Tasmanian Labor senator Lisa Singh to reflect on future after another senate ticket snub

TASMANIAN senator Lisa Singh has pledged to get on with the job and will fly to Canberra tomorrow in preparation for Parliament’s return after being relegated to the difficult-to-win bottom spot of Labor’s senate ticket for a second time.

Senator Lisa Singh says she needs to take some time to reflect on her future after being relegated to the bottom of Labor’s senate ticket. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

TASMANIAN senator Lisa Singh has pledged to get on with the job and will fly to Canberra tomorrow in preparation for Parliament’s return after being relegated to the difficult-to-win bottom spot of Labor’s senate ticket for a second time.

Senator Singh will consider her political future after falling prey to factional deals that had the left and right arms of Tasmanian Labor pledge to place other candidates ahead of the popular Hobartian during the preselection process.

Senator Singh, who is factionally unaligned in Tasmania but part of the federal party’s left, ranked second among rank-and-file members during yesterday’s vote at Labor’s state conference but fell well short in the more heavily weighted delegate vote.

Senator Lisa Singh has been told she’s bottom of Labor’s senate ticket. She says she’ll take a break before making any decisions. pic.twitter.com/oZzXIWvRJR

— Emily Baker (@emlybkr) September 8, 2018

The ticket will favour Carol Brown, Catryna Bilyk and unionist John Short respectively, with Senator Singh placed last.

Senator Singh vowed to support Labor’s campaign to win federal government but, when asked whether she would run for the senate, said she needed to “reflect on where I find myself”.

“I was disappointed last time and I’m disappointed again,” she said.

“[But] if there is one things Tasmanians know of me, I don’t dwell on the internal party machinations, the internal party politics, I get on with policy, with ideas, with ensuring I’m doing the best that I can in representing them in Canberra.”

Senator Singh attracted 21,000 below the line votes when she was placed at the bottom of the party’s ticket in 2016.

However,she’s considered unpopular within the party, with unions alleging she had failed to engage with them.

Political analyst Kevin Bonham said if Senator Singh chose to run for the senate she would be reliant upon a high Labor vote and a strong showing below the line.

“If it’s the same party vote and the same below the line vote as last time then that’s not enough,” Dr Bonham said.

“It’s not hopeless, but I think it’s more difficult than last time.”

Mr Short — the state secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union — would also be reliant on a strong Labor vote, Dr Bonham said.

Former Labor senator and party historian Margaret Reynolds said it was time for independent oversight of preselection across parties, calling out the expectation within factions and unions that members show their vote to other aligned members before placing it in the ballot box.

The processes that left Senator Singh in a hard-to-win position “confuse and disgust people”, Mrs Reynolds said.

“It’s ho-hum but it’s serious ho-hum because without Lisa at the top of the ticket it confuses the electorate,” she said.

“Going into a federal electorate looking to change the government, you don’t dismiss 21,000 votes.”

EARLIER: TASMANIAN Senator Lisa Singh says she will support her colleagues in their pursuit of a Labor government but hasn’t decided on her future in politics after being told she’s been relegated to the bottom spot of the party’s senate ticket.

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The official result has not yet been announced at today’s state Labor conference in Hobart, but Senator Singh said the result for the 2019 election was “clear-cut”.

Despite coming second among rank-and-file voters, the factionally unaligned Senator Singh fell well short on the more heavily-weighted delegate vote.

The ticket will be numbered Carol Brown, Catryna Bilyk and unionist John Short, with Senator Singh in fourth place.

“I think I need to take some time to reflect on where I find myself,” she said.

“This is obviously not the result I was wanting. I would’ve been much happier to be further up the ticket.

“Having said that though, I respect the process, I understand the process, and I will join with my Labor colleagues with dignity, integrity to campaign for a Shorten Labor government.”

Senator Singh, who was placed at the bottom of the ticket in 2016 but won her seat, ruled out standing as an independent.

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More to come ...