Quitters would be prevented from “stealing” majority government from Tasmanians under a proposal to force MPs out of parliament when they quit their party.

The move against defectors was revealed just six days from the state election by Premier Jeremy Rockliff, whose Liberal government has spent 10 months in minority after two MPs headed for the crossbench.

Then-premier Peter Gutwein was also relegated to minority government in 2021 after Sue Hickey quit the Liberals when not re-endorsed as a candidate for the forthcoming election.

Under Tasmania’s political system, resignations from parliament force a seat recount that is usually won by another candidate of the same party.

But by sticking around on the crossbench, MPs who quit ignore how they made it to parliament, “turn their backs on their party and its volunteers, and cause chaos”, Mr Rockliff said on Sunday.

‘Clearly untenable’

“This situation is clearly untenable, unfair and lacking integrity on the part of these ‘renegade’ MPs,” the Premier said.

“Tasmanians deserve to have the government they voted for.”

Tasmanians have voted for a majority Liberal government at the past two elections.

“But this has been stolen away by individual MPs resigning from their parties and continuing to sit in the parliament as independents,” Mr Rockliff said.

The state’s Constitution Act would be amended to include a so-called stability clause but any such change would face a considerable hurdle, Mr Rockliff said.

A majority vote across both houses would be required and the Liberals currently only hold four out of 15 seats in the upper house.

Nevertheless, the premier vowed to introduce the legislation this year if returned with a majority, with the plan for it to take affect next term.

Attorney-General Guy Barnett said a similar stability clause already exists in New Zealand, which also has a proportional representation electoral system.

The poll was triggered a year ahead of schedule after Mr Rockliff failed to resolve a stand-off with John Tucker and Lara Alexander, who quit the Liberals over Tasmania’s deal for an AFL team and stadium.

Mr Tucker suggested Mr Rockliff’s plan would be a corruption of parliamentary democracy.

‘Grab for total control’

“It will be Rocky’s rule or else,” he said.

“This outrageous grab for total control follows a pattern of dictatorial behaviour by a premier who was not elected by the people but demands total subservience on the basis of the huge vote for Peter Gutwein.”

Ms Hickey was similarly scathing of the proposed rule on party quitters.

“This has all the appearance of Donald Trump’s desired American dictatorship or Putin’s Russia, where if you don’t do what the leader says, you are cast aside,” she said.

The Greens lambasted it as “nothing more than a ridiculous and desperate election ploy”.

“It’s an admission from the Premier that, if re-elected, he has no confidence in his own ability to control his party room, and no confidence in the candidates he has preselected,” party leader Rosalie Woodruff said.

Lonely in the party room

Labor candidate for Franklin Dean Winter questioned if former senator turned Liberal candidate Eric Abetz would fall under the clause given his views on conversion therapy.

“Jeremy Rockliff could soon end up all by himself in the party room,” he said.

Recent polls have suggested neither the Liberals nor Labor will reach the required 18 seats to form a majority government on Saturday.

The Greens, who have two incumbent MPs, are chasing a balance-of-power position while the Jacqui Lambie Network and a host of independents are firmly in the mix.

-AAP