Ultimately, the Liberals were able to hold on to a one-seat majority of 13 seats. It was the first time that a non-Labor party in Tasmania had won a third consecutive term in government since adopting the Liberal banner in 1945.[2]
Date
Under section 23 of the Constitution Act 1934, the House of Assembly was to expire four years from the return of the writs for its election. The writs for the 2018 Tasmanian state election were returned on 15 March 2018.[3] The Governor was required to writs of election between five and ten days thereafter.[4] Nominations were required to close on a date seven to 21 days after the issuance of the writ,[5] and polling day was to be a Saturday between 22 and 30 days after nominations close,[6] meaning the election was required to take place by 14 May 2022. On 26 March 2021, Premier Peter Gutwein announced a snap election for 1 May 2021.[1]
The previous election in 2018 saw the Liberal Party led by Will Hodgman retain government, winning 13 seats compared to the Labor Party's 10 seats and the Greens with 2. Despite holding a one-seat majority, the Liberal Government's choice for Speaker was rejected by the Assembly shortly after the new parliament began sitting in May 2018.[7] Liberal party member Sue Hickey was elected to the Speakership with the support of Labor and the Greens.[7] Hickey revealed she would vote independently on government bills though said she would "always support the Liberal Government" on confidence and supply.[7][8] Hickey's vote proved to be critical in several parliamentary votes opposed by the Liberal Government, most notably in advancing transgender-related birth certificate reforms and blocking legislation that would have imposed mandatory sentences for serious child sexual assaults; citing "significant concerns from the legal profession" and "unintended consequences to the detriment of the victims".[9][10]
This composition of seating arrangements ended in September 2019, when former Labor parliamentarian-turned-independent Madeleine Ogilvie replaced Labor MP Scott Bacon.[11] Meanwhile on 14 January 2020, Hodgman announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party, Premier of Tasmania and member of parliament, citing the toll of his political career on his family.[12] Mr Hodgman cited the two years left of the four year term as allowing continuing good government.[13] On 20 January, TreasurerPeter Gutwein was elected unopposed as leader of the Liberal Party, and was subsequently sworn in as Tasmania's 46th Premier later that day.[14] On 23 March 2021, only three days before Gutwein called the snap election,[1] Hickey was told by Gutwein she would not be given the support of the Liberal Party to run for re-election as a Liberal candidate in the seat of Clark.[15] Shortly thereafter Hickey quit the party to sit as an independent, which formally transitioned the Liberals into a minority government.[16] Hickey also confirmed she would run for re-election as an independent candidate.[17] On 28 March, two days after the election was called[1] and the House of Assembly was dissolved,[18] Ogilvie announced she had become a member of the Liberal Party and would run for re-election in Clark as a Liberal candidate.[19][20][21][22]
Changes in parliamentary composition
Since the 2018 election, there were a number of changes within the Tasmanian Parliament that effected the balance of power in the chamber.
The Jacqui Lambie Network was also a registered party for state elections in Tasmania, but did not contest this election.[23]
Campaign
Former Labor premier David Bartlett supported the preselection of Dean Winter for Labor, who was initially denied a spot on the party's ticket.
Controversies occurred with preselections for both political parties. Factional infighting within the Labor Party resulted in Kingborough mayor Dean Winter being initially denied preselection in the seat of Franklin, with the Labor Left rumoured to be opposed to him becoming a candidate. Former Labor premier David Bartlett labelled Winter an "outstanding candidate", and that by not preselecting him, Labor was effectively conceding the election.[24] Winter was ultimately preselected as the sixth candidate for Franklin, following intervention from the party's national executive.[25]
It was also uncovered that one of five Liberal Party candidates for Franklin, Dean Ewington, had labelled climate activist Greta Thunberg an "autistic 15-year-old" who made "hysterical rants", and said that "this whole thing is more like a doomsday cult than a scientific debate at times" when referring to climate change. This was criticised by Autism Tasmania chief executive Donna Blanchard, who said that Ewington needs to "inform themselves more and represent us better", and that his statements demonstrated "poor judgement".[26]
Ewington was also discovered to have attended an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on 20 March 2021, 8 days before his preselection for the Liberals, and saying on 20 September 2020 that "some of these silly restrictions we're living under at the moment don't make any sense and simply can't be justified". Greens MHA and epidemiologist Rosalie Woodruff called for the removal of Ewington as a Liberal candidate, calling him a "climate denier and COVID denier".
