Election analyst Dr Kevin Bonham has called wins for an independent and Labor in two key Tasmanian Legislative Council races, while one seat in the north-west remains too close to call.
Posting on his electoral blog, Dr Bonham declared Nelson for independent Meg Webb just after 7pm, followed by Pembroke for Labor’s Luke Edmunds at 7:33pm.
Both Webb and Edmunds were contesting the seats they already held and are now expected to remain in the Legislative Council until 2031.
Independent candidate Casey Hiscutt has taken a strong lead in Montgomery and is widely tipped to win, according to Dr Bonham.
He noted Webb had claimed “Every. Single. Booth.” in Nelson, ahead of Liberal hopeful Marcus Vermey.
In Pembroke, Dr Bonham called the result for Edmunds an hour and a half after polls closed.
Edmunds was up against a field of candidates including the Greens’ Carly Allen, independents Tony Mulder and Allison Ritchie and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ Steve Loring.
If confirmed, Casey Hiscutt will succeed his mother, Leonie Hiscutt, who previously held the Montgomery seat for the Liberals.
“I don’t see any reason to doubt he will win and probably comfortably but am holding off on calling it pending any data on preference flows,” Dr Bonham wrote at 8:32pm.
The outcomes could be a boost for the state government, which needs Legislative Council support to fast-track legislation for the proposed Macquarie Point stadium.
Both Hiscutt and Edmunds support the development, while Webb remains opposed.
Final results are still to be confirmed by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) and are not expected for several days.
“Tomorrow is primarily an administrative day for the TEC, when provisional votes will be processed and out-of-division votes will be returned to their home division,” a TEC spokesperson said.
“Rechecking of polling place and pre-poll first preferences will commence on Monday, along with the counting of provisional and out-of-division votes and approximately 1,200 telephone votes.”
Counting of approximately 3,000 postal votes will begin on Thursday, after checks are completed to ensure voters have not cast a ballot by another method.
