Tasmanian election: Liberal victory ‘shows PM can take back three seats’

Liberal MPs say the election victory in Tasmania shows Malcolm Turnbull has an opportunity to win back three key federal seats.

Coalition Senator Eric Abetz.

Liberal MPs argue the re-election of the Hodgman government in Tasmania shows Malcolm Turnbull has an opportunity to win back three key federal seats lost to Labor at the 2016 double-dissolution election.

The last federal election result saw Liberal MPs Andrew Nikolic, Eric Hutchinson and Brett Whiteley — referred to in government ranks as the “three Amigos” — lose their electorates of Bass, Lyons and Braddon.

Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz yesterday told The Australian the most important message from Saturday’s result was that the Tasmanian people were “not ­adverse to putting a one next to a ­Liberal candidate’s name if the policies are right”.

“And so if you think Liberal 18 months ago at the federal election compared to Liberal at the state election on Saturday night, there was a huge difference in the vote. It doesn’t mean the Liberal Party is on the nose in Tasmania at all.”

Senator Abetz said it showed voters were able to distinguish ­between state and federal governments in their voting preferences, arguing the state Liberals had the “right policies and right approach to government”.

“It really is quite a fantastic ­result and outcome for the state Liberals and well deserved for a government that was united, had no cabinet leaks, no leadership rumbles and no undermining of each other,” he said. Senator Abetz said the lesson at a federal level was to run a local campaign on local ­initiatives at the next federal poll.

Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck — who was sworn-in last month to replace former Senate president Stephen Parry — told The Australian the result showed there was “an opportunity to win seats back without any question”.