TASMANIAN Deputy Premier, Treasurer and former infrastructure minister Michael Ferguson resigned this morning (15 October) before he could face a no-confidence motion in Parliament. Guy Barnett was elected unopposed by the Parliamentary Liberal Party as the new Deputy Premier.
Independent David O’Byrne has called for the boards of TasPorts and TT Line to be dissolved, executive management sacked and administrators to be appointed. Premier Jeremy Rockliff has pledged to reform the state’s GBEs, writing a new charter that requires Tasmanian interests be put first at all times.
The Tasmanian minister formerly responsible for GBEs TT Line and TasPorts is facing a no-confidence motion in Parliament and there are new calls for a further inquiry into the ‘fiasco’ of the new ferries’ and berth issues.
State treasurer Michael Ferguson – who relinquished his Infrastructure responsibilities for the GBEs in late August but, as Treasurer, remains a shareholding minister – is being targeted by the Labor Opposition, which appears to have sufficient support from the Greens and some independents to force his removal to the back bench.
Several have gone public over the weekend declaring they have ‘lost confidence’ in Mr Ferguson over his handling of the GBEs, as more disclosures and assertions were made by witnesses giving testimony at the Public Accounts Committee last week.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said he retains “full confidence” in the Treasurer but will respect the Parliamentary vote.
Today Tasmanian newspapers have editorialised that a new, ‘politics-free’ inquiry – possibly a Royal Commission – needs to be held to get to the bottom of the late delivery of the new Spirits of Tasmania and their unready East Devonport terminal, which one describes as “more than embarrassing, it’s damaging to our brand and our economy”.
“When this farce was laid bare, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he was not interested in “the blame game”, opined ACM papers. “Yes, his priority should be to find a solution, but he should also want to get to the bottom of how on Earth this occurred.
“His political opponents have his deputy, Michael Ferguson, squarely in their sights. That’s fair – he was the minister responsible for TT-Line and TasPorts, the two state-owned companies at the centre of this mess.
“But, to their credit, both opposition parties are thinking beyond merely claiming his scalp.
“Labor is proposing a raft of changes to get “government businesses back on track”, while the Greens want a “comprehensive independent review” of all such businesses.
“We should start with an inquiry – of the status of a royal commission if need be – into how we ended up here.
“We need to understand what happened, or didn’t, and we need to learn what lessons may be gained from this sorry saga.
“A parliamentary inquiry mired, as they always are, in politics will not do; Tasmanians have the right to know the truth.”
