# 2011 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election

Periodic elections for the Tasmanian Legislative Council were held on 7 May 2011. The three seats up for election were Launceston, held by retiring independent MLC Don Wing; Murchison, held by independent MLC Ruth Forrest; and Rumney, held by Labor MLC Lin Thorp. These seats were last contested in 2005.
On the same day, a by-election was held for the seat of Derwent following the resignation of Labor MLC Michael Aird. Derwent was last contested in 2009.

## Launceston

The seat of Launceston, previously known as Paterson, had been held by Don Wing since 1982; the last time the seat was up for election, Wing was re-elected unopposed. His retirement left the seat vacant. One of the stronger Liberal areas in Tasmania, that party selected Sam McQuestin, the state party president, as their candidate. The Labor Party selected Steve Bishop, while Launceston Alderman Rosemary Armitage and businesswoman Lou Clark were independent candidates.

### Launceston Results

Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic elections, 2011: Launceston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sam McQuestin | 6,575 | 34.00 | +34.00 |
| | Independent | Rosemary Armitage | 6,136 | 31.73 | +31.73 |
| | Labor | Steve Bishop | 3,815 | 19.73 | +19.73 |
| | Independent | Lou Clark | 2,811 | 14.54 | +14.54 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 19,337 | 96.64 | N/A |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 673 | 3.36 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 20,010 | 84.47 | N/A |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Independent | Rosemary Armitage | 10,861 | 56.17 | +56.17 |
| | Liberal | Sam McQuestin | 8,476 | 43.83 | +43.83 |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | N/A | |

## Murchison

Sitting independent MLC Ruth Forrest was the sole nominee for the election in Murchison, which she had held since 2005. She was thus declared re-elected unopposed.

### Murchison Results

Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic elections, 2011: Murchison :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Ruth Forrest | Unopposed | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | N/A | |

## Rumney

Rumney had been held since 1999 by Labor MLC and Children's Services Minister Lin Thorp, who was elected in 2005 with a primary vote majority. The only party to preselect an opponent was the Greens, who nominated schoolteacher Penelope Ann; however, Tony Mulder, an independent candidate, was a past candidate for the Liberal Party. Other independents included former Children's Commissioner Paul Mason, former Labor member Cate Clark, and business analyst and serial candidate John Forster.

### Rumney Results

Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic elections, 2011: Rumney :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Lin Thorp | 6,754 | 32.77 | −18.18 |
| | Independent | Tony Mulder | 5,839 | 28.33 | +28.33 |
| | Independent | Paul Mason | 3,114 | 15.11 | +15.11 |
| | Greens | Penelope Ann | 2,762 | 13.40 | +1.15 |
| | Independent | Cate Clark | 1,356 | 6.58 | +6.58 |
| | Independent | John Forster | 785 | 3.81 | +3.81 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 20,610 | 95.51 | −0.78 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 968 | 4.49 | +0.78 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,578 | 85.33 | −0.49 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Independent | Tony Mulder | 10,785 | 53.15 | N/A |
| | Labor | Lin Thorp | 9,507 | 46.85 | N/A |
| | Independent gain from Labor | Independent gain from Labor | Swing | N/A | |

## Derwent by-election

Labor MLC and Treasurer Michael Aird had held the seat of Derwent since 1995, and the seat had been in Labor hands since 1979. Aird announced his retirement on 9 November 2010 and formally resigned from the Legislative Council on 6 December 2010. As his replacement, Labor preselected Craig Farrell, the Deputy Mayor of Derwent Valley Council. The Greens selected Phillip Bingley, while independent candidates included retailer Ray Williams, Glenorchy Alderman Jenny Branch (a former Liberal Party candidate), and Central Highlands Councillor Deirdre Flint.

### Derwent Results

Derwent state by-election, 2011 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Craig Farrell | 7,595 | 38.60 | −13.01 |
| | Independent | Jenny Branch | 3,990 | 20.28 | −13.18 |
| | Independent | Ray Williams | 3,197 | 16.25 | +16.25 |
| | Independent | Deirdre Flint | 2,943 | 14.96 | +14.96 |
| | Greens | Phillip Bingley | 1,950 | 9.91 | −5.02 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 19,675 | 93.31 | −2.44 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,410 | 6.69 | +2.44 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 21,085 | 84.66 | +2.60 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Craig Farrell | 11,118 | 56.61 | N/A |
| | Independent | Jenny Branch | 8,521 | 43.39 | N/A |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |