2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election

For the House of Assembly election, see 2025 Tasmanian state election.

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election

←  2024 24 May 2025 2026  →
3 of the 15 seats in the Tasmanian Legislative Council 8 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   IND Party Independents Liberal Labor Seats before 7 seats 4 seats 3 seats Seats won 2 0 1 Seats after 8 3 3 Seat change 1 1
Largest party before election Independents Largest party after election Independents

The 2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election was held on 24 May 2025 to elect three members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. ^{[1] [2]} The seats of Montgomery, Nelson and Pembroke were up for election. ^[3] The Liberal Party's loss to an independent candidate in Montgomery means independents now hold the majority in the historically non-partisan chamber. ^{[4] [5]}

The elections were initially scheduled to be held on 3 May 2025. ^[6] However, they were postponed on 25 March 2025 following consultation with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) to prevent a possible clash with the 2025 federal election, which was called three days later. ^[7]

Background

Unlike other Australian state parliaments, the Tasmanian House of Assembly is elected from multi-member districts, while the Legislative Council is elected from single-member districts. ^[8] The reverse is the case in most of the rest of Australia; that is, the lower house is elected from single-member districts while the upper house is elected from multi-member districts. ^[8]

The Legislative Council has 15 seats, with members elected to a six-year term. ^[9] Elections are staggered, alternating between three seats in one year and in two seats the next year, taking place on the first Saturday in May. ^{[8] [9]}

Tasmanian's upper house is unique in Australian politics, in that historically it is the only chamber in any state parliament to be significantly non-partisan. ^{[10] [11]} Prior to the election, the chamber had a plurality of independents, although it had previously had an outright independent majority. ^{[12] [4]}

Electoral system

Legislative Council elections use partial preferential voting and the Robson Rotation. ^[13] In elections with four or less candidates, full preferential voting is effectively used, but for seats with five or more candidates, voters only have to number at least three boxes. ^{[14] [15]}

• Where there are more than 3 candidates, at least number 1, 2 and 3
• Where there are 3 candidates, at least number 1 and 2
• Where there are 2 candidates, at least number 1

Montgomery

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election (Montgomery)

←  2019 24 May 2025 2031 →
Electoral division of Montgomery in the Tasmanian Legislative Council
Registered	29,824
First party Second party   IND Candidate Casey Hiscutt Stephen Parry Party Independent Liberal Primary  vote 7,564 6,911 Percentage 32.0 29.2 Swing 32.0 15.2 TCP 61.7% 38.3% TCP swing 61.7 21.9   Third party Fourth party   SFF Candidate Darren Briggs Adrian Pickin Party Greens SFF Primary  vote 5,111 3,048 Percentage 21.6 12.9 Swing 21.6 2.1
MLC before election Leonie Hiscutt Liberal Elected MLC Casey Hiscutt Independent

Montgomery is located on Tasmania's north-west coast, covering the Central Coast Council and the south-eastern suburbs of Burnie. ^{[16] [17]} The seat has been held by Liberal Party member Leonie Hiscutt since 2013, when she succeeded retiring independent incumbent Sue Smith, and she was re-elected in 2019 with 60.17% of the two-party-preferred vote. ^{[18] [5]}

On 16 May 2024, Hiscutt announced that she would not seek re-election in 2025. ^{[19] [20]} Her son, Central Coast councillor Casey Hiscutt, announced on the same day that he would contest Montgomery as an independent with her endorsement. ^{[21] [22]} Former senator Stephen Parry, who served as the President of the Senate from 2014 until 2017, was announced on 15 June 2024 as the Liberal candidate. ^{[23] [24]}

Candidates

Party		Candidate	Background
	Liberal	Stephen Parry	Former senator for Tasmania
	Independent	Casey Hiscutt	Central Coast councillor
	Tasmanians Now	Gatty Burnett	Student & candidate for Murchison in 2023 [25] [26]
	Greens	Darren Briggs	Doctor & candidate for Braddon in 2021 and 2024 [27]
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Adrian Pickin	Ranger & former businessman [28]

Montgomery results

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election: Montgomery ^[29]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Casey Hiscutt	7,564	31.99	+31.99
	Liberal	Stephen Parry	6,911	29.23	−15.16
	Greens	Darren Briggs	5,111	21.62	+21.62
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Adrian Pickin	3,048	12.89	+2.08
	Independent	Gatty Burnett	1,008	4.26	+4.26
Total formal votes			23,642	96.31	+0.09
Informal votes			906	3.69	−0.09
Turnout			24,548	82.31	−1.95
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Independent	Casey Hiscutt	14,487	61.72	+61.72
	Liberal	Stephen Parry	8,986	38.28	−21.89
	Independent gain from Liberal

