Gregory Brown will run for the Upper House seat of Prosser

A Tasmanian Liberal candidate hopes his fourth attempt to be elected will be successful after striking out three times in the last few years.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Member for Prosser Jane Howlett and Liberals candidate for Rumney, Gregory Brown. Pic supplied.

A Liberal candidate for Lyons has decided to run as an independent for the Legislative Council seat of Prosser.

Gregory Brown has previously stood for the Upper House seats of Pembroke and Rumney and ran in Lyons at the state election.

He said his decision to run as an independent would mean he would have to leave the Liberal Party.

“Every day counts, so I reached out to the party to find out when preselection was and they indicated that they wouldn’t be doing anything until the middle of April,” Mr Brown said.

“And to me that’s too late, so I decided to run as an independent.

“(Labor candidate) Bryan Green’s running and campaigning already.

“So your days are slipping by very quickly.”

Jane Howlett will be elected to the Lower House, meaning the Upper House seat of Prosser will be up for grabs. Picture: Linda Higginson

Mr Brown said he would be campaigning on the issues of cost of living, future infrastructure planning and anti-social behaviour.

“Cost of living is obviously a big issue. We also need to plan infrastructure for the future and freeing up land to build houses outside the cities,” he said.

“Anti-social behaviour and hooning are issues to because we have to foster respect between police and young people.”

Mr Brown, who comes from a Labor family, said he’d always wanted to be in politics to make a difference.

“I’ve been around elections with the Labor Party with dad,” he said.

“As kids, we would always get involved, we’d have to go out and put signs up and letter box and with federal elections we’d have to go and stand there and hand out pamphlets.

“I’d never ran one, so I learned a lot running them with the Liberal Party.”

Mr Brown said he believed when he stood in Pembroke in 2022 and Rumney in 2023 he attracted support from both Labor and Liberal voters.

He has resigned as licensee of the Blue Waters Hotel at Orford and will begin campaigning in earnest after Easter.

“As an independent you’re not party aligned and I want to really give this 120 per cent,” Mr Brown said.

“I’m ready to listen and work hard.”

Mr Brown, who also runs a farm, said he’d spent many of his early years in the Prosser electorate.

He finished with 1362 votes in Lyons.

The former member for Prosser Jane Howlett received the second highest votes in Lyons behind government minister Guy Barnett and is assured of election.