Tasmania election: state to head to polls again after governor grants embattled premier's request
It followed a dramatic week in which the parliament narrowly supported a no confidence motion in Rockliff moved by the Labor leader, Dean Winter, and the state's three main political parties each argued a fresh election could be avoided.
Rockliff visited Government House in Hobart on Tuesday night to advise the governor, Barbara Baker, that he believed a new poll was needed.
She took 24 hours to consider the state's options, including asking Winter if he could form a government, before inviting Rockliff back and agreeing to his request.
It will be the state's fourth election in seven years. The last poll was 23 March 2024.
More to come
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Britain is ready to fight if conflict breaks out over Taiwan, says Defence Secretary John Healey
Defence Secretary John Healey has said Britain is ready to fight if conflict breaks out over Taiwan. The island nation has long been at loggerheads with China, strongly rejecting Beijing 's claim to sovereignty over it after the countries separated in the late forties. China's president Xi Jinping has previously said he would not rule out using force in the 'reunification of the motherland'. And now Mr Healey, when asked what the UK is doing to help countries like Taiwan prepare for potential Chinese escalation, has said Britain would fight in the Pacific. He was speaking on a visit to the HMS Prince of Wales, docked in the Australian city of Darwin, with the country's deputy prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles. He told The Telegraph, during the carrier group's nine-month Pacific deployment: 'If we have to fight, as we have done in the past, Australia and the UK are nations that will fight together. 'We exercise together and by exercising together and being more ready to fight, we deter better together.' These are some of the strongest words ever issued by the British government on the topic of potential engagement in any conflict in the region. The island nation has long been at loggerheads with China, strongly rejecting Beijing's claim to sovereignty over it after the countries separated in the late forties. Pictured: From second left, Mr Healey, Australian deputy prime minister and minister for defence Richard Marles, British foreign secretary David Lammy and Australian foreign minster Penny Wong on the visit to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier today But the minister emphasised he was talking in 'general terms' - and the UK would prefer any disputes there were resolved 'peacefully' and 'diplomatically'. 'We secure peace through strength, and our strength comes from our allies', he added. Experts have previously warned an invasion of Taiwan could cause a large-scale conflict, pulling in nations from across the world. It is because the country manufactures most advanced computer chips. Mr Healey said 'threats' in the Indo-Pacific region are on the rise. It follows the Chinese military taking control of contentious reefs - and was accused of intimidating its neighbours there. The Defence Secretary's remarks also come as the HMS Prince of Wales carrier group sails with advanced F-35 fighter jets from Singapore to northern Australia for the first time in nearly 40 years. The fleet will continue on to Japan, likely coming close to Taiwan. The Defence Secretary's remarks also come as the HMS Prince of Wales carrier group (pictured on the visit today) sails with advanced F-35 fighter jets from Singapore to northern Australia for the first time in nearly 40 years Deploying the strike carrier group, which is the UK's largest of its kind, in the Pacific for nine-months shows Britain is aware of increasing threats in the region. Sending it to Darwin in particular indicates close ties between the UK and Australia - key to any potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Indeed, Mr Healey noted such a partnership was especially important currently, as threats in the region increase. The defence secretary emphasised the UK's interest in international rules, stability and security, as well as both freedom of the seas and navigation in the area. British officials have previously not commented on whether the UK would intervene in any conflict in the region. This is in line with the United States' stance, which has been dubbed 'strategic ambiguity' - and most other nations follow it too. Two Royal Navy patrol vessels are stationed permanently in the region. The UK government recognised, in its National Security Strategy published earlier this year: 'There is a particular risk of escalation around Taiwan.' Former defence secretary Gavin Williamson (pictured in 2019) said the UK is probably becoming more candid on its stance on the matter as threats in the Indo-Pacific increase. Former defence secretary Gavin Williamson said the UK is probably becoming more candid on its stance on the matter as threats in the Indo-Pacific increase. 'I think there's a realisation that by being completely silent it doesn't make it more or less likely', he explained. Deterrence, he added, involves making clear the consequences that will come if others act dangerously or maliciously. Mr Williamson, who led the MoD from 2017 to 2019, added it is important someone as prominent as the British defence secretary is clear actions have consequences. Former US president Joe Biden has previously broken strategic ambiguity on several occasions, saying the US would support Taiwan against China. His successor Donald Trump has not done this - but Pentagon officials are said to be preparing for conflict. His government has said it will review its membership of the AUKUS security agreement, between the US, Australia and the UK. It comes as part of Mr Trump's 'America first' approach. Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has also not spoken out whether the nation would join the US and other allies to fight China in any conflict in the region. He refused to comment on the matter last week. The UK and Australia have made a renewed commitment to each other in recent times. The two nations signed the Geelong Treaty this weekend - a 50-year agreement cementing their commitment to the AUKUS pact. It also commits them to building a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. The HMS Prince of Wales anchoring in Darwin marks the first time a British carrier strike group has docked in Australia. It is also the first time a non-US carrier has taken part in Australia's annual military drills, the so-called Talisman Sabre. The event this year was the largest it has ever been. While the UK is turning more of its attention to the Indo-Pacific, Mr Healey (pictured on the visit today) confirmed there would be no change to its level of engagement with Taiwan Foreign secretary David Lammy also boarded the HMS Prince of Wales, on the same day as and just before his colleague Mr Healey. He has previously said Britain plans to undertake more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait. Last month, a Royal Navy patrol ship, the HMS Spey, moved through the strait - which was praised by Taiwan but frowned upon by China. Britain does not comment on the future movements of its vessels. But it is thought the HMS Prince of Wales will soon also travel through the strait on its way to South Korea and Japan. While the UK is turning more of its attention to the Indo-Pacific, Mr Healey confirmed there would be no change to its level of engagement with Taiwan. Mr Williamson said Britain would likely only alter this stance if China got increasingly aggressive.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Images of children starving in Gaza have shaken some world leaders out of inertia – but what will Labor do?
