Announced Candidates For The Next Tasmanian State Election

NOTE 14/2: Guide main page has been launched.  Seat pages are up and linked from the headings below, I will try to keep updating this article too but as a lower priority.

Updates on the current "ultimatum" situation were posted on the previous article.  

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Introduction

This article is a list of endorsed or self-declared candidates who are running for the next Tasmanian state election; some unconfirmed or rumoured candidates are also mentioned in italics.  The election isn't "due" til May 2025 but could happen soon as a result of ongoing tensions between the Rockliff minority Liberal government and two MPs who defected to the crossbench.  I have written this article with two main possibilities in mind.  The first one is that the election is still at least a few months away or even next year, in which case the article will serve as a useful resource piece in the meantime and will help highlight the major early build-up of candidates for the benefit of history, with 83 known candidates at the time I started the article on 6 Feb 2024, some of whom have been running for many months.  The second is that the election is close and writing this piece now will be something of a waste of time, but in that case we will have an election!   So it's a win-win.   

(While it might be thought I would want there to be elections as often as possible, usually I resist calls for governments to go to them at any time before they are required or the government wants to.  This however is an exception: in terms of the personnel and issues at the 2021 election, I have seldom seen a parliament with a mandate that is so thoroughly expired.  Perhaps there will continue to be a Liberal minority government but if so it should be one determined by the people.)

This article will not contain bio details.  Incumbents are listed with a *.  

Based on the number of candidates already endorsed and the fact that the big three have many still to come, the record total of 158 set in the 1996 election could be threatened - perhaps less so if the election is called sooner rather than later.  [Edit 29/2: the record fell]

IMPORTANT: Tickets are not endorsed by parties in order except to the extent specified.  Candidate names are rotated within party groupings on different ballot papers.  Some incorrect reporting that Eric Abetz had been selected top of the Liberal ticket for Franklin has caused confusion - there is no top of the ticket for major parties.  Where a party has endorsed a specific order or declared a lead candidate I follow and state that - otherwise the list is alphabetical. 

For independents, incumbents are listed first, followed by others in alphabetical order.  Independents are running separately from each other unless indicated as a ticket.  Prominent independents are likely to register their own column.

The Voices Of Tasmania group has endorsed 10 independents and 4 so-called independents from the Local Network party, noting that some independents did not seek endorsement with them.  Those endorsed are: Offord, Garland, Freshney, Courtney, Davenport, Glade-Wright, T Cordover, Delaney (TLN), O'Byrne, Johnston,  Hickey, Campbell (TLN), Formby (TLN), Nunn (TLN).  

The Save UTAS Group has endorsed Lohberger.

Current Candidate Totals

Liberal 35

Labor 35
Greens 35
Independents 29
JLN 12
SFF 11
Local Network 5

Animal Justice 5

Total 167

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Bass (32)

Liberal

Michael Ferguson *

Rob Fairs

Chris Gatenby

Sarah Quaile

Julie Sladden

Richard Trethewie

Simon Wood *

Labor

Melissa Anderson

Roshan Dhingra

Janie Finlay*

Will Gordon

Adrian Hinds

Geoff Lyons

Michelle O’Byrne*

Greens

Listed in party's endorsed order

Cecily Rosol 

Tom Hall

Jack Fittler

Lauren Ball

Carol Barnett

Calum Hendry

Anne Layton-Bennett

Independents With Own Column

Lara Alexander*

Mark Brown

Jack Davenport 

Tim Walker

Jacqui Lambie Network

Angela Armstrong

Ludwig Johnson

Rebekah Pentland

Shooters Fishers and Farmers

Michael Frydrych (lead)

Animal Justice Party

Ivan Davis

Ungrouped Independents

Greg Quinn

George Razay

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Scratched: Jenny Hewson (ALP endorsed but withdrew), Andrew Harvey (SFF - announced but did not run)

Debunked rumours: there were unsupported rumours that Peter Gutwein (Lib) or Sarah Courtney (Lib) might be persuaded to return.  

