practice in acting on reports of child sexual abuse in institutional settings;
• Ensure justice for victims through improved processes for investigation and prosecution.

Ashley Youth Detention Centre is currently scheduled to close in mid-2026.^[47]

Rockliff supported the Yes vote in the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.^[48] Tasmania voted against the Voice with 58.94% of the vote.

Rockliff joined Federal Labor and other state premiers to support the 2025 Adolescent Social Media Ban, although he argued for a minimum age of 14 instead of 16.^[49]

Governor Barbara Baker's term will end by convention in 2026, with Rockliff likely to nominate her successor as is the norm.^[50]

Major legislation introduced during Rockliff's premiership include:

• Macquarie Point Stadium legislation^[51]
• Liquor licensing reform legislation^[52]
• Adult Crime, Adult Time legislation^[53]
• Asbestos-Related Diseases Compensation Amendment Bill 2023^[54]
• Housing Land Supply Amendment Bill 2023^[55]

On 3 June 2025, Labor Leader Dean Winter announced that his party intended to present a no-confidence motion in the parliament on the following day, if he garnered enough support from the crossbench.^[56] Independents Kristie Johnston and Craig Garland, as well as Lambie Network member Andrew Jenner announced the same day that they would support the motion.^[57] Former Labor leader-turned-independent David O'Byrne criticised Labor for moving the motion and signalled he would not support it.^[58] On the morning of 4 June, the Tasmanian Greens announced they would support the motion, theoretically giving a majority in support of 18 members.^[59]

When parliament resumed on 4 June at 10:00am, debate ensued around the motion. Premier Rockliff stated that if the motion succeeded, he would go to the Lieutenant-Governor^[a] to call an early election, just 14 months after the previous election.^[60] The debate lasted from 10:00am until the parliament customarily adjourned at 7:30pm, with 18 votes to 16 in favour of adjournment.^[61] 19 members had spoken in the debate by that point, with all members of parliament allotted 20–30 minutes to speak. Debate continued the next day.^[61]

On 5 June 2025, at 3:42pm, the parliament passed the no-confidence motion, ending nearly 16 hours of debate. Premier Rockliff announced he would visit lieutenant-governor Chris Shanahan seeking a snap election, which would be the fourth state election in just 7 years.^[62] The result of the vote was 18-17 in favour, with speaker Michelle O'Byrne casting the tie-breaking vote.^[57]

• Allan government
• Premiership of David Crisafulli
• Chief ministership of Lia Finocchiaro