Face of Nation : Tasmania’s Liberal government has maintained its one-seat majority, with rogue Speaker Sue Hickey deciding to stay in the party after threatening to quit.
Ms Hickey, who has been a recent critic of the state’s response to a homelessness crisis, was overlooked in a weekend cabinet reshuffle and spent this week considering whether to become an independent.
On Friday she said she would remain a member of the Liberals after talks with Premier Will Hodgman about funding for health and housing services.
“It’s like a marriage. We all have our ups and downs. We reached a pretty bleak spot,” Ms Hickey said.
Ms Hickey voted with Labor and the Greens to become Speaker last year and has since crossed the floor to pass controversial legislation, including laws making gender optional on birth certificates.
Her departure would have left the Liberals with 12 seats in the 25-seat lower house.
She has reiterated her vote of confidence and supply remains with the government.
But the first-term Member for Clark couldn’t guarantee she would remain a member of the Liberals for the coming three years of their second term.
“Who knows what’s going to happen in the next few weeks or the next few months?” She said.
“I’m trying to make them bigger, bolder and more accountable.
“If you’re in a team and you see things that are not right, do you step over the body or do you stand up and make sure the issue is fixed?
“Sometimes you have to burst the ulcer to have things cleaned up, and then you move forward.”
Ms Hickey said she would work with the premier to deliver a 50-bed state-of-the-art drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre at St Johns Park.
Mr Hodgman was pleased Ms Hickey, the former Hobart mayor, was remaining on board and described talks with her as “positive”.
“We have challenges in health and housing, and a number of those areas are where Sue has got a real passion,” he told reporters.
Labor, which has voted with Ms Hickey to pass legislation in the House of Assembly, said the government was in chaos.
“Sue Hickey still won’t give the government her unconditional support and has said she will assess her feeling about the government fortnight-to-fortnight,” opposition leader Rebecca White said in a statement.
“The question Tasmanians are rightly asking is ‘who is leading the state?’.”
Ms Hickey said she will continue to vote against the government where she sees fit.
“I believe I’m a true-blue Liberal. I’m just a bit more Liberal than some people would like.”
