Rumney MLC Sarah Lovell asks for another round in upper house to hold ‘the government to account’

“Things for my constituents have gotten worse.” Incumbent Rumney MLC Sarah Lovell has launched her campaign for re-election ahead of Tasmania’s three-seat upper house battle.

Sarah Lovell MLC. Picture: Chris Kidd

Incumbent Rumney MLC Sarah Lovell says she’s knocked on thousands of doors in the past few weeks in her bid for re-election on May 6.

Launching her campaign on Sunday, Ms Lovell described the upcoming upper house battle as a “referendum on health, housing and cost of living”.

The Labor member said six years ago, when she first entered parliament, the big issues in Rumney – which covers a region including Old Beach, Risdon Vale, Richmond, Cambridge, South Arm and Midway Point – were health, roads, traffic and public transport.

Ms Lovell said since 2017, things for her constituents had gotten worse.

“People aren’t talking about traffic anymore, because they’re talking about the fact that they can’t afford to feed their kids, or they’re worried about losing their house, or being able to pay their rent or their mortgage,” she said.

“At that time, we were three years into a Liberal government. We’re now almost a decade into a Liberal government. Things for my constituents have gotten worse.”

Ms Lovell said she was feeling ahead of the three-seat upper house election, but also optimistic that Labor could win the next state election in 2025.

“I really want to be the member for Rumney so I can keep holding the government to account,” she said.

“What I’m hearing is people are sick of the Liberal government, they’re sick of being ignored.

They’re talking about issues like cost of living. If the government hasn’t done anything about it for the past 10 years, they’re not going to start now.”

Labor leader Rebecca White, joining Ms Lovell at the Richmond Football Club for her campaign launch, agreed cost of living with the “number one concern” raised while out doorknocking, followed by concerns about health and housing.

She also defended the party’s decision not to put Labor candidates in the seats of Murchison and Launceston, which are also up for re-election in a fortnight.

Ms White said she expected independents Ruth Forrest and Rosemary Armitage would be returned, and that Labor had chosen instead to put its resources into Ms Lovell’s Rumney campaign.

Bellerive business owner and Liberal candidate Gregory Brown also launched his campaign for Rumney on Sunday, announcing hooning and anti-social behaviour was one of his key issues.

“In Clarendon Vale at the moment we’ve got staged burnout comps,” he said.

“I fully support people to do that professionally … but in our public streets where people live isn’t the place to do it. People should be able to live in suburban places and not be terrorised by other people and be too scared to come home.”

Also vying for Rumney on May 6 are independent Tony Mulder, and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate Adrian Pickin.

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