Peter Gutwein, in response, said that "We always go through a vetting process for our candidates. They have to provide detailed information as part of the process. That's something that has been undertaken as it would be in previous elections," and a Liberal Party spokesperson told ABC News that "Mr Ewington's views on COVID restrictions are well known and a matter of public record." Ewington resigned as a candidate on 31 March 2021, citing "irreconcilable differences" in regards to his views on COVID-19.[27] Mr Ewington claimed that he had been denied his right to free speech after reiterating his claims regarding pandemic mitigation.
A New Zealand pokie machine.
On 31 March 2021, it was announced that Labor would be reversing the policy they had run on at the previous election in regards to pokie machines. Labor had previously pledged in 2018 to confine pokie machines to casinos, but according to a new agreement between the Labor Party and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association — which is an industry group for restaurants, pubs and clubs — Labor will support the rights of pubs and clubs to operate poker machines.[28] At the previous election, the Tasmanian Hospitality Association donated $160,000 to the Liberal Party during the election cycle, and funded a campaign called "Love Your Local", which claimed that jobs would be lost if the Liberals were not re-elected.[29][30] This decision was criticised by other politicians. Federal MP for ClarkAndrew Wilkie called the decision a "spineless betrayal of the community", and Greens party leader Cassy O'Connor claimed that Rebecca White, Labor's party leader, should "be ashamed of herself".[31][28] Dissent also came within the party, with Labor candidate for Franklin Fabiano Cangelosi saying that the policy was repugnant and "devised in full knowledge of the tremendous harm that will be done".[32]
The current pokie ownership model, which gives the Sydney-based Federal Group a monopoly over poker machines in Tasmania, is set to expire in 2023. The Liberal Party has pledged to give pokie licenses to individual pubs and clubs, with the Federal Group retaining ownership in the 12 Hobart casinos and hotels they own. However, the party has not revealed the tax rate that casinos — most of which are owned by the Federal Group — are to pay for the changes. At the previous election, the Liberals promised to make the tax rate for casinos lower than the proposed 40% for pubs and clubs (the tax rate is currently 25%) but has not yet specified the exact rate. Peter Gutwein has claimed that Federal Group would lose out in the government's changes, while Peter Hoult, who is the former head of the state Liquor and Gaming Commission, told The Guardian that "there’s just no way Treasury officials have not been working on and provided tax rates [for Federal Group] to the government". Greens leader Cassy O'Connor called for the tax rates to be announced before the election, saying that "it's not his money, it belongs to the people of Tasmania".[33][34]
Labor candidate for the seat of Clark Ben McGregor resigned as a candidate on 7 April 2021 over text messages he had sent. He claimed that complaints made against him had "[weaponised] the current justified public outrage at the treatment of women in this country for selfish, tawdry and political purposes", and that Labor leader Rebecca White wrote to him demanding he either resign his candidacy or be disendorsed. McGregor, who is also the state president of Tasmanian Labor, defended himself by saying that the text conversation was "full of dark humour and was within our conversations more broadly".[35] The woman who McGregor had sent the text messages to claimed that after refusing an invitation from McGregor to go to a pub, he called her a "cunt" and sent her an image of a penis.[36]
Liberal candidate for Braddon and former MP Adam Brooks received a court summons during the campaign due to alleged firearm offences, with police claiming that Brooks "incorrectly stored ammunition", breaching Tasmanian state law on firearms. Brooks responded by saying that he has "had a discussion with the police in relation to the storage of ammunition, there are no firearms involved", and that he will vigorously defend the allegations. Peter Gutwein said that Brooks, who is also the Tasmanian Liberal Party's treasurer, would remain a candidate for the party.[37] Labor also raised questions on dating profiles using Brooks' face under different names, with Gutwein saying that it was concerning, but "at the end of the day [Brooks] made it very clear to me that that's not him".[38]
On 30 April 2021, the day before the election, it was announced that the Victorian authorities were launching an investigation into a fake license alleged to belong to Brooks, with a woman also coming forward saying she had met Brooks through the dating site OkCupid, and that she had been catfished by him, who was using the identity of "Terry Brooks".[39]
Both major parties held campaign launches on 18 April 2021. In regards to the coronavirus pandemic, Liberal leader and Premier Peter Gutwein said that his party "laid out a clear plan, which firstly kept people safe, and then secondly began the rebuilding of our economy", and that "Tasmania is now one of the safest places on the planet". Meanwhile, Labor leader Rebecca White took aim at the government's healthcare policy, saying that "after seven years of a Liberal government, the crisis in our health and hospital system has never been worse". Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese also attended the Labor launch, endorsing Rebecca White as a "strong leader of courage".[40][41]
Debates
Wrest Point Casino, the site of the first leaders' debate.