Nelson

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election (Nelson)

←  2019 24 May 2025 2031 →
Electoral division of Nelson in the Tasmanian Legislative Council
Registered	25,560
First party Second party Third party   IND Candidate Meg Webb Marcus Vermey Nathan Volf Party Independent Liberal Greens Primary  vote 10,650 7,045 2,896 Percentage 51.7 34.2 14.1 Swing 37.9 10.5 2.9
MLC before election Meg Webb Independent Elected MLC Meg Webb Independent

Nelson is located in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart and includes parts of the Hobart and Kingborough municipal areas. ^{[16] [30]} The seat has been held by independent member Meg Webb since 2019, when she succeeded retiring independent incumbent Jim Wilkinson. ^{[31] [32]}

Webb announced in 2024 that she would seek re-election. ^[33] On 23 June 2024, the Liberal Party announced that butcher Marcus Vermey would be its candidate. ^{[34] [35]}

Candidates

Party		Candidate	Background
	Independent	Meg Webb	MLC for Nelson since 2019
	Liberal	Marcus Vermey	Butcher and candidate for Clark at 2024 state election
	Greens	Nathan Volf	Candidate for Clark in 2021 and 2024 [36]

Nelson results

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election: Nelson ^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Meg Webb	10,650	51.72	+37.91
	Liberal	Marcus Vermey	7,045	34.21	+10.52
	Greens	Nathan Volf	2,896	14.06	+2.92
Total formal votes			20,591	98.12	+0.88
Informal votes			394	1.88	−0.88
Turnout			20,985	82.10	−0.21
	Independent hold

Pembroke

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election (Pembroke)

←  2022 24 May 2025 2031 →
Electoral division of Pembroke in the Tasmanian Legislative Council
Registered	23,438
First party Second party   IND Candidate Luke Edmunds Allison Ritchie Party Labor Independent Primary  vote 8,449 4,049 Percentage 43.7 21.0 Swing 4.3 21.0 TCP 58.2% 41.8% TCP swing 5.1 41.8   Third party Fourth party   IND Candidate Carly Allen Tony Mulder Party Greens Independent Primary  vote 3,995 2,009 Percentage 20.7 10.4 Swing 1.4 10.4
MLC before election Luke Edmunds Labor Elected MLC Luke Edmunds Labor

Pembroke is located in Hobart and covers the Clarence municipal area. ^{[16] [38]} The seat has been held by Labor Party member Luke Edmunds since a by-election in 2022, which he won with 63.26% of the two-party-preferred vote. ^{[39] [40]}

On 2 November 2024, Edmunds was re-endorsed by Labor for the 2025 election. ^[41] Former Labor MLC Allison Ritchie announced her candidacy as an independent in March 2025. ^[42]

Candidates

Party		Candidate	Background
	Labor	Luke Edmunds	MLC for Pembroke since 2022 [43]
	Independent	Allison Ritchie	Deputy mayor of Clarence and former MLC for Pembroke
	Greens	Carly Allen	Small business owner [44] [45]
	Independent	Tony Mulder	Former MLC for Rumney
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Steve Loring

Pembroke results

2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election: Pembroke ^[46]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Luke Edmunds	8,449	43.73	+4.25
	Independent	Allison Ritchie	4,049	20.96	+20.96
	Greens	Carly Allen	3,995	20.68	+1.41
	Independent	Tony Mulder	2,009	10.40	+10.40
	Shooters, Fishers, Farmers	Steve Loring	820	4.24	+1.08
Total formal votes			19,322	97.73	+0.79
Informal votes			449	2.27	−0.79
Turnout			19,771	84.07	+3.83
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Labor	Luke Edmunds	11,217	58.18	−5.08
	Independent	Allison Ritchie	8,062	41.82	+41.82
	Labor hold

Swings are calculated from the 2022 by-election.

