2008 Australian Capital Territory general election

Last updated

2008 Australian Capital Territory general election
Flag of the Australian Capital Territory.svg
  2004 18 October 2008 2012  

All 17 seats of the unicameral Legislative Assembly
9 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout90.4 (Decrease2.svg 2.4 pp)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  JonStanhope2006.jpg Zed Seselja.jpg ACT Greens Parliamentary Convenor Meredith Hunter.JPG
Leader Jon Stanhope Zed Seselja Meredith Hunter
Party Labor Liberal Greens
Leader since19 March 199813 December 2007October 2008
Leader's seat Ginninderra Molonglo Ginninderra
Last election9 seats7 seats1 seat
Seats won764
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 1Increase2.svg 3
Popular vote79,12666,85533,057
Percentage37.4%31.6%15.6%
SwingDecrease2.svg 9.4Decrease2.svg 3.2Increase2.svg 6.3

2008 Australian Capital Territory general election.svg
Results by electorate

Chief Minister before election

Jon Stanhope
Labor

Resulting Chief Minister

Jon Stanhope
Labor

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 18 October 2008. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Zed Seselja. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single transferable vote method, known as the Hare-Clark system. The result was another hung parliament with Labor winning seven seats, the Liberals six seats and the Greens finishing with four seats, giving the Greens the balance of power in the 17-member unicameral Assembly. [1] [2] [3] [4] On 31 October 2008, after almost two weeks of deliberations, the Greens chose to support a Labor minority government. [5] [6] [7] Consequently, Labor was re-elected to a third consecutive term of government in the ACT. Stanhope was elected Chief Minister at the first sitting of the seventh Assembly on 5 November 2008. [8] The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission.

Contents

Key dates

[9]

Overview

The incumbent centre-left Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, attempted to win re-election for a third term after coming to power in 2001. They were challenged by the opposition centre-right Liberal Party, led by Zed Seselja, who assumed the Liberal leadership in December 2007. A third party, the ACT Greens, held one seat in the Assembly through retiring MLA Deb Foskey.

The election saw all 17 members of the Assembly face re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. The Assembly is divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella (including Tuggeranong and parts of the Woden Valley) and Ginninderra (including Belconnen and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo (including North Canberra, South Canberra, Gungahlin, Weston Creek, and the remainder of the Woden Valley). Election dates are set in statute to occur once every four years; the government has no ability to set the election date.

Following the 2004 election outcome, Labor held 9 seats, becoming the first majority government in the territory's history. The opposition Liberal Party held 7 seats, with the Greens holding a further one. The Liberal numbers in the Assembly dropped to six in December 2007 when former Shadow Treasurer Richard Mulcahy was expelled from the party and began sitting as an independent. The opposition thus would have needed to win a further three seats, on top of regaining Mulcahy's seat, to hold government in its own right.

The Liberal campaign suffered early problems in February 2008 when a number of prominent Liberal Party and business figures, including popular former Chief Minister Kate Carnell and high-profile businessman and former party finance director Jim Murphy, relaunched the 250 Club, previously a Liberal fundraising group, as the independent Canberra Business Club. The new organisation pledged to support minor party and independent pro-business candidates in the election, citing their disillusion with both major parties and the need for a third political force in the Assembly. [10] At the same time, their best prospect for winning Mulcahy's seat of Molonglo, the Liberal candidate for Fraser in the previous Federal election, Troy Williams, withdrew.[ citation needed ]

Polling

Conducted by Patterson Market Research, and published in The Canberra Times, polling released on 4 October suggested the Green vote had doubled to tripled since the last election, at the expense of Labor, with the Liberal vote relatively unchanged. Commentators predicted the Greens would hold the balance of power and decide who forms government. The Greens stated they were willing to court both major parties. [11] [12] [13]

Scanning of ballot papers

In the 2001 and 2004 elections, after the first manual count of paper ballots the preferences were data entered for distribution. For the 2008 election, paper ballots were scanned and character recognition software used to identify preferences. Any preferences that could not be identified by the software were entered manually. [14]

Candidates

[15] Sitting members at the time of the election are listed in bold. Tickets that elected at least one MLA are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Retiring Members

Labor

Liberal

Greens

Brindabella

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending three seats. The Liberal Party was defending two seats.

Labor candidates Liberal candidates Greens candidates Motorist candidates CAP candidates
  

Joy Burch*
Mick Gentleman
John Hargreaves *
Tracey Macket
Wayne Sievers

Steve Doszpot*
David Morgan
Steve Pratt
Audrey Ray
Brendan Smyth *

Amanda Bresnan*
Sue Ellerman

Ben Doble
Burl Doble
Brian McLachlan
Geoff Rake
Bruce Ritchie

Val Jeffery
James Sizer

Ginninderra

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending three seats. The Liberal Party was defending two seats.

