Independent MP David O’Byrne says he will back whichever party can deliver stable government for Tasmania, as crossbench negotiations roll on following the state election.
The former Labor minister today said he has spoken with both Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winter about forming government.
O’Byrne said his main priority was making sure parliament can function effectively, regardless of which side ends up in charge.
“My preference is for making sure that we can form a parliament, get a government back to work, acting in the best interests of Tasmanians,” he said.
“I’ve always said that I’m a pragmatic, constructive, positive member of parliament who basically wants to get things to work.”
O’Byrne confirmed he had spoken to Winter for the first time since 2021, describing the conversation as focused on how Labor would run a functional parliament if it formed government.
He said the discussion was similar in tone to earlier talks with Rockliff, more about practical governance rather than political deals.
O’Byrne said neither major party held a clear mandate following the election, as the Liberals have claimed, with Labor facing particular challenges in governing with just 10 seats in the 35-member parliament.
“Going into negotiations, I remember I was a member of a 10-member Labor Party in a 25-seat house and I recall how difficult that was and how hard that was to work,” he said.
“Trying to make it work with 10 members in 35 [seat house] is going to be very difficult.”
He welcomed the Liberals’ move to publicly release their draft stability framework, saying it mirrored the type of working relationship he had with the party during the last term.
“It worked quite well for me, I thought. I got a piece of legislation through parliament, I got a review of Homes Tasmania and I got a range of issues up in the budget process as well,” he said.
Still, O’Byrne warned crossbenchers not to lose sight of the fact that around 75% of voters backed one of the two major parties.
“If you come to the table with demands and take it or leave it, then we’re back in an election and nobody wants that,” he said.
On Labor’s refusal to work with the Greens, O’Byrne said they would need Green support to form government.
“That’s the reality,” he said. “It’s a matter for them. They’ve made these decisions.”
“They’ve made it very clear about who they want to work with and who they don’t want to work with. It’s a matter for Labor to explain that position.”
