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Tasmanian Liberal Party

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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.[5] The party currently governs in Tasmania as one of three Coalition affiliate governments above the state level. The party is part of the federal Liberal Party of Australia, currently in opposition.

Tasmanian Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
(Tasmanian Division)
Abbreviation
LeaderJeremy Rockliff
PresidentMichael McKenna
General SecretaryPeter Coulson
Deputy LeaderGuy Barnett (Australian politician)
Senior Vice PresidentDon Morris
TreasurerRod Bramich
Young Liberal PresidentThomas Ferguson
Founded13 February 1945; 79 years ago (1945-02-13)[2]
HeadquartersSuite 4C, Level 3, 33 Salamanca Place, Hobart TAS 7000
Student wingUniversity of Tasmania Liberal Club
Youth wingYoung Liberals
Women's wingLiberal Women's Council
IdeologyConservatism (Australian)
Liberalism (Australian)
Liberal conservatism
Political positionCentre-right[3][4]
National affiliationLiberal Party of Australia
Colours  Blue
SloganSecuring Tasmania’s Future
House of Reps (Tas. seats)
2 / 5
Senate (Tas. seats)
4 / 12
House of Assembly
14 / 35
Legislative Council
3 / 15
Website
tas.liberal.org.au
Seats in local government
Clarence City
2 / 12
Derwent Valley
1 / 8
Latrobe
1 / 9

History

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In 1904, Elliott Lewis established the National League, which changed its name to the Progressive League in 1907. While Lewis became Premier of the state in 1909 under this banner, the League itself shortly disappeared.[6][7] Its successor was the Tasmanian Liberal League, founded later that year in collaboration with the Tasmanian Farmers and Stockowners Association.[8] In 1917, the League affiliated with the Australian Liberal Union.

Following the removal of Billy Hughes from the leadership of the Labor Party, the League merged again to become the Tasmanian National Federation. It shared government with the Labor Party from 1912 to 1923, and then from 1928 to 1934.[9] Despite the establishment of the United Australia Party by Joseph Lyons, the party continued using the name National until 1941 when it changed its name to the 'United Australia and National Organisation'.[10] In 1945 the party came under the umbrella of the new Liberal Party of Australia.

The Tasmanian Division of the party was formed at a meeting in Hobart on 13 February 1945. The first state candidates stood at the 1946 election, most of whom were ex-servicemen. The organisation recruited them by arguing that in the services they had been fighting for freedom, and it was now their duty 'to finish the job'. The party first formed a government in Tasmania 1969.[11]

In 1982, Robin Gray was elected on a platform of commitment to building the Gordon-below-Franklin hydro-electric power scheme. Continual blockades from the Labor Federal Government lead to the Premier threatening to secede from the Commonwealth if any further intervention was taken.[12] Despite the lack of success in the Tasmanian Dam Case, the Gray government won the 1986 state election and held onto power until 1989.[13]

The party was elected at the 1992 state election with Ray Groom as leader, however at the subsequent 1996 election following a promise not to form minority government Groom resigned.[14] Tony Rundle was quick to replace Groom as Liberal leader and reached an informal agreement with the Tasmanian Greens to secure support.

At the 2014 state election, Will Hodgman secured a majority of seats following a 16-year incumbent Labor government led by Lara Giddings. The party was re-elected at the 2018 state election. Hodgman retired from politics in January 2020 and was succeeded by Peter Gutwein as party leader and Premier. On 22 March 2021, lower house MP Sue Hickey announced that she would quit the Liberal Party and sit as an independent, slamming the state Liberals as "unable to accommodate strong women" after being told by Gutwein that she would not be endorsed for the next election. The Liberal government lost its majority and plunged into minority government.[15] The party was re-elected at the May 2021 state election and regained majority government status. In April 2022, Gutwein retired from politics and was succeeded by his deputy Jeremy Rockliff as party leader and Premier.

Organisation

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Each division of the Liberal Party is autonomous, with a unique organisational structure and their own constitutions.[16]

Premiers

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Seven parliamentary Liberal leaders have served as Premier of Tasmania: Angus Bethune (1969–1972), Robin Gray (1982–1989), Ray Groom (1992–1996), Tony Rundle (1996–1998), Will Hodgman (2014–2020), Peter Gutwein (2020–2022) and Jeremy Rockliff (2022–present).