Labor candidates Liberal candidates Greens candidates Motorist candidates CAP candidatesUngrouped candidates
   

Chris Bourke
Adina Cirson
Mary Porter *
Dave Peebles
Jon Stanhope *

Alistair Coe*
Vicki Dunne *
Jacqui Myers
Andrea Tokaji
Matthew Watts

James Higgins
Meredith Hunter*

Deborah Hannigan
Chris Seddon
Andrew Simmington
Denis Walford
Wayne Whiting

Mike Crowther
Roger Nicoll
Jane Tullis

Harold Hird (Ind)
Cathy McIlhoney (Ind)
Mark Parton (Ind)
Adam Verwey (Ind)
Darren Churchill (-)
Eddie Sarkis (-)
Barry Smith (Ind)

Molonglo

Seven seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending three seats. The Liberal Party was defending three seats. The Greens were defending one seat.

Labor candidates Liberal candidates Greens candidates Motorist candidates CAP candidates
  

Andrew Barr *
Eleanor Bates
Simon Corbell *
Louise Crossman
Katy Gallagher *
Mike Hettinger
David Mathews

Belinda Barnier
Jacqui Burke
Jeremy Hanson*
Giulia Jones
Gary Kent
Zed Seselja *
Clinton White

Elena Kirschbaum
Caroline Le Couteur*
Shane Rattenbury*

David Cumbers
Kim Evans
Stuart Green
Angus Laburn
Darren O'Neil
Stephen Rowland
Anthony Seddon

Alvin Hopper
Owen Saddler
Nancy-Louise Scherger
Norvan Vogt

Mulcahy candidates LDP candidatesPangallo candidatesUngrouped candidates
 

Joanne Allen
Richard Mulcahy
Ben O'Neill

David McAlary
David Pinkerton

Luciano Lombardo
Frank Pangallo
Phil Thompson

Helen Cross (Ind)
Tony Farrell (Ind)
Greg Tannahill (-)
Kerri Taranto (Ind)

Results

2008 ACT Legislative Assembly.svg
PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Labor 79,12637.39Decrease2.svg 9.457Decrease2.svg 2
Liberal 66,85531.59Increase2.svg 2.586Decrease2.svg 1
Greens 33,05715.62Increase2.svg 6.324Increase2.svg 3
Motorists 10,5534.99New0New
Community Alliance 7,7303.65New0New
Independents 6,9613.29Increase2.svg 1.440Steady2.svg 0
Pangallo Independents4,2522.01New0New
Mulcahy Canberra Party 2,3411.11New0New
Liberal Democratic Party 7740.37Decrease2.svg 0.940Steady2.svg 0
Total211,649100.0017
Valid votes211,64996.20
Invalid/blank votes8,3703.80Increase2.svg 1.1
Total votes220,019100.00
Registered voters/turnout243,47190.37Decrease2.svg 2.4
Source: [20]
Results by electorate
BrindabellaGinninderraMolonglo
PartyVotes %SeatsVotes %SeatsVotes %Seats
Labor 23,12336.5224,11940.2231,88436.13
Liberal 22,36435.3216,68327.8227,80831.52
Greens 8,60013.618,35013.9116,10718.22
Motorist Party 4,4187.003,6846.102,4512.80
Community Alliance 4,8297.601,8973.201,0041.10
Independent 5,3168.901,6451.90
Pangallo Independents4,2524.80
Mulcahy Canberra Party 2,3412.70
Liberal Democrats 7740.90
ElectorateSeats held
Brindabella      
Ginninderra      
Molonglo        

At the close of counting on election night 18 October 2008, with 82.1 per cent of the vote counted Labor had obtained 37.6 per cent of the vote across the ACT, with the Liberals at 31.1 per cent and the Greens at 15.8 per cent. Swings were recorded against both the Labor (-9.3 per cent) and Liberal (-3.7 per cent) parties with a +6.6 per cent swing towards the Greens. Labor won 7 seats, the Liberals won 6 seats, while the Greens won 4 seats, giving them the balance of power, and negotiated with both major parties for the formation of a minority government. [4] [21] After almost two weeks of deliberations, the Greens chose to form a minority government with Labor. [5] The ACT Electoral Commission determined and announced the election's final results on 25 October 2008 after distribution of preferences. [22]

In Brindabella, Labor lost one of its three seats to Greens candidate Amanda Bresnan. Government minister John Hargreaves was re-elected, but Labor backbencher Mick Gentleman was beaten by another Labor candidate, Joy Burch. For the Liberal Party, former leader Brendan Smyth was re-elected, but shadow minister Steve Pratt lost his seat to party colleague Steve Doszpot. [22]

