Supporting responsible government during an election
By convention, during the period leading up to a general election for the Tasmanian Parliament's House of Assembly, the Tasmanian Government assumes a caretaker role.
The caretaker period recognises that:
- with the expiration or dissolution of the House of Assembly, executive government cannot be held accountable for its decisions in the normal manner
- every general election carries the possibility of a change of government.
In general terms, the caretaker period begins when the House of Assembly is dissolved or expires and ends when the election result is clear or, if there is a change of government, until the new government is appointed.
Guidelines during the caretaker period
At the start of the caretaker period, the Premier writes to ministers advising them of their role as the caretaker government and provides them with caretaker guidelines.
The Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet writes to all heads of agency advising them of the start of the caretaker period and the caretaker conventions apply to all agency activities. A letter is also sent to Government Business Enterprises, State-owned Companies and other statutory entities advising them of their obligations during the caretaker period.
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