Former Labor senator Lisa Singh urges changes on preselection processes

In her first interview since losing her seat, former Labor senator Lisa Singh says she hopes the party learns to listen to the community and its own members after its failed bid for government.

Former Labor Senator, Lisa Singh speaks about losing her seat at the last federal election. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

FORMER Labor senator Lisa Singh says she hopes the party learns to listen to the community and its own members after it failed to win government — and she lost her seat.

The 47-year-old has urged Tasmanian Labor to change its preselection processes after falling prey to a factional power play that had her placed fourth on its Senate ticket at the May 18 poll.

Despite winning almost 20,000 first-preference votes — about on par with her efforts in 2016 and the most of any Tasmanian senate candidate — Ms Singh this week closed the door on a 12-year career in politics.

She said she felt no animosity towards returned Senators Carol Brown and Catryna Bilyk, each of whom benefited from the deal between the Left and Right factions at last year’s preselection vote, but pointed to her treatment as among the reasons voters felt disillusioned with politics.

MORE ON LISA SINGH

SINGH SNUB DRAWS TOP-LEVEL ATTENTION

IT’S MCKIM VERSUS SINGH

SINGH CONSIDERS FUTURE AFTER SECOND SNUB

SINGH LEAVES SENATE ‘WITHOUT REGRETS’

“I was very humbled by the high rank-and-file vote I had in the party [during preselection] and I know there [are] a lot of Labor members who are sad to see me go,” Ms Singh told the Sunday Tasmanian in her first interview since losing her seat.

“We need to start listening to the people in terms of these things.”

Ms Singh yesterday encouraged Labor to more evenly weight votes during preselection — union and Labor conference delegates’ votes are weighted more heavily than those from rank-and-file — and enforce a secret ballot to ensure members did not have to show their vote to party and union officials to prove compliance with faction orders.

MORE OF TODAY’S NEWS:

FREE FOOTY TIX FOR THE KIDS

NORTH MELBOURNE IN SHAW HANDS

HOBART SHOW FLAGS MAJOR CHANGE

BURGLARY, THEFT CHARGES LAID

“I hope that the party listens to people in relation to this, because if it improves its processes I hope I’ve made it easier for the next person who comes in my position,” Ms Singh said.

On the party’s shock election loss, she hoped Labor takes time to dissect the result and talk to the community — and urged her former colleagues to stick to their guns on progressive environment and climate change policies.

Voters were likely bamboozled by a broad policy platform, Ms Singh said, listing changes to franking credits as among her constituents’ concerns.

Ms Singh added: “Decisions made in relation to my situation certainly didn’t help us.”

[e-mail]