Images of emaciated, skeletal children in Gaza landed on news outlets' front pages last week. It seemed to shake some world leaders and ordinary citizens out of a stupor. It's a year and nine months since Israel began laying siege and raining devastation on Gaza, after the slaughter of Hamas' 7 October terror attacks. After 21 months of bombing and civilian death tolls now reported in the tens of thousands, a new word has begun appearing ever more prominently in media coverage. Famine. Not a famine driven by extreme weather, crop failure or pest infestation, but an entirely human-made famine. The type that could be fixed with the stroke of a pen, a bureaucratic shift, a political agreement. Sign up: AU Breaking News email It's why, half a world away in Australia, Anthony Albanese's government will enter its first full week of federal parliament under pressure, facing calls from outside and inside its ranks to do more. My colleague Benita Kolovos' exclusive on Monday, that Victorian Labor's state conference will probably back a series of motions urging the federal government to immediately recognise a Palestinian state and sanction Israel – expanding existing sanctions on two Israeli ministers – is the latest pressure point on Albanese and the foreign minister, Penny Wong, to do more, and faster. It's also a demonstration of the emotion of the party's rank-and-file members. The intervention of former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr on Friday, calling for immediate recognition of Palestine and sanctions against Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, was significant. Former cabinet minister Ed Husic, Labor's most publicly thoughtful and compassionate voice on Gaza, said 'the time is now'. Their comments came two days after Labor condemned Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi for holding a sign reading 'sanction Israel now' during the opening of parliament. Albanese, Wong and the government say Australia is not a major player in the Middle East, that they have consistently called for adherence to international law, and have contributed large sums in aid – $100m, Wong said on Friday. All true. But according to Palestine supporters inside Labor, there is 'near unanimous' sentiment in party ranks for the government to move beyond statements to concrete actions of the kind it has so far downplayed. Even if it means leading or moving ahead of global sentiment. Wong joined more than two dozen countries last week, expressing horror at hundreds of Palestinians' deaths at aid sites. It was notable, then, that Albanese still felt the need to put out an extra statement, with stronger language, days later. On Sunday, Albanese went further again, explicitly accused Israel of breaching international law. That's not nothing. Noting those 'heartbreaking' pictures of starving children, he told Insiders: 'A one-year-old boy is not a Hamas fighter'. In the same breath, Albanese rejected 'imminently' recognising Palestine, placing conditions on such a shift – including US support – that seem months, if not years, away. But wheels are turning. There is growing outrage in Labor ranks about Gaza. The Victorian Labor motion is the latest of many, with more to come. The motion comes from Labor Friends of Palestine, an internal campaign group. It has circulated similar motions, supported by 80 (and climbing) local ALP branches, according to Peter Moss, a national co-convener. One of the latest, he tells me, is the Wentworth branch, the eastern Sydney electorate with one of Australia's highest concentrations of Jewish voters. Moss maintains there has 'never been a more urgent time to assert the rights of the Palestinian people'. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Wong has said for some time Australia no longer sees Palestine's statehood as coming necessarily at the end of the peace process, which leaves open the door to recognition at any time. Albanese on Sunday, however, cautioned that US involvement 'is critical.' Still, backers say Australia wouldn't even be an outlier if it made recognition moves today. Carr said the French president, Emmanuel Macron's pledge to recognise Palestine should be enough for Australia, with no need to move in concert with the UK or US. He told me such a shift would win Albanese credit for foreign policy, for 'having a mind of our own'. It is true Albanese, Wong and Labor have spoken strongly in support of Palestinian civilians and international law, and given harsher criticism of Israel than many governments before. This has opened them to criticism from the opposition, Israel's own government and the screeching outrage machine of the right-wing press. Equally, for some, Labor haven't gone far enough. The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, said: 'Words, while welcome, won't feed starving kids.' But sentiment has seemed to shift, albeit glacially, even inside the Coalition. After Wong's statement on Tuesday, the opposition could barely muster a word for the plight of starving Palestinians in Gaza. The shadow foreign minister, Michaelia Cash, took five paragraphs to mention the 'suffering of the people of Gaza', and another two before adding 'it is important that aid flows', in a statement otherwise nearly entirely devoted to criticising Hamas – a terrorist group Labor has condemned, said can have no role in the future governance of Gaza, and must return Israeli hostages. By Friday, Cash's statement at least opened with a concession of 'strong concerns about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza'. Some in the Coalition are uneasy their positioning in recent days has not paid enough heed to the human-made catastrophe. But chalk that up to another issue where the opposition finds itself at a loss, dealing itself into irrelevancy. The greater issue is for Labor. On the back of a thumping election win and an energised party base, its members want the government to stand up, be bold and help set a global example. Albanese says Palestinian statehood won't come as a 'gesture', but on this issue, the party faithful have made it clear: words aren't enough.