By Felicity Ogilvie
The Tasmanian Greens say they are excited to be in cabinet for the first time in Australian history, but not everyone in the state, or even their party room, shares the enthusiasm.
Labor has given the Greens two cabinet positions which will bind those Greens to most government policies.
The Tasmanian Liberals say they are the only Opposition party in the state now that Labor and the Greens leader have done a deal.
The Liberals are not the only politicians unhappy though - one Green, Kim Booth, voted against the agreement because he said the Labor Government had been corrupt.
Under the deal, Greens leader Nick McKim will become a minister and his colleague Cassy O'Connor, who is also Mr McKim's partner, will become a Cabinet secretary.
"This is an historic opportunity for Tasmania and for the Greens and Labor parties," Mr McKim said.
"We are committed to making this work. We have no doubt that we have an active and constructive role to play in this government".
In return the two Greens are expected to vote with the Government, except on matters deemed to be of significant concern to them.
The deal requires Mr McKim and Ms O'Connor to use their best endeavours to persuade all other members of their party to also support the Government.
Premier David Bartlett has said throughout the negotiations he is not doing a deal.
But Tasmanian Liberal Leader Will Hodgman says the Premier has put together a coalition with the Greens.
"Our job is to be a responsible, constructive yet incisive Opposition party to hold this new Labor-Green Government to account," he said.
"No longer can Mr McKim claim to have any role in opposition. He is now part of this Government and it's his responsibility collectively with Mr Bartlett and the rest of them to make it work".
Not happy
Several Labor MPs are privately unhappy about having Greens in Cabinet, and even the Greens are not too sure.
This afternoon Mr McKim revealed Mr Booth had voted against the deal.
"The party room has given authority for me to confirm that Mr Booth did dissent from that decision and we've given Mr Booth obviously the capacity to speak about that today," he said.
Mr Booth said his conscience would not allow him to support a deal with Labor.
"Particularly the Bartlett-Lennon years have been some of the most corrupt, dishonest, destabilising periods of governments, governance in Tasmania's history and a Premier that serially misled the House and the public," Mr Booth said.
"And my role in unearthing corruption in particular and the fact that many of the people that I've heavily criticised and I made very strong statements about in the Parliament would still be forming part of a new Bartlett Labor Government.
"I made it very clear at the beginning of our discussions in the party room that I would not accept an offer were it to be made by David Bartlett because I couldn't in conscience sit in a government with them".
Mr Booth would have liked to talk to the Liberals, but Mr Hodgman has refused to call the Greens.
"I know there are serious ructions in both the Labor and Green camps because they've been talking to us," Mr Hodgman said.
"They are distressed that their leaders have sold out their parties for power grabbing purposes; not for the interests of Tasmanians.
"And there will be many thousands of Tasmanians who made their votes on March 20 on the basis of what both Mr McKim and Mr Bartlett have said.
"They will also be very annoyed, perhaps disgusted, that both leaders have been prepared to compromise what they said for their own power-grabbing purposes.
"The most important thing in my view is retaining a degree of integrity out of this very sordid mess. Tasmanians can be confident that one political leader and his colleagues have stood by what they said".
The Labor and Green ministers will be sworn in at Government House on Wednesday.
ABC News Australia
