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ABC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Stadium, ships and stability — parties make first pitch in Tasmanian election nobody wanted
Following a week of political mudslinging, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter say they will attempt to project a "positive" image for the state in the freshly-started election campaign. On the first day of the campaign yesterday, both major parties started making pitches to voters ahead of the July 19 election. Mr Rockliff appeared on Thursday alongside his Bass candidates at Legana, an outer suburb of Launceston. The Liberals have only one change to the seven candidates who ran at the last election, with former federal Bass MP Bridget Archer now running. Spending much of last week attacking Mr Winter by calling him a "wrecker", Mr Rockliff started the campaign taking a different tack. "I'll be focusing in a positive frame of mind," he said. Standing next to the new Legana Primary School, Mr Rockliff said the Liberals were also building new roads and updating hospitals. "We will be making new announcements which I'll be working [through] with our candidates and with our community and have a very clear plan for Tasmania." The Liberals are expected to announce former Braddon MP Gavin Pearce and former senator Stephen Parry as candidates for Braddon today. The election followed a successful no-confidence motion in Mr Rockliff, moved by Mr Winter last week. The no-confidence motion focused on the state's budgetary position, potential privatisation of state-owned companies, and the bungled rollout of new Spirit of Tasmania vessels. On the first day of the campaign, Mr Winter honed in on the Spirits saga. "Who could possibly believe that you could have a premier of this state who was buying a billion dollars' worth of new ships, and then forgot to build a berth for them to actually operate from? "It's something from a comedy act." Mr Rockliff said the government had been accountable — the Spirits' rollout led to former infrastructure minister Michael Ferguson resigning from the cabinet. Labor went to the last election under previous leader Rebecca White, who has since won the federal seat of Lyons. It means the party is expected to have a range of new policies under Mr Winter, which he had originally intended to release in the second half of the year. Mr Winter said he wanted Tasmania to be "a place where things actually get done". "I want rents to stop going up by so much. "I want this to be a place where hospitals are actually accessible, where you can go to school and get an education in Tasmania that's just as good as the mainland." The Tasmanian Greens appeared outside the historic Goods Shed at Macquarie Point, which is slated to be relocated as part of plans for a proposed stadium. The Greens oppose any new stadium in Hobart, contrary to the positions of the Liberals and Labor. Polling in February by EMRS — which is owned by Font PR, a firm with Liberal links — showed 59 per cent oppose the stadium while 36 per cent support it. Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said the election was an opportunity for those opposed to the stadium to make their voices heard. "Whether it's a referendum or not, we know people in their droves will be voting against any party or individual who supports that stadium," she said. "Both Jeremy Rockliff's Liberals and Dean Winter's Labor have shown they are incapable of shifting their views despite poll after poll after poll showing Tasmanians hate a stadium. "What will it take? What it will take — we've found now — is an election."
ABC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Candidates coming forward ahead of Tasmania's July 19 state election
As Tasmania prepares for its snap election, candidates across the state are already putting their hands up to be part of the 52nd parliament. Despite the short amount of time they have had to find candidates, the Liberals are coming in with some heavyweights. The ABC understands Gavin Pearce, who chose not to recontest his federal seat of Braddon, will join a stacked-up state ticket in Premier Jeremy Rockliff's own state electorate of Braddon. Former Liberal Party senator Stephen Parry, who just failed in his bid to win the Legislative Council seat of Montgomery, will also be on the ticket. The party did not even wait for an election to be called when it announced former federal MP Bridget Archer, who was kicked out of office last month, was going to run for Bass. But they could not convince Susie Bower, who failed to win the seat of Lyons in the federal election, to jump straight back in the ring. There are also a fair few people popping their hands up who ran in the 2024 state election. Names like Burnie Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson (Braddon), Sandy Bay butcher Marcus Vermey (Clark) and vaccine sceptic Julie Sladden (Bass). The premier also confirmed this morning that all sitting Liberal MPs will be recontesting. Aside from Heidi Heck, Labor can not pull from any of the federal candidates who ran in the last election because they are all sitting in Canberra. Ms Heck has confirmed to the ABC she will not be running. However, former federal Lyons MP Brian Mitchell has confirmed he will be seeking preselection. Mr Mitchell stood aside for former state leader Rebecca White to run in the federal election, where she managed to increase his margin from 0.9 per cent to 11.6 per cent. But her absence will likely hurt the state party. In the 2024 Tasmanian election, Ms White won a whopping 15,607 first preference votes, helping to elect Jen Butler. The party has also lost long-serving Bass MP Michelle O'Byrne. Labor has yet to officially reveal any of its candidates, but it is understood all sitting members will recontest. The name of former Salmon Tasmania chief executive officer, now Labor advisor, Luke Martin has been bandied about for Clark, but that preselection has yet to be confirmed. Unions Tas secretary Jess Munday has been widely tipped to run for Labor in Franklin. The Greens' five candidates will all recontest. Meanwhile, Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie will have no presence this time around. She cut off two of her team, Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland, early on in the term. The last standing Jacqui Lambie Network member, Andrew Jenner, announced just last week he had split from the JLN. Mr Jenner and Ms Pentland will run as independents. It is understood Ms Beswick is intending to run again; the question is, under which banner? It seems she is taking her time to consider whether to run as an independent or seek preselection with the Nationals. The party, which is opposed to the stadium, has just put out a call for candidates. Former Liberal MP John Tucker has confirmed he will be putting up his hand. Then there are a whole bunch of familiar independents, including incumbents David O'Byrne, Kristie Johnston and Craig Garland. Fresh off their failed federal election bids and keen to give life in politics another go are people like anti-salmon campaigner Peter George and independent Lyons candidate Angela Offord. Michelle Dracoulis, who briefly put her hand up for Labor last state election, will also run as an independent. Despite registering her own party, Senator Tammy Tyrrell will not be running any candidates. One Nation, which is not registered to contest a state election, will be nowhere to be seen. Given the election campaign is in its very early days, there will be many more candidates to come forward.
