Luke Edmunds and Meg Webb re-elected to Legislative Council – third seat a tighter race

Just three weeks after the federal election voters in three Legislative Council seats went back to the ballot box. Read the results so far.

Meg Webb voting at Mt Nelson primary school. Picture: Caroline Tan

Two sitting members in the Legislative Council have won their seats – but there is a closer race in the North-West seat of Montgomery.

In the south, Meg Webb has been comfortably re-elected winning every polling booth in Nelson with 51 per cent of the votes counted so far.

At the close of counting on Saturday night in the three-way contest in Nelson, Ms Webb had received 9761 first preference votes, with Liberal candidate Marcus Vermey on 6407 votes or 34 per cent of the total and the Greens’ Nathan Volf had 2614 or 13.9 per cent.

Ms Webb, who worked in the community sector, was first elected in 2019. She replaced Jim Wilkinson, a former president of the Legislative Council, who retired after 24 years.

In the eastern shore seat of Pembroke, Labor’s Luke Edmunds ended the night clearly ahead with 43.9 per cent of the vote counted receiving 7535 votes.

Luke Edmunds accompanied by his family voting at Bellerive Primary School. Picture: Caroline Tan

Green candidate Carly Allen was in second spot with 20.91 per cent or 3585 votes – narrowly ahead of Clarence mayor and former member of the Legislative Council Allison Ritchie with 3546 votes and 20.68 per cent.

Clarence councillor and former MLC Tony Mulder has 1739 votes with Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Steve Loring with 741 votes.

Mr Edmunds was first elected in 2022 in a by-election to replace Labor MLC Jo Seijka, who won the previously Liberal held seat.

In Montgomery, Casey Hiscutt, the son of retiring Liberal member Leonie Hiscutt is ahead of the Liberal’s Stephen Parry, the former president of the Senate.

Mr Hiscutt, who stood as an independent, had received 7056 votes or 31.89 per cent of those counted.

Independent candidate for Montgomery Casey Hiscutt and his mother and incumbent member for the seat, Leonie Hiscutt. Picture: Supplied

Mr Parry was sitting on 6514 votes or 29.44 per cent while the Greens’ candidate Darren Briggs has 21.43 per cent with 4742 votes.

Adrian Pickin of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers had 2870 votes or 12.9 per cent with Gatty Burnettt on 4.25 per cent and 941 votes.

The Tasmanian Electoral Commission says Sunday will be an administrative day when provisional votes will be processed and out-of-division votes will be returned to their home division.

Rechecking of polling place and pre-poll first preferences will start on Monday, along with the counting of provisional and out-of-division votes and approximately 1200 telephone votes.

The TEC said after a recent amendment to the Electoral Act, 66 people with a print disability had voted by phone at the three elections held on Saturday.

Counting of postal votes will begin on Thursday.

The TEC issued 4027 postal ballot packs for the elections, with more than 3000 already returned.