Tasmania plunged into minority government, Premier vows to fight on

This means they will return to parliament later in the month as independents and the Liberals will be left with 11 seats in the 25-seat House of Assembly.

At a press conference in Launceston in the morning, Mr Tucker listed a number of concerns which had led to their decision to resign, including the state government's support for a new $715 million stadium, the Marinus Link project, and the fact the duo had not been privy to associated contracts and agreements.

He also said the state's mounting debt had prompted his decision.

Mr Tucker said the pair had been in discussions over their concerns with the government's direction over the past six to eight months.

He said he and Ms Alexander would guarantee the government supply on the floor of the house.

The duo said they would not support any votes of no-confidence at this stage.

"We do not want to derail the state, we do not want to create more anxiety," Ms Alexander said.

Mr Tucker added guarantee of supply depended on the Premier being transparent over the stadium funding and the Marinus Link project, in particular.

"We're not planning on bringing the government down," he said.

"I hope that Jeremy Rockliff stays as premier.

"If the Premier doesnt meet our terms, which are about transparency with the stadium and also with Marinus Link - and that means releasing the contracts or everything thats been involved the deals with the federal government - then we would have to reconsider our position."

Mr Tucker said he wanted approval for the stadium project to be assessed in Parliament.

"We want to ensure to the Tasmanian taxpayers that this stadium doesn't become a nightmare for them going forward as we go forward in the future generations," he said.

Ms Alexander said the pair wanted to understand exactly how the Tasmanian AFL team bid became packaged with a stadium proposal.

"We dont want to kill football in the state, we just want for people to understand the details of how we arrived at a package," she said.

Mr Tucker added:

"We want to ensure that the AFL dream does not become a nightmare for the taxpayer."

When asked about the Premier's reaction to her resignation, Ms Alexander said Jeremy Rockliff did not express surprise.

She said some of the decisions made under Mr Rockliff's government had conflicted with her personal values.

"I cannot just stand back quietly in view of this magnitude of debt," Ms Alexander said.

"It is a very difficult decision, but I feel I have to do it.

"We asking for more transparency and everything to be clearly articulated for the Tasmanian community to understand, especially around this very, very big project which is for stadium.

"I think the critical thing is for the Liberal Party to get back to the bread-and-butter issues."

Mr Tucker has been overlooked for ministerial roles three times due to resignations from cabinet and parliament.

He said the decision to leave the party was not predicated on the promotion of others over him, saying a landclearing issue that was before court at the time precluded his opportunity to ascend to cabinet.

Mr Tucker said he didn't believe he'd rejoin the party sometime in the future.

"What the future holds, I don't know, but usually when you become an independent, and Lara and I are well aware of this, there's no going back," he said.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff has ruled out calling an early election now that his government was in minority.

Mr Rockliff on Friday said he was disappointed that backbenchers Lara Alexander and John Tucker had tendered resignations from the party to him that morning.

He said he would not call an early election under the circumstances and was confident the Liberals would be returned to office in the 2025 election.

This election will be the first time Tasmanians vote for a 35-member house since 1998 after it was reduced to 25 members.

Former premier Peter Gutwein in the lead-up to the last state election famously said he would govern in majority or not at all.

Mr Rockliff said this was not the position he would take now his government was in minority.

"You would understand that this is a very disappointing day for me," he said.

"I've been let down by colleagues that were elected Liberals in 2021, but I've got a job to do.

"I've got to stand up and represent Tasmanians in the best way I can and that means reaching across the parliament to all members and ensuring that we all have that collective responsibility to govern in the best interests of all Tasmanians."

In response to demands issued by Ms Alexander and Mr Tucker, Mr Rockliff said he did not believe they had been "well-articulated".

"I am not going to be pushed over or pushed in a corner," he said.

Mr Rockliff said he had spoken to his parliamentary party colleagues over the morning who had each indicated their ongoing support for himself and Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson.

"We have always enjoyed good discussions within our team," he said.

"All our team have the opportunity to express themselves make their views well known and they do."

Mr Ferguson was a leadership rival to Mr Rockliff following the resignation of Mr Gutwein in 2022.

Mr Ferguson said he would continue to support Mr Rockliff as leader.

"The Premier will continue to enjoy in me a very loyal and supportive deputy," he said.

"I stand here to support our Premier to show all Tasmanians that we need to get behind our Premier and stay there because our plan is working."

Mr Ferguson said he was "gutted" by the decision made by his former colleagues.

"Im really upset about it - I'm more than disappointed - but it is their decision," he said.

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Michael Bailey has urged parliamentarians to work in the best interests of the community and not themselves under a minority government arrangement.

"The business community and the broader community both need certainty that their government is getting on with the job of providing the strong leadership that the state needs," he said.