Tasmanian Labor leader Dean Winter has again ruled out forming a coalition with the Greens, but stopped short of rejecting their parliamentary support if needed to form government after Saturday’s election.
During the Sky News leaders’ debate on Wednesday, Winter was pressed several times on whether he would accept backing from the Greens to secure the numbers needed to govern in a hung parliament.
“We’ve said repeatedly over and over … we won’t do deals with the Greens,” Winter said.
“When the no-confidence motion was passed in this premier, there was an opportunity, an offer from the Greens for us to do a deal with them to go straight into government.”
“If I’d taken that deal, I’d be premier today. At the last … early election, there was an opportunity for Labor to do a deal with the Greens. And we didn’t. And we won’t do one in the future either.”
However, when asked directly about a confidence and supply arrangement, Winter seemed to leave the door open.
“The people will give the parliament that we all have to work with and I’ll work with the parliament that Tasmanians give me,” he said.
“I’ll work with sensible independents towards delivering a Labor agenda.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff seized on the distinction, saying Labor would inevitably rely on Green support to govern.
“A vote for Labor guarantees a Labor-Green government,” Rockliff said.
“We know that when the Labor Party did a deal with the Greens before, that it destroyed our economy.”
“Ten thousand jobs were lost. The state went into a recession and hospital wards were closed.”
“So you say you won’t do a deal. But will you accept their support on the floor of the house if there was a hung parliament?”
Recent DemosAU polling, commissioned by Pulse, found the Liberals hold a ten-point lead over Labor – 34.9% to 24.7%.
Head of Research George Hasanakos estimates that would return 13 to 14 seats for the Liberals and around nine to 10 for Labor on Saturday. The Greens could get between six and seven seats.
“If Labor maintains its opposition to forming government with the support of the Greens then the current Liberal government will retain office,” Hasanakos said.