Deputy Premiers

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Seven parliamentary Liberal deputy leaders have served as Deputy Premier of Tasmania: Max Bingham (1982–1984), Geoff Pearsall (1984–1988), Ray Groom (1988–1989), John Beswick (1992–1996), Sue Napier (1996–1998), Jeremy Rockliff (2014–2022) and Michael Ferguson (2022–present).

List of parliamentary leaders

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Electoral performance

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House of Assembly

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Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Status
1946 Neil Campbell 44,158 34.25
12 / 30
   2   2nd Opposition
1948 54,010 37.84
12 / 30
   0   2nd Opposition
1950 Rex Townley 69,429 47.57
14 / 30
   2   2nd Opposition
1955 70,959 45.35
15 / 30
   1   2nd Opposition
1956 Tim Jackson 69,477 43.61
15 / 30
   0   2nd Opposition
1959 66,005 41.05
16 / 35
   1   2nd Opposition
1964 Angus Bethune 67,971 38.49
16 / 35
   0   2nd Opposition
1969 83,261 43.98
17 / 35
   1   2nd Minority
1972 76,073 38.37
14 / 35
   3   2nd Opposition
1976 Max Bingham 104,613 44.5
17 / 35
   3   2nd Opposition
1979 98,845 41.3
15 / 35
   2   2nd Opposition
1982 Robin Gray 121,346 48.5
18 / 35
   3   1st Majority
1986 138,836 54.2
18 / 35
   0   1st Majority
1989 128,143 46.9
17 / 35
   1   1st Opposition
1992 Ray Groom 154,337 54.1
19 / 35
   2   1st Majority
1996 121,391 41.2
16 / 35
   3   1st Minority
1998 Tony Rundle 112,146 38.1
10 / 25
   6   2nd Opposition
2002 Bob Cheek 81,185 27.4
7 / 25
   3   2nd Opposition
2006 Rene Hidding 98,511 31.8
7 / 25
   0   2nd Opposition
2010 Will Hodgman 124,933 39.0
10 / 25
   3   1st Opposition
2014 167,051 51.2
15 / 25
   5   1st Majority
2018 168,303 50.3
13 / 25
   2   1st Majority
2021 Peter Gutwein 166,315 48.7
13 / 25
   0   1st Majority
2024 Jeremy Rockliff 127,837 36.7
14 / 35
   1   1st Minority

Federal election results

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Election Seats won ± Total TPP votes % Position Leader
2010
0 / 5
  0 128,830 39.38% Opposition Tony Abbott
2013
3 / 5
  3 161,086 48.77% Government Tony Abbott
2016
0 / 5
  3 143,093 42.64% Government Malcolm Turnbull
2019
2 / 5
  2 153,246 44.04% Government Scott Morrison
2022
2 / 5
  0 159,705 45.67% Opposition Scott Morrison

References

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  1. ^ "Political party name abbreviations & codes, demographic ratings and seat status". Australian Electoral Commission. 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Our History". 12 June 2013.
  3. ^ "After Labor's NSW election win, Tasmania is the final Liberal seat of power. Will it stay that way? - ABC News".
  4. ^ "Why wall-to-wall Labor governments won't be bad this time". 23 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Current register of political parties". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Lewis, Sir Neil Elliott (1858–1935)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  7. ^ "The Liberal Party and Its Twentieth Century Precursors". The University of Tasmania. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  8. ^ McRae, J (1961). The Tasmanian Farmers, Stockowners & Orchardists Association.
  9. ^ Bennett, Scott & Bennett, Barbara (1980). Biographical register of the Tasmanian Parliament, 1851–1960 (PDF). ANU Press. ISBN 9780994637413.
  10. ^ White, K (2000). Joseph Lyons. Melbourne.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ Weller, P (1971). The organization of early non-Labor parties in Tasmania.
  12. ^ Pink, Kerry (2001). Through Hells Gates: A History of Strahan and Macquarie Harbour. K. Pink. ISBN 0-646-36665-3.
  13. ^ Ward, Airlie: Minority Government, Stateline Tasmania (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 10 March 2006.
  14. ^ "Ray Groom". Members of the Parliament of Tasmania. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Tasmania's Speaker Hickey quits Liberals". Australian Associated Press. Yahoo News Australia. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  16. ^ Tasmanian Liberals. "About". Tasmanian Liberals. Retrieved 4 February 2019.

Further reading

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  • Lucadou-Wells R (1994) 50 year history of the Liberal Party (Tasmanian Division), Hobart, Tasmania.
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