Major parties try to stop independents’ day in Tasmania

Tasmania’s election campaign has become a war of independents, with both major parties switching focus to counter a rising threat from solo candidates.

Independent candidates Kristie Johnston and Sue Hickey with MP Andrew Wilkie. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Tasmania’s election campaign has become a war of independents, with both major parties switching focus — and advertising — to counter a rising threat from solo candidates endorsed by popular MP Andrew Wilkie.

With pundits and polling pointing to a tighter than ­expected result on Saturday, Labor and the Liberals launched what was labelled an anti-­independents “scare campaign”.

“If people really want to change the government, they ­really have to vote Labor,” said ALP leader Rebecca White.

“If you want to fix the health system, you have no other choice: you have to vote Labor, because the independents can’t deliver those improvements,” she said.

Labor has letterboxed leaflets with similar messaging in the Hobart-based seat of Clark, using the teal colour adopted by ­independent candidate Kristie Johnston.

Liberals have distributed leaflets in Clark warning: “Voting independent will lead to Labor minority government chaos.”

Liberal Premier Peter Gutwein reinforced the message. “This election is close, and while Labor cannot possibly win majority government, they might be able to cobble together a minority government with the Greens and independents,” he said.

Mr Wilkie, the independent MP for the federal seat of Clark, which mirrors the state seat of the same name, called a press conference at which he endorsed five ­independents.

“I am confident that … at least one independent will be elected in the House of Assembly,” he said. “People have had a gut full of … most of the political parties.

Mr Wilkie stood “shoulder to shoulder” with former Liberal-turned independent Sue Hickey, as well as Ms Johnston, extolling their virtues as prospective MPs.

Polling by uComms shows that 10 per cent of voters statewide intend to vote independent. This suggests the independent vote in Clark, which has the most high-profile independents, will be even higher.

The Labor, Liberal, and Greens parties all appear to be losing support to Ms Hickey and Ms Johnston, who accused the major parties of a “scare ­campaign”.

Loss of a seat in Clark for the Liberals could leave them stranded on 12 seats, one short of the 13 held in the last parliament and required for a majority.

The Liberals also face problems in the northwest seat of Braddon, where candidate Adam Brooks on Thursday denied any knowledge of why several dating app profiles — with different names to his — feature his ­photograph.

Similarly, Mr Brooks — who is facing court on firearm storage offences, which he has vowed to “vigorously defend” — denied any knowledge of an apparently fake business card for a Terry Brooks.

The business card features a company name similar to that of a shelf company owned by Mr Brooks.