Review of upcoming legislation for Tasmanian Parliament in 2021

Much of the parliamentary business planned for 2020 was sidelined as the state grappled with the coronavirus pandemic.

This year will mark the final year for the government's second term and give it an opportunity to catch up on the legislative agenda.

The first order of business for the House of Assembly this year will debate over voluntary assisted dying laws.

The bill of more than 140 clauses passed through the Legislative Council late last year.

Second reading speeches of the bill were progressed in the lower house in the final sitting days of 2020 with a majority of members expressing support for the bill.

Under the proposed laws, a person over the age of 18 must have a prognosis of an expected death within six months or 12 months for a neurodegenerative condition to access voluntary assisted dying.

Long-awaited electoral donation reforms are expected to be debated this year.

The government had been quiet on the issue over 2020 when pressed, arguing the coronavirus pandemic had precedence over the matter.

During the year, Labor moved a private member's bill which would require all political donations for candidates from a single donor which add up to more than $1000 to be disclosed within 30 days.

Foreign donations of more than $1000 will be prohibited.

There will be a $100,000 campaign expenditure limit for House of Assembly party candidates and a $120,000 limit for non-party candidates.

The government is yet to release its draft bill.

Proposed laws to impose mandatory sentences on perpetrators of serious child sexual abuse crimes failed to get through Parliament for a third time in 2020.

When the bill was defeated in the upper house last month, Attorney-General Elise Archer said the government would continue to put the bill before Parliament.

With an election due in March 2022 - if not called earlier - the bill is likely to be brought before the House of Assembly for a fourth time since 2017.

Under the bill, an offender would receive four years' jail for rape where a victim is under 17 years and two years' jail for sexual intercourse with a young person where there were aggravating circumstances.

The Legislative Council is set to again consider anti-protest legislation which was passed in the lower house in 2019.

This was after original anti-protest legislation was overturned by the High Court in 2017.

The laws are seen as an attack on environmental activists in particular.

The government has argued the legislation is not about shutting down peaceful protest, rather it is about providing protection for workers' rights and for businesses against disruptions.

Labor voted against the bill in 2019 while independent Madeleine Ogilvie supported it.

The government is likely to bring on a bill to legislative the future of gaming in Tasmania before the 2022 election.

It announced in the 2018 election that it would end exclusivity arrangements with the Federal Group to conduct casino operations, conduct keno games, and operate electronic gaming machines.

This is due to expire in 2023.

Under the Liberals' policy, there will be an increase to taxes applied to profits derived from electronic gaming machines and venues will be able to apply for individual licences for the machines.

Finance Minister Michael Ferguson in March announced the government's gaming policy would be deferred and progressed when the time was right.

The Greens will this year bring on a bill to restore the House of Assembly to 35 seats.

An inquiry in 2019 on the lower house's numbers heard the reduction in 1998 had negatively impacted parliamentary work and constituency representation.

Treasury has estimated the move would involve a one-off cost of $5.8 million and an ongoing cost of $6.1 million a year.

The Legislative Council in 2017 backed a motion which called on the government formed after the 2018 election to examine the size of Parliament.

Three upper house seats are up for election this year.

They are Windermere, which has been held by independent Ivan Dean since 2003, Mersey, which has been held by independent Mike Gaffney since 2009, and Derwent, which has been held by Labor's Craig Farrell since 2011.

Less than half of the chamber's representation is independent.