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Victorian Labor party members to push for ‘immediate' federal recognition of a Palestinian state
Victorian Labor members will use this weekend's state conference to demand the federal government 'immediately' recognise a Palestinian state and impose sanctions on Israel – in what will be their strongest push to date on the issue. It comes after Anthony Albanese on Sunday described civilian deaths in Gaza as 'indefensible' but reiterated he had no immediate plans to recognise a Palestinian state and insisted further steps were needed to reach a two-state solution. Labor Friends of Palestine, an internal campaign group, will move three 'urgency resolutions' at the Victorian state conference on Saturday – the first major gathering of party members since May's federal election. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The motions call on the federal government to recognise a Palestinian state in this term of office, expand existing sanctions on two Israeli ministers to 'all executive members' of the Israeli government – including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and end all direct and indirect military trade with Israel. They also urge the government to abide by the international court of justice's 2024 ruling that Israel's occupation and settlement activity is unlawful by conducting a comprehensive public review of all 'military, economic and political' ties with Israel to ensure 'no Australian entities are providing aid or assistance … in the commission of unlawful acts'. The motions also call for the protection of civil liberties, including the right to protest, in response to proposed Victorian laws and a plan by the antisemitism envoy, Jillian Segal, to strip funding from universities and arts bodies that fail to address antisemitism. They also demand the safe and unimpeded delivery of emergency humanitarian aid to Gaza, increased funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Unrwa) and the introduction of a permanent humanitarian visa and scholarship program. The Victorian convenor of Labor Friends of Palestine, Oliver van Ingen, said the motions were the 'strongest Palestine resolutions ever brought to Victorian Labor'. 'There is a huge groundswell of support in the party and the broader community. Albanese is correct to call Israel's actions 'completely indefensible', and these actions must be met by a strong international response,' van Ingen said. Guardian Australia understands the resolutions have been developed in consultation with supportive unions and are expected to pass. About 600 delegates – split evenly between party members and affiliated unions – will vote. While non-binding on state or federal Labor MPs, they represent one of the most effective ways for rank-and-file members and unions to influence party policy. At last year's state conference, six motions were passed calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, recognition of Palestinian statehood and for the Victorian government to scrap a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Israel's Ministry of Defence in 2022. The MoU was ultimately allowed to lapse, after sustained internal and public pressure. A separate motion by Labor Friends of Palestine – calling for sanctions on the Netanyahu government and an end to military ties with Israel – has already been adopted by more than 80 branches across Australia since June, including 16 in Victoria. The group joined former foreign minister Bob Carr and Labor MP Ed Husic on Friday in urging Albanese to follow France's example by pledging to recognise a Palestinian state. Speaking on ABC's Insiders program on Sunday, Albanese said recognising a Palestinian state – a longstanding part of Labor's policy platform – was not imminent. He citied concerns around ensuring Hamas would be excluded from any future state, how such a state would operate without threatening Israel's existence and what role the Palestinian Authority would play. But van Ingen argued Palestine should be recognised 'as a matter of urgency' to 'guard against any further illegal reductions in their territory'. 'This decision cannot be contingent on a nonexistent peace process,' van Ingen said. Labor Against War, another state movement within the party, will introduce motions urging the federal government to launch an independent parliamentary inquiry into Aukus and to remove references to the pact from the party's national platform. Members have until Tuesday to submit proposed urgency resolutions.
