2025-06-26
snap election: Tasmania is back at the polls
By Dr Rosalie Woodruff MP, Leader of the Tasmanian Greens
After little more than a year, Tasmania is back at the polls.
Tasmanians didn’t want this election, and neither did the Greens. We’d worked hard to achieve positive outcomes for Tasmania in the last term of Parliament.
We collaborated with all sides to improve legislation. We showed that a minority parliament can work for Tasmanians, passing laws to make political donations public and stopping the criminalisation of begging.
We did what Greens do best: fighting to protect our forests, stop salmon farms devastating waterways, and real climate action. And we’ve been the loudest voices to stop a billion-dollar stadium and invest into homes and healthcare instead.
Only a few weeks ago, the parliament declared they had no confidence in the Liberal Premier. We didn’t take the decision to support this motion, moved by Labor, lightly. But we believe a line must be drawn to hold elected representatives – especially leaders – accountable for their actions.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff had well and truly crossed that line. He broke his election promise to cap public spending on a controversial stadium at $375 million, and has lied repeatedly about rising costs since. The final cost will be well north of a billion. To pay for this, he has axed thousands of public service jobs and threatened to sell off government businesses, state-owned companies and lands. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Premier had also broken a long-standing promise to the Aboriginal community to progress a Treaty, abandoned the life-saving pokies pre-commitment spending card, and stalled the important recommendations from Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry into child sexual abuse.
Despite the no confidence motion, Jeremy Rockliff refused to step down. We offered to have a constructive discussion with Labor about working together in the best interests of Tasmanians, but they refused to even try to govern. Once again, the Liberals and Labor have put their political interests first, instead of the needs of Tasmanians – and now we head to another early election on Saturday, July 19th.
This election, both the Liberals and Labor are focused on building a billion-dollar stadium in Hobart. Meanwhile, Tasmanians can’t find a home, wait hours for ambulances, and struggle to pay their bills.
The major parties are in lockstep: allowing forests to be logged and burned in the climate crisis, and letting salmon farming corporations pollute our oceans and beaches. After a decade of the Liberals, Tasmania’s in a mess. It’s no wonder people are fed up.
If Liberal and Labor politicians were listening, they’d have ditched the stadium long ago and instead be fixing hospitals, building homes, and protecting what makes this place special. But they’re not listening. They’re backing big corporations, ignoring the people they’re meant to represent, and won’t stand up to the AFL who’re holding us ransom over the stadium.
While we didn’t want an election, we’re ready to continue doing what the Greens do – fighting for the best interests of this beautiful island and its people for real change.
Just over a year ago, we made history, with the largest number ever of Greens being elected to the lower house. We couldn’t have done it without one of the biggest collective efforts from Greens volunteers in our party’s history. I was proud to lead Helen Burnet, Vica Bayley, Tabatha Badger and Cecily Rosol in Parliament, as they truly represented Tasmanians. We’re going to fight to get all our MPs back into the Parliament for Tasmanians, and elect another member in Braddon – where the wonderful Vanessa Bleyer is standing as our lead candidate.
This election is a chance to get a new government and to put the Greens in the balance of power so we can make the change Tasmanians deserve. We’re fighting to stop the stadium and invest in health and housing. To protect our unique environment by ending native forest logging, standing up to salmon farming corporations and taking real climate action. To stop privatisation and make big corporations pay their fair share.
Already, we’ve announced positive policies that would make this state better for Tasmanians if we’re in the balance of power:
- A truly independent EPA that will hold salmon farming companies accountable.
- No sale of public lands and forests to fund Liberal and Labor’s stadium.
- An Anti-Corruption Commission that has the teeth it needs to hold Tasmania’s politicians to account.
- Free public transport and schools, so Tasmanians struggling with the cost of living crisis can access basic services.
- Cracking down on real estate agent malpractices and landlord breaches in the housing crisis, with a Real Estate and Rental Standards Taskforce.
- 24/7 pathology and renal services in Launceston that will save lives.
And there’s plenty more to come – watch this space!
We’ve been the strongest voice against the stadium since day one, and we’re continuing to hold the major parties accountable over their commitments to spend a billion dollars on a stadium, instead of Tasmanians who desperately need proper healthcare and affordable housing. We’re fighting for a team, but to scrap the stadium that Tasmanians don’t want, don’t need and can’t afford.
We believe that all this is possible, with the power of the Green movement behind us.