References

1. Coulter, Ellen (15 January 2025). "Calls to dump Tasmanian MLC Leonie Hiscutt from Liberal Party after she promotes her independent candidate son". ABC News. Archived from the original on 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
2. "Legislative Council 2025: Montgomery, Nelson and Pembroke Live And Post-Count". Dr Kevin Bonham. 24 May 2025. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
3. "About Legislative Council elections". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 28 December 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
4. Crowley, Kate; Lippis, Joshua. "Independents in Tasmania's Legislative Council: Analysing strategies to achieve influence" (PDF). Australasian Study of Parliament Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
5. "Legislative Council Elections 2019 Results - Montgomery". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
6. "Tas Legislative Council elections pushed to May 24 to avoid federal clash". Pulse Tasmania. 28 March 2025. Archived from the original on 28 March 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
7. "New dates for 2025 Legislative Council elections". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. 25 March 2025. Archived from the original on 2 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
8. Raue, Ben (11 January 2024). "Tasmanian Legislative Council elections, 2024". The Tally Room. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
9. Bowe, William (3 May 2024). "Tasmanian upper house elections: Hobart, Prosser, Elwick". The Poll Bludger. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
10. "Government and society in Tasmania". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
11. "What is the Legislative Council?". Meg Webb MLC. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
12. Forbes, Scott (21 August 2014). "The apple in Val Schier's eye: Former mayor heads to Tasmania and attempts new tilt in politics". Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 21 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
13. "Voting systems in Tasmania - A summary". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
14. "How Should We Solve The Problem Of Unintended Informal Voting?". Dr Kevin Bonham. 23 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
15. "Preferential Voting in Single Member Electorates - Tasmania". Electoral Council of Australia and New Zealand. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
16. "Legislative Council Elections 2019 - Divisions". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 24 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
17. Bonham, Kevin (3 April 2019). "Legislative Council 2019: Montgomery". Dr Kevin Bonham. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
18. Coulter, Ellen (27 June 2018). "Labor wants Upper House Liberal Leonie Hiscutt reinvestigated over land use dispute". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
19. "Leonie Hiscutt, Liberal Member for Montgomery". Premier of Tasmania. 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 18 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
20. McGuire, Simon (16 May 2024). "Casey Hiscutt announces intention to run for Upper House seat of Montgomery as his mother Leonie announces she will step aside". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
21. "Cr Casey Hiscutt". Central Coast Council. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
22. Flint, Jess (16 May 2024). "Leonie Hiscutt confirms plans to step aside as independent son eyes seat". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
23. "Stephen Parry". Tasmanian Liberals. 14 June 2024. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
24. Flint, Jess (16 June 2024). "Parry promises 'law and order' as he puts hand up for upper house seat". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
25. Ford, Sean (23 August 2024). "Lambie-baiting firebrand starting party to tackle 'Tasmania's rotten core'". The Advocate. Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
26. Raue, Ben (15 April 2023). "Murchison – Tasmania LC 2023". The Tally Room. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
27. "Darren Briggs, Candidate for Montgomery". Tasmanian Greens. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
28. "Legislative Council Candidates – Montgomery, Nelson, Pembroke". Tasmanian Times. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
29. 2025 Legislative Council Elections results - Montgomery, Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
30. Bonham, Kevin (24 February 2019). "Legislative Council 2019: Nelson". Dr Kevin Bonham. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
31. Humphries, Alexandra (14 May 2019). "Anti-pokies campaigner Meg Webb claims victory in race for Tasmanian Upper House seat of Nelson". ABC News. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
32. "Independent wins Tas upper house seat". SBS News. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
33. "Meg's 2025 re-election campaign!". Meg Webb MLC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
34. "Marcus Vermey". Tasmanian Liberals. 19 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
35. Bailey, Sue (22 June 2024). "Liberals endorse local butcher Marcus Vermey for Leg Co seat". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 22 June 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
36. "Nathan Volf, Candidate for Nelson". Tasmanian Greens. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
37. 2025 Legislative Council Elections results - Nelson, Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
38. Bonham, Kevin (12 August 2022). "Legislative Council 2022: Pembroke By-Election". Dr Kevin Bonham. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
39. "2022 Legislative Council by-election results - Pembroke". Tasmanian Electoral Commission. 10 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
40. Sato, Kenji; Killick, David (13 September 2022). "Labor's Luke Edmunds officially declared victor in Pembroke by-election". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
41. Bailey, Sue (2 November 2024). "Luke Edmunds endorsed by Labor to run again in upper house". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
42. Bailey, Sue (7 March 2025). "Allison Ritchie plans to run as independent in Upper House seat she once held". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
43. "Luke Edmunds MLC". Tasmanian Labor. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
44. "Are you our next candidate for Pembroke?". Tasmanian Greens. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
45. "Carly Allen, Candidate for Pembroke". Tasmanian Greens. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
46. 2025 Legislative Council Elections results - Pembroke, Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 25 May 2025.