SBS Australia
09-06-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Easy English 9 June 2025
Welcome to SBS News in Easy English, I'm Camille Bianchi. +++ 830 Australians have been recognised as part of the King's Birthday Honours. Former Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, is one of 14 people named as a Companion of the Order of Australia. The title has been offered to every Prime Minister since 1975. Mr Morrison says he is proud. "I am very humbled by the recognition and thankful to the Australian people who gave me the opportunity to serve as Prime Minister during one of the most difficult periods in Australia's history. Everything from natural disasters to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recession it caused. The threats we faced in the Indo-Pacific and the assertions and coercions of China - and our response to that. But through all of that, the Australian people were absolutely amazing." A former federal politician who lost her seat at the recent election, says she wants to move into Tasmanian state parliament. Last week, Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff lost his job, when other politicians voted against his leadership - and now there will be a sudden election. Former Liberal M-P Bridget Archer wants to be chosen to represent a seat in the Bass electorate. "I'm not going to be anybody's stooge or anybody's puppet." "Bridget is a fighter. Bridget, understands the importance of being part of Team Tasmania." Today is SBS 50th birthday. The national public broadcaster started in 1975 as an experiment to share information about a national health care program, to Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds. Today, SBS broadcasts in 63 languages. NITV began in 2012 - a channel made by, for and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Managing Director of SBS, James Taylor, says there is a lot to celebrate. "We've got the highest volumes of multilingual content than ever before in our history. And in 60 languages. We're also being acknowledged across a number of other fronts. We've got the Australian streaming platform through SBS On Demand, and we are the podcaster of the year, three years in a row. These are all things to really be celebrated. We're a public good, we are in part funded by the public, and it's really important for us to be delivering more and more value each year to Australians." In Tennis, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Jannik Sinner in the French Open final. This is his fifth Grand Slam trophy. Alcaraz said kind words about his rival, Sinner, who had wanted to win his third major tennis trophy. "Honestly, I know how hard you're chasing this tournament or every tournament. I'm pretty sure you're going to be champion not once but many, many times. It's a privilege to share the court with you in every tournament, making history with you." That's the latest SBS News in Easy English.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Bridget Archer voices '100 per cent' support for Macquarie Point stadium in Facebook comment
Former federal Liberal MP Bridget Archer says her support for a Hobart AFL stadium is "100 per cent locked in", after previously arguing the state should be investing in health over "AFL teams in Hobart". The renegade Liberal, who lost her seat at last month's federal election, has announced she will seek party preselection for the state seat of Bass, if an early Tasmanian election is called. Premier Jeremy Rockliff will ask Governor Barbara Baker on Tuesday to consider an early election after emergency budget bills are passed, in the wake of a successful vote of no confidence in him last week. Ms Archer, a moderate Liberal who crossed the floor multiple times during her stint in federal parliament, submitted a speech to an anti-stadium rally in 2023. Read out by actor Essie Davis, the speech said Ms Archer supported Tasmania having an AFL team, "but it should never ever have been on the condition that close to $1 billion was spent on an unnecessary third stadium". Ms Archer has confirmed she submitted the speech to the rally. Ms Archer also argued in 2022 that Tasmania should be investing in health over "AFL teams in Hobart". At that time, the federal Liberals were critical of the federal government's $240 million commitment to allow the stadium to be built. Following her election defeat, Ms Archer told ABC radio last month the stadium had come up as an issue during the federal campaign. She said it was on the state government to make the case it could both deliver the essential services Tasmanians rely on and build a stadium, an argument she said was "failing to cut through". "Certainly, there was a lot of commentary on the doors, on the streets from constituents about their frustration about moving forward with the stadium," she said last month. But Ms Archer has now told Tasmanians she's pro-stadium. In a post on the YES AFL TEAM — YES STADIUM Facebook page, Ms Archer assured a pro-stadium supporter that she was now supportive of the controversial proposal. "I'm 100 per cent locked in," she said in the post. And speaking to reporters on Sunday, she said the Liberal team was united in its support for the stadium. "I'm a foundation member of the Devils, like many other Tasmanians, and we know if we don't have a stadium we don't have a team," she said. "I want to see a team, I want to see our young people getting up and running around and playing in that Tasmanian guernsey." Government Minister Felix Ellis said he expected strong support for the stadium from Ms Archer and the wider team as the Liberal Party prepare to head to an election. "We have an incredible group of people who work as a united team and who want to build a better Tasmania," he said. "We have strong support for those positions and delivering the intergenerational infrastructure that Tasmanians deserve. "We're going to back in our leader and our team. We have a strong plan to build an even better Tasmania and that's clearly our focus."
Canberra Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Canberra Times
Liberals back embattled premier, election call looms
Battlelines have already been drawn for an election - set to be the state's fourth in seven years - with ousted Liberal federal MP Bridget Archer to run for the party in the seat of Bass.
