King Island is famous for its cheese. Credit:George Fetting King Islander Jill Munro said two petitions were being drafted, one for Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman​ calling for the mayor and council's general manager to be stood down. The petition will call for an administrator to be put in place and for the King Island shipping group to be re-established. She said the second will be directed to the Prime Minister and the Queen, calling for a secession. "For years and years, King Island has been one of the three top producers in Tasmania. We have always been industrious, we have been world famous for our butter, our crayfish, our beef and now we have the best golf courses," Ms Munro said. "All we ask for is a little bit of respect, we are not getting this from the Tasmanian Government."

Australia's red meat industry sees significant potential export opportunities in Britain after Brexit. Credit:Cody Whiteman When asked if the petition was a serious bid to secede, Ms Munro said "try us and see". The Tasmanian government has provided a short-term shipping service to King Island, after the SeaRoad Mersey service ended in April. King Island's golf courses attract tourists from around the world. However, the temporary solution has raised concerns in the community over the ship's small size, reliability and its ability to handle the rough seas of Bass Strait.

Businesses on the island have been struggling ever since the temporary shipping service to King Island began. Manager of the Grassy Club Kayla Jones told The Advocate her deliveries no longer came every week and the club had been running out of beer between shipments. "We're getting to the stage where we're just running out," she said. "We're quite a small business … we've got a budget, bills to pay. I can't go overboard and buy extra stuff for when the boat tries to bring it over." King Island mayor Duncan McFie said he would hold meetings with community members this week to discuss the challenges facing the island.

"King Island Council has come in for a fair bit of stick recently but we'll not shy away from engaging and listening to a range of constructive ideas suggested by our free thinking and creative community," he said. He said secession had become a "bar room favourite" on King Island, and said locals needed to "concentrate our energies at the moment on the important issues". On Wednesday, Tasmania's Shadow Treasurer Scott Bacon said King Island was far too important for Tasmania to lose. "Its fresh produce and golf courses are the envy on the world," he said. But, Mr Bacon said, the government in Hobart was "putting it all at risk by treating people on the island like second-class citizens".

Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff visited King Island on Tuesday and held several meetings with local producers and island community groups. On Wednesday morning, Mr Rockliff said the government was open to investing in a "purpose-built ship that suited the island", which he said could be up and running within 18 months. "What the islanders want is a reliable, regular shipping service and this is what the government wants, and we agree on it. "We've got a short term solution at this present time and we recognise that it's not the right solution for the long term."

King Island's secession would not be without precedent; Macquarie Island transferred from NSW to Tasmania in 1890. But for the island to successfully secede from Tasmania, it would need the support of both state parliaments and both electorates, University of Tasmania constitutional law lecturer Michael Stokes said. "The Parliament of Tasmania would have to vote in support, there would have to be a referendum in Tasmania and the majority approve the leaving and the Commonwealth would need to pass legislation altering the limits of Tasmania," Mr Stokes said. "The process then would be the same for King Island to join Victoria. "In practicality I think you would find the Tasmanian electorate wouldn't support it; it would be seen as a land grab by Victoria," he said.

With The Advocate and AAP