Tasmanian Labor has replaced Dean Winter as parliamentary leader, with Josh Willie elected unopposed to serve as the state’s new opposition leader.
The party, which has been in opposition for 11 years, met for more than seven hours on Wednesday before announcing Willie’s appointment.
“Tasmanian Labor has a proud history and I look forward to giving this role everything I’ve got to return Labor to government,” he said in a statement.
It came a day after Winter’s bid to take power via a no-confidence motion in parliament failed.
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Neither the incumbent Liberal government (14 seats) nor Labor (10) got the 18 seats needed for majority at a snap poll on 19 July, meaning both parties had spent the past month courting the 11-member crossbench in an attempt to form government.
Tasmania’s governor had declared that in the absence of a confidence and supply agreement, Jeremy Rockliff would remain premier, but Winter had flagged a motion of no confidence in the Liberals on the first day of the new parliament.
None of the crossbench MPs, made up of up five Greens, five independents and one Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP, backed Winter’s bid on Tuesday. The result meant the election was declared officially lost by Labor, with party rules dictating that the leadership be automatically spilled.
Winter was criticised by several crossbench MPs on Tuesday for failing to compromise during policy negotiations.
The Liberals made a number of concessions to the largely left-leaning crossbench, including a pledge to ban greyhound racing and review salmon farming.
Labor suffered a 3% swing against it at the election and picked up 25.9% of the primary vote, the party’s worst election result in more than a century.
Winter, who assumed the Labor leadership 16 months ago, said he took “full responsibility” for the election result and said it was “understandable” the party wanted a new leader.
He accused Rockliff of selling out workers by shifting policy positions.
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“Some say that politics is the art of compromise, but compromise does not and should not mean capitulation,” said Winter, who will continue as an MP for the seat of Franklin.
Willie, from the party’s left faction, was a teacher before entering politics and spent eight years in the upper house before being elected to the lower house in 2024.
Janie Finlay was elected deputy leader, replacing Anita Dow.
The Greens and several independents said they lacked faith in the Liberals, but had less faith that Labor could form a workable government.
Rockliff said it was time to “get on with the job” and that policy shifts were a recognition of a minority government.
Tasmania’s fourth election in seven years was triggered after Rockliff lost a no-confidence motion in June that criticised the state’s ballooning budget debt.