Braddon (33)

Liberal

Felix Ellis*

Patrick Fabian

Roger Jaensch*

Sarina Laidler

Vonette Mead

Jeremy Rockliff*

Giovanna Simpson

Labor

Shane Broad*

Anita Dow*

Amanda Diprose

Samantha (Sam) Facey

Danielle Kidd

Adrian Luke

Chris Lynch

Greens

Listed in party's endorsed order

Darren Briggs

Michael McLoughlin

Petra Wilden 

Leeya Lovell 

Susanne Ward 

Erin Morrow 

Sarah Kersey 

Independents With Own Column

Craig Garland 

Jacqui Lambie Network

Miriam Beswick

Craig Cutts

James Redgrave

Shooters Fishers and Farmers

Dale Marshall (lead)

Brendon Jones

Kim Swanson

Animal Justice Party

Julia King

Ungrouped Independents

Gatty Burnett

Andrea Courtney

Peter Freshney 

Liz Hamer

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Clark (35)

Liberal

Mohammad Aldergham

Emma Atterbury

Simon Behrakis*

Jon Gourlay

Madeleine Ogilvie*

Catherine Searle

Marcus Vermey

Labor

Stuart Benson

Simon Davis

Ella Haddad*

John Kamara

Rebecca Prince

Susan Wallace

Josh Willie

(NB Willie is incumbent Legislative Councillor for Elwick)

Greens

Listed in party's endorsed order

Vica Bayley*

Helen Burnet

Janet Shelley

Nathan Volf

Trenton Hoare

James Zalotockyj

Peter Jones

Independents With Own Column 

Kristie Johnston* 

Louise Elliot

Ben Lohberger

Sue Hickey 

Jacqui Lambie Network

(JLN have said they would not contest Clark but I also heard indirectly that this may not be final.)

Shooters Fishers and Farmers

Adrian Pickin (lead)

Lorraine Bennett

Animal Justice Party

Casey Davies

Local Network

Sam Campbell 

Frank Formby 

David Nunn  

Ranae Zollner

Ungrouped Independents

John Forster

Angela Triffitt

Stefan Vogel

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Posselt Preselection: Ryan Posselt publicly sought ALP preselection but was eventually not picked, and then was announced as an independent by Voices of Tasmania on 26 Feb, but that was an error and he was deleted later.  

Scratched: Elise Archer (IND) was briefly a candidate then withdrew for medical reasons. Allyson Brophy was a Facebook-announced IND but did not run.  

Earlier Elliot rumour:  The Mercury reported an unsourced claim that Louise Elliot could seek Liberal preselection. Elliot announced on 15 Feb that she would not run at all, but then on 21 Feb that she would run as an independent.    

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Franklin (31)

Liberal

Eric Abetz

Aldo Antolli

Josh Garvin

Jock McGregor

Jacquie Petrusma

Nic Street*

Dean Young*

(Petrusma was elected at the last election but resigned during this term.)

Labor

Ebony Altimira

Simon Bailey

Meg Brown

Kaspar Deane

Philip Pregnell

Toby Thorpe

Dean Winter*

Greens

Listed in party's endorsed order

Rosalie Woodruff* 

Gideon Cordover

Jade Darko

Owen Fitzgerald

Jenny Cambers-Smith

Lukas Mrosek

Christine Campbell

Independents With Own Column

David O'Byrne*

Clare Glade-Wright

Tony Mulder

Jacqui Lambie Network

Marshall Callaghan

Chris Hannan

Connor Hallahan

Animal Justice Party

Jehni Thomas-Wurth

Local Network

Martine Delaney

Ungrouped Independents

Tamar Cordover

Bob Elliston

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Considered: Brendan Blomeley (Liberal) was reported as considering running as an independent as of 22 Feb.but didn't run

Mysterious noises: Fabiano Cangelosi who ran as a Labor candidate in 2021 engaged in a persistent Twitter monologue about being trapped in a curtain. However he then announced he was seeking Labor preselection for the seat of Elwick.  

Scratched: Anna Spinaze (Local Network), candidate page was up but did not run

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Lyons (36)

Liberal

Guy Barnett*

Gregory Brown

Stephanie Cameron

Justin Derksen

Richard Hallett

Jane Howlett

Mark Shelton*

(NB Howlett is incumbent Legislative Councillor for Prosser)

Labor

Edwin Batt

Jen Butler*

Ben Dudman

Casey Farrell

Richard Goss

Carole McQueeney

Rebecca White*

Greens

Listed in party's endorsed order

Tabatha Badger 

Alistair Allan

Mitch Houghton

Hannah Rubenach-Quinn

Craig Brown

Glenn Millar

Gary Whisson

Independents With Own Column

John Tucker* 

Angela Offord

Jacqui Lambie Network

Andrew Jenner

Troy Pfitzner

Lesley Pyecroft

Shooters Fishers and Farmers

Philip Bigg

Shane Broadby

Carlo DiFalco

Wayne Turale

Ray Williams

Animal Justice Party

Anna Gralton

Ungrouped Independents

Jenny Branch-Allan

Fraser Miller

Andrew Roberts

Lou Triffitt

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Scratched: Michelle Dracoulis (ALP endorsed but withdrew), Wayne Johnston (LIB endorsed but withdrew) 

Nationals: A rumour that John Tucker could run as a National (party is not registered but could get an ungrouped column) did not come to anything.

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