Speaker Sue Hickey has defended her decision to vote against mandatory sentences for serious child-sex offenders as survivors of sexual abuse condemn her vote.
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Ms Hickey said the Parliament had an opportunity to establish a committee to "work together to improve the bill but the Government voted against it".
"Mandatory sentencing undermines the separation of powers that ensures the independence of the legal system," she said.
"Parliament should never make laws based on popular opinion...it should only be on informed advice.
"It would have been much easier for me to have supported a 'populist policy' but it is braver and more true to my conscience to not support this bill in its current form."
Survivor and Beyond Abuse founder Steve Fisher said survivors were "in shock" after the vote in Parliament on Wednesday night.
"We're very surprised and disappointed," Mr Fisher said.
"Sue Hickey is basically running the Parliament, it's crazy.
"We need mandatory sentencing because otherwise people will not come forward if they know the perpetrator will not have to pay for what they have done."
Mr Fisher was particularly critical of the Labor Party for not supporting the legislation.
"We are shocked, saddened and downright angry that after speaking to the Labor Party and being promised a meeting to discuss Labor's position on mandatory sentencing that, in a matter of hours they garnered enough support to vote this crucial bill down," he said.
"This is one of the more untrustworthy things we have seen from a political party in the last 20 years and the question remains as to whether they have any regard for the wishes of survivors and the general public in Tasmania.
"Labor, the Greens and Sue Hickey have let down all survivors of child sexual abuse."
The government's bill would have imposed minimum sentences of four years for the crime of rape when a victim is under 17 and four years for maintaining a relationship with a person under the age of 17 in aggravating circumstances.