By Rich Bowden:
Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim has turned down an offer from Premier David Bartlett to serve in his Labor ministry.
McKim told reporters a short time ago that the Sunday deadline to accept the offer had not been long enough and he believed the one Green portfolio offered was inadequate.
“It fails to provide for stable government in the current circumstances,” he said in Hobart today.
Tasmania has been in a state of political limbo since last month’s election saw a hung Parliament with ten Labor, ten Liberal and five Greens seats.
The Governor, Peter Underwood, instructed the incumbent premier Mr Bartlett to form a labor Government after Mr McKim said he would not support a no confidence motion against a Labor Government. The Governor appeared swayed by this announcement, deciding that Labor had the best option to form a stable Government.
He handed the mandate to Mr Bartlett who, after a week of negotiations, invited Mr McKim to join his front bench.
Mr McKim said that, though he rejected the offer, negotiations were ongoing.
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It is more than appropriate for the Tasmanian Greens to reject the offer which would essentially pit the Greens against the Greens in a tricky and sneaky move by Bartlett. The Tasmanian Greens seem to be doing exactly what they should be doing in this kind of situation. They haven't dismissed the pledge to not put or support no confidence motions. The reported offer sounded too unworkable for any political party to accept.
Although I maintain that a rosy relationship between the Labor and Liberal parties will eventuate.
Good point Alex. It appears McKim is trying to avoid the previous (disastrous) accord between Labor and Greens in Tas where the Greens were blamed for the Government's fall despite numerous broken promises by Labor.
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