Three leadership debates took place between Premier Peter Gutwein and opposition leader Rebecca White. At the first debate, located at Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, both leaders pledged only to lead a majority government.[42] In the second debate, hosted by The Examiner, the two politicians discussed, among other issues, healthcare, local government amalgamation and labour shortages.[43] The final leaders debate, billed as a "People's Forum", was co-hosted by Sky News Australia and The Mercury, took place on Tuesday, with issues such as healthcare, economic management and coronavirus recovery all being discussed. Among the undecided voters who had attended the debate, White was clearly favored by the voters in the room, with a straw poll showing her with a 59% approval to Premier Gutwein's 15% approval with 26% remaining undecided.[44][45]
Opinion polling
Graphical summary
Graphical summary of voting intention polls leading up to the 2021 Tasmanian state election. Local regression trends for each party/grouping are shown as solid lines.
Voting intention
Polling was regularly conducted for Tasmanian state politics by Enterprise Marketing and Research Services (EMRS). The sample size for each EMRS poll is 1,000 Tasmanian voters.[46]
The election result was in doubt for multiple days due to the presence of two independents in Clark, and it being in doubt as to whether both would be elected, or an additional Liberal and one independent would be elected. Labor leader Rebecca White conceded the election at approximately 10pm on election night.[59] Despite it at the time being unclear as to whether his party would govern in minority or majority, Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein also claimed victory on election night.[60] On 12 May 2021, the count in Clark completed, electing two Liberals in Clark, and as a result giving the party a one-seat majority government.[61][62]
Michael Darrel Joseph Ferguson is an Australian politician who served as the Deputy Premier of Tasmania from April 2022 to October 2024. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly in the Division of Bass since the 2010 state election. Ferguson was appointed to cabinet after his party's victory in the 2014 state election and has served continuously as Minister in a range of portfolios including Finance, Health, Infrastructure, Transport, State Growth and Science and Technology.
An election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 18 March 2006, the same day as the South Australian elections. The Labor Party led by Premier Paul Lennon, won a third successive majority government term in office, despite predictions the election would result in a minority government. Although there was a small swing against Labor, they finished with 14 seats, and there were no changes in the party composition of the assembly. The Liberal Party led by Rene Hidding gained a small swing and finished with seven seats. The Tasmanian Greens led by Peg Putt suffered a small swing and finished with four seats; meaning no change in seat representation since the last election. Had the Greens lost one of their four seats, they would have lost their status as a major party and would lose financial resources, offices and support staff.
William Edward Felix Hodgman is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He was the premier of Tasmania from 2014 to 2020 and state leader of the Liberal Party from 2006 to 2020. He later served as High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore from 2021 to 2023.
Jeremy Page Rockliff is an Australian politician. He has served as premier of Tasmania since 2022, as state leader of the Liberal Party. He previously served as deputy premier from 2014 to 2022.
