2026 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election
Legislative election in Tasmania, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2026 Tasmanian Legislative Council periodic election was held on 2 May 2026 to elect two members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The seats of Huon and Rosevears were up for election.[1]
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 May 2026
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 of the 15 seats in the Legislative Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
In Huon, incumbent independent MLC Dean Harriss ran for his first six-year term, having initially won the seat at a by-election in 2022,[2] however he was defeated by another independent, Clare Glade-Wright.
In Rosevears, incumbent Liberal MLC Jo Palmer successfully held her seat and won a second consecutive term, defeating Labor candidate Ben McKinnon on both the primary and the two-candidate preferred vote.[2]
Huon
Huon is an electorate in Tasmania's south, covering areas nearby Hobart including Huonville and Margate. Since the 2022 by-election, Huon was held by independent Dean Harriss.
On 8 November 2025, Clare Glade-Wright, the deputy mayor of Kingborough Council, announced she would contest Huon.[3] On 11 January 2026, Labor Party leader Josh Willie announced that pepper berry farmer and Hobart City Council worker Abby McKibben would be Labor's candidate.[4] On 21 February 2026 the Tasmanian Greens announced that Paul Gibson, the partner of Tasmanian Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff and Huon Valley councillor, would be the Greens candidate.[5][6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Dean Harriss | 7,107 | 30.81 | +14.67 | |
| Independent | Clare Glade-Wright | 6,330 | 27.45 | +27.45 | |
| Labor | Abby McKibben | 3,843 | 16.66 | −14.63 | |
| Greens | Paul Gibson | 3,468 | 15.04 | −2.50 | |
| Independent | Michael Rowan | 1,237 | 5.36 | +5.36 | |
| Independent | Tyler Petersen | 1,079 | 4.68 | +4.68 | |
| Total formal votes | 23,064 | 95.57 | −1.86 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,068 | 4.43 | +1.86 | ||
| Turnout | 24,132 | 84.29 | −1.28 | ||
| Registered electors | 28,631 | ||||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Independent | Clare Glade-Wright | 11,988 | 52.49 | +52.49 | |
| Independent | Dean Harriss | 10,849 | 47.51 | +47.51 | |
| Independent gain from Independent | |||||
Swings calculated against the 2020 election.
Rosevears
Rosevears is an electorate in Tasmania's north, covering the west bank of the Tamar River, including parts of Launceston. Since the 2020 election, Rosevears has been held by Liberal Jo Palmer.
On 19 January 2026, Labor Party leader Josh Willie announced that teacher Ben Mckinnon would be Labor's candidate.[8] On 22 February 2026 the Tasmanian Greens announced that lawyer Charlene McLennan would be the Greens candidate.[9]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Jo Palmer | 9,820 | 42.42 | +0.90 | |
| Labor | Ben McKinnon | 5,813 | 25.11 | +16.03 | |
| Greens | Charlene McLennan | 3,807 | 16.44 | +8.95 | |
| Independent | Susan Monson | 3,710 | 16.03 | +16.03 | |
| Total formal votes | 23,150 | 97.09 | −0.93 | ||
| Informal votes | 693 | 2.91 | +0.93 | ||
| Turnout | 23,843 | 82.87 | +1.55 | ||
| Registered electors | 28,771 | ||||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Jo Palmer | 12,223 | 52.80 | +2.23 | |
| Labor | Ben McKinnon | 10,927 | 47.20 | +47.20 | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
See also
- 2026 Nepean state by-election, held on the same day as the council elections