Jacqui Lambie Network trio flag intention to renegotiate deal with Tasmanian Liberal government

Andrew Jenner, Miriam Beswick and Rebekah Pentland want to renegotiate their deal with the Tasmanian government when it expires.  (ABC News: Luke Bowden)

The Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) will attempt to remove restrictions on how its three MPs can vote, when it renegotiates its deal with the Tasmanian government next year.

The JLN signed an agreement with Premier Jeremy Rockliff for confidence and supply in April, which included voting with the minority government on binding motions.

The MPs — Andrew Jenner in Lyons, Rebekah Pentland in Bass and Miriam Beswick in Braddon — must also give the government 24 hours notice if they plan to vote against it in a foreshadowed debate.

It was much more restrictive than agreements signed by other Tasmanian Independent MPs David O'Byrne and Kristie Johnston, who retained their right to support no confidence motions.

The agreement appeared to fly in the face of the platform of accountability, transparency and integrity that the JLN members came into parliament on.

Mr Jenner told the ABC, with the current agreement set to expire next April, he wanted to negotiate a new deal similar to the ones Ms Johnston and Mr O'Byrne signed.

"There's no reason why we shouldn't, you know, we're independents as well," he said.

With a few months of parliamentary experience now under their belts, Mr Jenner said he expected the government to support their renegotiation bid.

"I don't think there'll be any pushback from [the government], I think they'd be quite happy to renegotiate, knowing how we work together."

No intention to tear up deal before it expires

Despite their desire to negotiate a new deal, Mr Jenner said the party would not attempt to tear up the current agreement before it expires in April next year.

"We want a stable government, the economy needs it," Mr Jenner said.

"The last thing we want to do in Tasmania is make it unbalanced."

Asked if the JLN MPs were bound by party leader Senator Jacqui Lambie on how they should vote in the meantime, Mr Jenner said there was a separation between state and federal decision making.

"Jacqui was really helpful, she was giving us the steer, but she made it quite clear to us that we get to stand our own two feet," he said.

"I guess we're just trying to flex that bit of muscle and stand on our own on state issues, Jacqui helps us with any anything federal."

Labor's Josh Willie said the Lambie's plan would be destabilising for the minority Rockliff government.

"This has all the makings of chaos and it's extremely worrying for Tasmanians because this destabilisation is bad for business confidence, its bad for the economy," Mr Willie said.

"It's almost at a point where the government can't turn this around."

Liberal MP Felix Ellis said the government will continue to work closely with the JLN.

"This deal is something that we expect will be continuously improved on," Mr Ellis said.

"We think that there's more opportunity to increase collegiality."

Deal with Rockliff Liberals criticised

The deal was widely criticised at the time for its restrictive nature, and the relatively few concessions the JLN received in return.

The current deal means the Lambies can't support a motion that orders the government to produce a document, make more information public, or spend money on a particular project.

They also have to support the Liberal government on things such as whether committees should be established, and how many questions government MPs get to ask in question time.

As part of the deal, Premier Jeremy Rockliff agreed to review the Integrity Commission and Right to Information process — both "with an eye" to improving processes and transparency.

When the agreement was first signed, constitutional law specialist Anne Twomey described the limits placed on the JLN MPs as "pretty extreme".

Mr Jenner conceded in May that the deal they signed "wasn't the best".

But the JLN members remain adamant that they have retained an independent voice in Tasmania's political landscape.

"We're under the JLN umbrella, but we're three individuals that vote for transparency and accountability," Ms Pentland said.

"I think that's why Tasmanians voted us in."

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