The Federal Election is now one week away (on Saturday 3 May, mark the calendars!)
In the lead-up, The Daily Aus will break down the tightest races in each state and territory.
In this piece, we’ll focus on Tasmania – home to 580,000 people.
Background
Let’s first take a step back. This election, you’re voting for who you want to represent your:
- Local area in the House of Representatives.
- State or territory in the Senate.
For this piece, we’re going to focus on the House of Representatives, because that’s the house that determines which party will be in government.
Across the country, there are 150 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives. Tasmania has five of those seats.
Marginal seats
Elections are normally won and lost in marginal seats.
These are the seats where the leaders spend most of their time on the campaign trails, because voters in these areas tend to switch their party allegiance from election to election.
In this piece, we are breaking down all five contests in Tasmania.
A quick note: In each seat there are multiple candidates, but we have focused on the top contenders based on current polling.
Lyons
Lyons is the largest seat in Tasmania, taking in parts of the outskirts of Hobart and the vast central-north of the state.
Labor’s Brian Mitchell is retiring at this election, replaced by former state Labor leader Rebecca White.
Susie Bower is having a second attempt at the ultra-marginal seat for the Liberal Party.
Bass
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The northern Tasmania seat takes in the regional centres of Launceston and Scottsdale.
Bridget Archer won Bass off Labor in 2019 and defied a nation-wide swing to hold on to the marginal seat in the 2022 election.
Archer has developed a reputation as an independent-minded Liberal, voting against her party’s position on numerous areas, such as climate targets.
Braddon
Braddon is a regional northern Tasmania seat, taking in predominantly agricultural and fishery areas, including Devonport.
The current Liberal MP Gavin Pearce was first elected in 2019, but is retiring this election. He increased his margin at the last election, turning Braddon into a relatively-safe seat.
Labor Senator Anne Urquhart resigned from the Upper House in March so she could run in this seat.
Franklin
Franklin covers the southern-most parts of Tasmania.
Labor’s Julie Collins, who is also the Agriculture and Small Business Minister, holds the seat on a solid margin.
She faces a challenge from independent Peter George, who is running on an anti-salmon farming campaign.
Clark
Clark is based around Hobart and its surrounds, including Mount Wellington and Glenorchy.
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has enjoyed strong local support in the electorate since 2010.
Wilkie has run on a platform of integrity and gambling reforms, and has been tipped as a possible Speaker of the House in a future hung Parliament.
