Garland closes in on seat
Serial independent in race with Liberals for final Braddon spot
A serial independent candidate in Braddon could be on track to snatch an unlikely victory from under the nose of the Liberals as the party hopes to shore up its hold on minority government.
As counting continued on Friday, the Liberals appeared to be on track to win 14 seats in the new 35-seat parliament.
Labor was heading for 10; the Greens, five, with three Jacqui Lambie Network (JLN) candidates and three independent members.
In Braddon, independent Craig Garland looks to have a chance of nabbing one of the seven seats as preferences continue to be allocated.
On Friday, his share of a quota had risen from 0.40 to 0.60, and he is now in a race with Liberal candidate Giovanna Simpson for the final seat.
The preferences of Greens candidate Darren Briggs will prove critical to the final result.
The JLN is all but certain to get a seat in Braddon, but Miram Beswick and James Redgrave are still fighting to see who will represent the party in state parliament.
All the incumbents in the electorate for Labor and the Liberals appear to have retained their seats.
Mr Garland said he was unsure whether he would get a seat.
“I have absolutely no idea,” he said.
“One of my friends works as a scrutineer, and he said the preferences were all over the place.
“It’ll be a bit hard for me to predict what’s going to happen.”
This is the sixth time Mr Garland has run in an election across state and federal politics.
“I’m seasoned in how it all works and what you need to do,” he said
“I had great aspirations during the first election, but I realised from that point on you don’t get elected straight up unless you are a superstar.
“It’s got to be built up; people have to get to know you, trust you and know what you’re about, and that takes a bit of time in regional areas.”
Mr Garland said he had not been in contact with the Premier since the election.
“I said from the beginning, I’m one of 35 if I do get elected. It’s my role to work with whoever, so any phone call I’ll be welcoming.
“I’m here to represent those who voted for me and Tasmanians in general, so to me, it’s just a job.
“It’s up to me to make the best endeavours to good outcomes.”
However, Mr Garland said he had had a few meetings over the years with incoming Liberal MHA and former senator Eric Abetz.
“I’m more than happy to sit down with Eric. I understand what he’s about, and I’m more than capable of contributing in some meaningful way to get good outcomes.
“I’ve met with a lot of the politicians already. I’m not in politics for one-upmanship; I’m there to do the job.
“To me, it’s a job, and it’s a pretty important one.”
The Tasmanian Electoral Commission said it expected the distribution process would continue through to at least Saturday.