# 2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election

The 2025 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election is scheduled to be held on 3 May 2025 to elect three members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seats of Montgomery, Nelson and Pembroke will be up for election.

## Background

Unlike other Australian state parliaments, the Tasmanian House of Assembly is elected from multi-member districts, while the Legislative Council is elected from single-member districts. The reverse is the case in most of the rest of Australia; that is, the lower house is elected from single-member districts while the upper house is elected from multi-member districts.
The Legislative Council has 15 seats, with members elected to a six-year term. Elections are staggered, alternating between three seats in one year and in two seats the next year, taking place on the first Saturday in May.
Tasmanian's upper house is unique in Australian politics, in that historically it is the only chamber in any state parliament to be significantly non-partisan. As of 2024, the chamber has a plurality of independents, although it has previously had an outright independent majority.

## Electoral system

Legislative Council elections use partial preferential voting and the Robson Rotation. In elections with four or less candidates, full preferential voting is effectively used, but for seats with five or more candidates, voters only have to number at least three boxes.
* Where there are more than 3 candidates, at least number 1, 2 and 3
* Where there are 3 candidates, at least number 1 and 2
* Where there are 2 candidates, at least number 1

## Montgomery

Montgomery is located on Tasmania's north-west coast, covering the Central Coast Council and the south-eastern suburbs of Burnie. The seat has been held by Liberal Party member Leonie Hiscutt since 2013, when she succeeded retiring independent incumbent Sue Smith, and she was re-elected in 2019 with 60.17% of the two-party-preferred vote.
On 16 May 2024, Hiscutt announced that she would not seek re-election in 2025. Her son, Central Coast councillor Casey Hiscutt, announced on the same day that he would contest Montgomery as an independent with her endorsement. Former senator Stephen Parry, who served as the President of the Senate from 2014 until 2017, was announced on 15 June 2024 as the Liberal candidate.

### Candidates

| Party | Candidate | Background |
| Liberal | Stephen Parry | Former senator for Tasmania |
| Independent | Casey Hiscutt | Central Coast councillor |
| Tasmanians Now | Gatty Burnett | Candidate for Murchison in 2023 |
| Greens | Darren Briggs | Candidate for Braddon in 2021 and 2024 |

## Nelson

Nelson is located in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart and includes parts of the Hobart and Kingborough municipal areas. The seat has been held by independent member Meg Webb since 2019, when she succeeded retiring independent incumbent Jim Wilkinson.
Webb announced in 2024 that she would seek re-election. On 23 June 2024, the Liberal Party announced that butcher Marcus Vermey would be its candidate.

### Candidates

| Party | Candidate | Background |
| Independent | Meg Webb | MLC for Nelson since 2019 |
| Liberal | Marcus Vermey | Butcher and candidate for Clark at 2024 state election |
| Greens | Nathan Volf | Candidate for Clark in 2021 and 2024 |

## Pembroke

Pembroke is located in Hobart and covers the Clarence municipal area. The seat has been held by Labor Party member Luke Edmunds since a by-election in 2022, which he won with 63.26% of the two-party-preferred vote.
On 2 November 2024, Edmunds was re-endorsed by Labor for the 2025 election. The Greens have expressed interest in contesting the seat. By March 2025, former Labor MLC for Pembroke Allison Ritchie was running as an independent candidate.

### Candidates

| Party | Party | Candidate | Background |
| | Labor | Luke Edmunds | MLC for Pembroke since 2022 |
| | Independent | Allison Ritchie | Deputy Mayor for Clarence city council and former Labor MLC for Pembroke |