Peter Carl Gutwein is a former Australian politician who was the 46th premier of Tasmania from 2020 to 2022. He was a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2002 to 2022, representing the electorate of Bass. He succeeded Will Hodgman as leader of the Liberal Party and Tasmanian Premier on 20 January 2020.
The 2010 Tasmanian state election was held on 20 March 2010 to elect members to the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The 12-year incumbent Labor government, led by Premier of Tasmania David Bartlett, won a fourth consecutive term against the Liberal opposition, led by Will Hodgman, after Labor formed a minority government with the support of the Greens.
Jacqueline Anne Petrusma is an Australian politician. She was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 2010 to 2022, representing the electorate of Franklin, and served as a minister in the governments of Will Hodgman, Peter Gutwein and Jeremy Rockliff.
Rebecca Peta White is an Australian politician. She has been a member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly since 2010, representing the seat of Lyons. She was state leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2017 to 2021 and from 2021 to 2024.
The 2014 Tasmanian state election was held on 15 March 2014 to elect all 25 members to the House of Assembly. The 16-year incumbent Labor government, led by the Premier of Tasmania Lara Giddings, sought to win a fifth consecutive term in government, but was defeated by the Liberal opposition, led by Opposition Leader Will Hodgman, in a landslide victory. Also contesting the election was the Greens led by Nick McKim. The Palmer United Party made a significant effort in the election.
The 2018 Tasmanian state election was held on 3 March 2018 to elect all 25 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly.
Madeleine Ruth Ogilvie is an Australian lawyer and politician. She is a Liberal Party member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the Division of Clark and is a minister in the Second Rockliff ministry
Susanne Lynnette Hickey is an Australian politician. She represented the electorate of Denison from the 2018 state election until her defeat at the 2021 election, sitting with the Liberal Party until March 2021, when she quit the party and became an independent. Hickey is currently Mayor of the City of Glenorchy.
Jonathon Roy Duniam is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party and has served as a Senator for Tasmania since the 2016 federal election. He served as an assistant minister in the Morrison government from 2019 until May 2022, following the appointment of the Albanese ministry. Prior to entering parliament Duniam was a political staffer, including as deputy chief of staff to Tasmanian premier Will Hodgman.
The Tasmanian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) and more simply as the Tasmanian Liberals, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Tasmania. The party currently governs in Tasmania as the only Liberal government in Australia above the local level. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party of Australia, currently in opposition.
This is a list of members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, elected at the 2018 state election.
The Tasmanian Labor Party, officially known as the Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) and commonly referred to simply as Tasmanian Labor, is the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Labor Party. It has been one of the most successful state Labor parties in Australia in terms of electoral success.
This article provides information on candidates who nominated at the 2021 Tasmanian state election, which was held on 1 May 2021.
The 2024 Tasmanian state election was held on 23 March 2024 to elect all 35 members to the House of Assembly.
Dean Winter is a Tasmanian Labor politician currently serving as Tasmanian Opposition Leader and Leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party. He was elected as Mayor of Kingborough Council in 2018, and was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly at the 2021 Tasmanian state election, as an MP for Franklin.
The 2021 Tasmanian Labor Party leadership election was a leadership vote that was held between 24 May and 15 June 2021 to elect a new leader of the Tasmanian Labor Party following the resignation of Rebecca White. Ballots of members and delegates to the party conference took place to elect a new leader, with both ballots being weighted equally to determine the results. Shadow Treasurer and Franklin MP David O'Byrne was elected to the role, with 72% of members' support, and 75% of delegates' support.
↑ Adam Langenberg (26 March 2021). "Peter Gutwein calls Tasmanian state election for May 1". ABC News. The next day [20 March 2021] Mr Gutwein said he'd call an election when Tasmania needed one, fuelling speculation of an early election, and then followed up that weekend by informing Speaker Sue Hickey she would not be preselected for the seat of Clark. Ms Hickey promptly quit the party after being notified of the decision, plunging the Liberal Party into minority government and providing it with a fitting excuse for an early ballot.
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