TASMANIANS will head to the next state election still voting for a 25-seat Parliament.
The Mercury understands Premier Lara Giddings has told the Tasmanian Greens a proposal to increase the number of Lower House MPs by 10 to 35 will not be supported by Labor.
The proposal has been strongly pushed by the Greens and was previously supported by all three political parties.
But the precarious nature of the State Budget, to be delivered on May 23, is understood to be the catalyst for Labor telling the Greens it will no longer support the proposal. Lifting the number of MPs by 10 would cost the state about $3 million a year.
Neither Ms Giddings nor Greens leader Nick McKim would confirm yesterday that they have discussed the proposal.
But the move would frustrate Mr McKim, who has long campaigned to restore the size of Parliament. It was reduced to 25 members in 1998 in what is widely regarded as a ploy by Labor and the Liberals to reduce the influence of the Greens in the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Mr McKim said yesterday he was still determined to push forward with his legislation to boost numbers.
Ms Giddings has consistently said Labor would support a move to increase the size of Parliament, if there was $3 million a year spare in the Budget to pay for the extra politicians.
"I believe with the strong economic management and budget management that we're putting in place that we will see that pathway towards a surplus being there for us to be able to consider having the next election under a 35-seat model," Ms Giddings said in January last year.
Yesterday Ms Giddings said she still supported an increase in principle and that the Government's position on the issue had not changed.
But she added: "We won't be supporting any moves to increase the size of Parliament until we are confident the Budget is heading in the right direction."
matthew.smith@news.com.au
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