The Legislative Council Division of Elwick* (see below) is a geographically-compact electorate with a complicated history. It’s also probably the most evenly-contested race of the three LegCo elections this May.
Centred around the municipal area of Glenorchy, it is a place where straightforward, hardworking people live, raise their families, work and shop locally. It is a community that loves its neighbourhood, family and friends, and sport. This is a deeply loyal, resilient, and deserving community.
However even Blind Freddy can see this electorate has significant health, wellbeing, social and economic challenges. There are entrenched and intergenerational issues that need focused attention. Life is often not easy for the families that call this area ‘home’.
It feels like Elwick is at a crossroads, metaphorically at least but also home to one of the largest junctions in greater Hobart consisting of Elwick Road itself and the Brooker Highway.
Although the Legislative Council is primarily a ‘house of review’, undeniably Elwick needs someone who will also fight for them.
More specifically and importantly, Elwick needs someone with a deep understanding of community needs and the ideas, vision and energy to deliver so that the community can thrive and prosper.
It is against this backdrop that the voters of Elwick will go to the polls – officially this Saturday 4 May, though pre-polling has been open for three weeks – to elect their representative in the Legislative Council, the Upper House of the Tasmanian Parliament.
The seat was recently vacated by Labor’s Josh Willie after his successful election as a Member of the House of Assembly for Clark at the recent state (Lower House) election.
The Legislative Council is no longer fully-comprised of independents, but they still outnumber party-aligned MLCs. Arguably it is important that this remains the case given the critical role of the Upper House to scrutinise legislation, policy and engage in all-important Committee work on behalf of the community.
The situation is somewhat akin to the House of Representatives and the Senate at federal level: the government is formed in the HR and plies its agenda, while the Senate as a chamber of review benefits from taking a broader perspective.
As polling day approaches, the gloves have certainly come off. It is shaping up to be a close battle in this four-way barney between candidates current Glenorchy Mayor Bec Thomas (independent, but often viewed as at least a Liberal sympathiser), outspoken barrister Fabiano Cangelosi (independent, though a former Labor Party member until earlier this year), electrician Tessa McLaughlin (Tasmanian Labor) and environmental policy analyst and sustainability expert Janet Shelley (Tasmanian Greens).
With close personal and professional ties to the Liberal Party, Thomas was first elected to Glenorchy Council as an alderman in 2018, then serving as Deputy Mayor from 2020 after being elected by her peers following a vacancy. She has been Mayor since July 2021.
In her role, Thomas comes face to face with community needs daily, and plays an important role in community engagement and activation. With six years on council Thomas has name-recognition on her side, a factor usually considered to play a significant role in voter choices in Tasmania.
Cangelosi is one of Tasmania’s eminent criminal defence lawyers and has based his legal practice within the community he serves. A self-styled ‘fighter for you’, he sees the consequences of societal dysfunction and breakdown, intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and the inevitable result of people pushed to the margins up-close in his work everyday.
He knows justice isn’t always found in courts, but nor is it found on the streets of Glenorchy and surrounding areas. He has articulated possible solutions to complex matters of youth crime, education and literacy, employment, housing and cost of living.
Labor’s candidate McLaughlin is a Lutana resident who is concerned about rate increases without commensurate improvements in service provision. A former Hydro employee, she claims that as a renter she will fight for a fair go for everyone in guaranteeing both the basics in life and opportunities to advance.
An Elwick local, Shelley previously ran for the Greens in the electorate of Clark in the 2022 election. She lists climate action, the creation of an equitable society with transparent and accountable governance and genuine treaty with First Nations people as her priorities. She stood unsuccessfully in Clark against Andrew Wilkie at the 2022 federal election.
In recent days, unsavoury and troubling reports of political interference have surfaced in Elwick. The allegations relate to two candidates undermining and sabotaging efforts to host and run an open forum for the community to hear directly from all candidates themselves on their ideas and vision for Elwick and to take questions from the floor.
The allegations involve pressuring a venue to cancel the event booking, in the end successful. When another venue was secured, allegations of political bias were directed at the event organiser. Thomas and McLaughlin decided to boycott the event. Reportedly they approached and pressured a third candidate to also ditch the event.
The organiser has said they declared their affiliations and advised all candidates of the event rules which were to be applied even-handedly to all involved.
Derailing a forum and clipping the wings of those who seek to encourage debate are serious matters.
They smack of intimidation and in the big picture are damaging to the principles of democracy.
Let’s face it, it’s difficult to find someone with no political affiliations to host a forum. What needs to happen is for any such affiliations to be declared, and that was the case here.
It is a matter of record that all four candidates were invited to attend this important opportunity to connect and converse directly with Elwick voters. Two bravely stood up to be counted, while two ran away from scrutiny.
McLaughlin has since denied all allegations of interference or bargaining. There has been no comment from Thomas on these matters.
From all accounts of the evening, both Janet Shelley and Fabiano Cangelosi did a wonderful job of engaging with the audience and answering their questions with openness, candour, honesty and humility which was sincerely appreciated by all who attended.
It was a shame for the Elwick community to be denied the opportunity to raise their concerns in this forum with all candidates.
At the last two state elections, the Liberal Party has deliberately attempted to undermine at least six Australia Institute forums by refusing point blank to send candidates.
While there are many avenues to forming an opinion about a candidate, the traditional ‘town hall’ forum is a tradition worth preserving.
Voters of Elwick now have an opportunity this Saturday to choose a new path for Elwick in the Upper House. They should be looking for a representative confident in their ability to pave that path with positive change, integrity, commitment to the community and truth-telling.
Let’s hope the best candidate wins.
* About Elwick
The Division of Elwick last had its boundaries redistributed in 2017. It contains all or parts of Berriedale, Chigwell, Claremont, Collinsvale, Derwent Park, Dowsing Point, Glenlusk, Glenorchy, Goodwood, Lenah Valley, Lutana, Molesworth, Montrose, Moonah, Mountain River, New Town, Rosetta, Wellington Park and West Moonah.
The name is from the colonial property ‘Elwick’ in the vicinity of O’Briens Bridge, established circa 1834 by chemist John Wilkinson. A migrant from England, in 1830 he had established a pharmacy in Elizabeth Street believed to be one of the first in Australia.
Celeste Romany is a political observer committed to clean, healthy and accountable politics in Tasmania at all levels of government and public service.