Labor also lost a seat in Ginninderra, where Greens candidate Meredith Hunter was elected. Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and Labor MLA Mary Porter were both re-elected, and on the Liberal ticket sitting MLA Vicki Dunne was joined by Alistair Coe, who replaced retiring Bill Stefaniak. [22]

In seven-member Molonglo, the Liberals lost one seat to the Greens. Labor ministers Katy Gallagher, Andrew Barr and Simon Corbell all won re-election, as did Liberal leader Zed Seselja. Sitting MLA Jacqui Burke lost to Jeremy Hanson for the second Liberal seat. The Greens increased their representation in this seat to two, electing new MLAs Shane Rattenbury and Caroline Le Couteur, the latter at the expense of Liberal-turned-Independent MLA Richard Mulcahy. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Stanhope</span> Australian politician

Jonathan Donald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He is the only ACT Chief Minister to have governed with a majority in the ACT Assembly. From 2012 to 2014 Stanhope was Administrator of the Australian Indian Ocean Territories, which consists of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Humphries</span> Australian politician (born 1958)

Gary John Joseph Humphries is a Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. He was a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia from 2003 to 2013. He was the Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2000 to 2001; and was elected to the first parliament of the Australian Capital Territory, in 1989, later representing the Molonglo electorate until 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly</span> Unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ACT Greens</span> Political party in Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerrie Tucker</span> Australian politician

Kerrie Robyn Tucker is a former Australian politician and activist for the environment and human rights who was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens between 1995 and 2001. Tucker was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) for the Australian Greens at the 1993, 2004, and 2007 federal elections.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Australian Capital Territory general election</span>

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 20 October 2001. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Gary Humphries, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single transferable vote method, known as the Hare-Clark system. The result was another hung parliament. However Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly, formed Government with the support of the ACT Greens and Democrats. Stanhope was elected Chief Minister at the first sitting of the fifth Assembly on 12 November 2001. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission and was the first time in Australia's history that an electronic voting and counting system was used for some, but not all, polling places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Australian Capital Territory general election</span>

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 16 October 2004. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Brendan Smyth. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single transferable vote method, known as the Hare-Clark system. The result was a clear majority of nine seats in the 17-member unicameral Assembly for Labor. It marked the first and so far only time in the history of ACT self-government that one party was able to win a majority in its own right. Stanhope was elected Chief Minister at the first sitting of the sixth Assembly on 4 November 2004. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission and was the second time in Australia's history that an electronic voting and counting system was used for some, but not all, polling places, expanding on the initial trial of the system at the 2001 ACT election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molonglo electorate</span>

The Molonglo electorate was one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly between 1995 and 2016. It had seven seats, and was the largest of the three electorates in terms of population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zed Seselja</span> Australian politician

Zdenko Matthew "Zed" Seselja is an Australian politician who was a Senator for the Australian Capital Territory from 2013 to 2022, representing the Liberal Party. He was the Minister for International Development and the Pacific in the Morrison government from December 2020 to May 2022, and previously served as an assistant minister in the Morrison and Turnbull governments since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Rattenbury</span> Australian politician

Shane Stephen Rattenbury, is the Attorney-General of the ACT and former Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly, and a member of the multi-member district unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo from 2008 to 2016 and the electorate of Kurrajong since 2016 for the ACT Greens. He was the first Speaker in any Parliament in the world representing a Green political party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Bresnan</span> Australian politician

Amanda Bresnan is an Australian politician and a former member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. Bresnan was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Brindabella for the ACT Greens at the 2008 election and defeated at the 2012 election

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meredith Hunter (politician)</span> Australian politician

Meredith Hunter is an Australian former politician who was a member of the multi-member unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the ACT Greens from 2008 to 2012. She was also the Parliamentary Convenor of the ACT Greens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Le Couteur</span> Australian politician

Caroline Le Couteur is an Australian politician. She was elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens at the 2008 election and defeated at the 2012 election In October 2016, she was re-elected to the assembly representing the new electorate of Murrumbidgee, serving a single term until her retirement in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Australian Capital Territory general election</span>

Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly occurred on Saturday, 20 October 2012. The 11-year incumbent Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Katy Gallagher, won a fourth term over the main opposition Liberal Party, led by opposition leader Zed Seselja.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Australian Capital Territory general election</span>

A general election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on Saturday, 15 October 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Australian Capital Territory general election</span> General election

The 2020 Australian Capital Territory general election was held on 17 October 2020 to elect all 25 members of the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Ramsay (politician)</span> Australian politician

Gordon Ramsay is an Australian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), representing the Ginninderra electorate from 2016 to 2020. He was elected to be a Minister in the Barr government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Australian Capital Territory general election</span>

The 2024 Australian Capital Territory general election is scheduled to be held on 19 October 2024 to elect all 25 members of the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly.

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