How did we end up here… again?

Another election. Another $20 million or so thrown around. Another round of promises that won’t last the life of your average lettuce in the fridge.

If you’re wondering how Tasmania, a state with a health system on its knees, housing we can’t afford, and a budget being balanced with Monopoly money, has once again found itself in the middle of a political soap opera, you’re not alone.

Let’s rewind.

Last time around, Jeremy Rockliff promised “stability.” A “majority government.” Strong leadership. What we got was anything but.

Almost as soon as the ink was dry on the last campaign posters, the chaos began. MPs walked. The numbers didn’t add up. Internal factions fought like kids over the last Tim Tam. Rockliff clung on by striking a deal with independents, only for that to collapse faster than the English batting line up.

Then came the “reset.” But let’s be honest — pressing reset without changing the batteries doesn’t fix anything.

We got ministerial manoeuvres that looked more like a game of musical chairs than actual leadership. We got a promise to cut red tape. We got $100 meal vouchers. We saw pollies at Bridgewater Bridge clambering for photo ops.

Yet the budget, the pesky budget and its finer details, derailed all of this. When the budget was delivered with a straight bat by the Treasurer,

And when things got tough? The answer wasn’t governing, it was calling another election. Like last time, Rocky decides he’s had enough and blames everyone but himself.

Because when you’re out of ideas, you fall back on slogans. And hope the public’s forgotten who made the mess in the first place. And when they fail, you hurl insults. “Wrecker” being the one that is being thrown at Dean Winter.

As for Dean Winter, I don’t blame him for pulling the rug under the government for not addressing the debt in the budget. But what now?

Let’s be clear: This isn’t normal. Stable governments don’t go to the polls every time they drop the ball. Functional leadership doesn’t rely on hoping people are too tired or too confused to care.

This isn’t about Left or Right.

It’s about basic competence. It’s about accountability.

It’s about who you trust to actually turn up, do the job, and put the state ahead of their political career.

You deserve better than this.

Tasmania deserves better than this.