Sue Hickey, the maverick Speaker of the House of Assembly, has confirmed she will run as an independent candidate for Clark at the next state election, after being spurned by the Liberal Party ahead of its preselection process.
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Her announcement on Monday - which effectively plunges the state government into minority - came a day after Premier Peter Gutwein met Ms Hickey to inform her she wouldn't be reendorsed as a Liberal candidate as she had neither the support of the party membership nor of himself as party leader.
The ostracism of Ms Hickey can be traced to her elevation to the Speakership in 2018. Labor and the Greens joined forces to orchestrate a stunning coup which saw Ms Hickey take the role over the government's own nomination: former Liberal leader Rene Hidding.
As Speaker, Ms Hickey has occasionally used her casting vote to vote against government legislation.
"I've done things in public life because I believe in them, not because it's sanctioned by a party where if you don't support the group-think you're an outcast," she said on Monday.
"If you share my values, ideas and passion, I ask you to join me on this next exciting stage of my journey.
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"It's been a tough three years - I have had to live with things on my watch that I'm not happy with and have been outcast whenever I've said what I really think.
"So it's rather liberating - I now have this weight off my shoulders."
Ms Hickey said she would continue to provide confidence and supply to the government.
The Premier, meanwhile, said the situation with Ms Hickey had taken the government into "new territory" and did not rule out calling an early election to address any issues that may arise as a result of the government's newfound minority status.
"That will depend on what occurs in the parliament with Ms Hickey moving forward," he said.
"As I've said, we are in new territory. But I made it clear last week - I have an open mind in terms of an election and that Tasmania would have an election when it needs one."
Labor frontbencher David O'Byrne said it was clear Mr Gutwein had merely been "papering over the cracks of division inside the Liberal Party" since he became Premier early last year.
When asked whether the Opposition would attempt to test the government's numbers on the floor of the house when parliament resumed on Tuesday, Mr O'Byrne said Labor would be focusing on the issues confronting Tasmania, adding, "We're not going to telegraph what we're going to do tactically".
"We're not going to be distracted by a government that's lost the numbers on the floor of the house, that is hopelessly divided and not focused on what Tasmania needs," he said.
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Rob Inglis
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
Rob Inglis is a reporter with The Examiner, covering state and federal politics. He is based in Hobart.
