As ballot counts continue for the 2025 Tasmanian election, Carlo Di Falco, a candidate for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party (SFF), appears increasingly likely to secure a seat in parliament.
Early results suggest a strong showing for Di Falco, in the electorate of Lyons, where he is currently favored to win the final seat. This potential victory would bring a distinct voice to the Tasmanian political landscape, championing issues often overlooked by major parties.
Residing in Forcett, Di Falco has articulated his vision for Tasmania’s future, focusing on economic growth, energy independence, and a pragmatic approach to key challenges.
Di Falco’s journey into politics was uniquely sparked by the events of 1996, specifically the actions of then Prime Minister John Howard following the Port Arthur massacre. He describes the resulting gun control laws as creating a ‘sense of unfair’ and felt that the 1.2 million licensed firearm owners were scapegoated for what he asserts was ‘a Martin Bryant problem,’ not a ‘gun problem’.
Di Falco maintains that licensed gun owners are the most scrutinised section of society and were subjected to ‘unreasonable, unfair, gotcha regulation,’ which directly propelled him into the political arena.
“I am probably not that much of a speaker’ due to a life of working ‘with me hands’,” he said,
“but I really do enjoy speaking and connecting with people.”
This stems from his time as a groundsman at Long Beach reserve when working for the Hobart City council, where he built rapport with community members, even remembering their dogs’ names. He has continued this approach on the campaign trail, enjoying interactions with voters, even if they don’t initially know his name, by petting their dogs and offering treats which he carried around in his pocket whilst door knocking.
The cornerstone of Di Falco’s economic strategy is to encourage entrepreneurs to set up in Tasmania.
“I believe Tasmania offers inherent incentives, particularly its topography, which allows for increased hydro storage, and its ‘massive mineral reserves,’ including rare earth minerals, which the world is ‘screaming out for’,” he said.
He advocates for selling these resources for Tasmania’s benefit, arguing that more hydropower will boost business confidence by ensuring a reliable energy supply, “unlike the brownouts we have seen on the mainland,” he said.
Central to generating wealth, in his view, is access to ‘plentiful, reliable, cheap energy’ and he identifies Hydro as the primary solution.
Di Falco also supports biomass, suggesting that ‘forest waste being burnt’ could be utilised for energy generation rather than simply dissipating into the atmosphere.
A significant point of contention for Di Falco is the Marinus Link project.
“Marinus has an even greater pot of money than other projects,” he said, “I see no reason why we need to do the mainland any favours.”
He is questioning the project’s benefit to Tasmania without reviewing the business case and highlights the ‘loss of power going across, pushing it through the cable’, drawing an analogy to friction loss in irrigation pipes.
Regarding the proposed stadium, Di Falco insists it must undergo the proper process with the TPC (Tasmanian Planning Commission).
“I note that while major parties and David O’Byrne have supported it, most independents oppose the stadium.
“I anticipate the Legislative Council, which has a significant independent presence, will serve its role as a review body,” he said.
On climate, Di Falco holds a pragmatic view.
“You can’t do anything about the climate. It’s going to go up, it’s going to go down,” he said.
“Look at historical examples such as the Thames River freezing over in England without significant industrial activity at the time.”
“I also refer to Tim Flannery’s 2007 prediction that dams would not fill, yet look at the Warragamba dam overflowing five times since,” said Di Falco.
Di Falco strongly supports the salmon industry and aquaculture generally. He references a documentary by renowned Chef Rick Stein, which highlighted the decline of wild fisheries like Orange Roughy, and predicted the inevitability of aquaculture to meet the global fish protein demand.
“I am in support of the industry, but there is also room for improvement.
I’ve had conversations with industry insiders, and they tell me the nets should be situated in places where there’s a lot of agitation in the water turbidity or big wave conditions.
“This will also be good for animal welfare which will mean better waste management, which will better position aquaculture as a necessary offset to protect wild fisheries,” said Di Falco.
Di Falco has been enjoying the campaign.
He confirmed that both sides of politics have reached out to him, indicating broad interest.
“I also have the support of good mates within his party, including Adrian Pickin, and I am able to draw on the experience of our bigger mainland party. They have earned the lessons and ‘made the mistakes’ already,” he said
“The Hare-Clark system is a beast and maybe our Bass candidate Michal Frydrych also has an outside chance of being elected.”
Carlo Di Falco presents himself as a practical, community-oriented individual focused on harnessing Tasmania’s natural advantages to secure a prosperous and energy-independent future, driven by principles of fairness and local benefit.
His political journey began not by design, but as a reaction to perceived injustice, highlighting how a single event can ripple into a lasting commitment to public service, much like a pebble dropped into a pond creates waves that reach all its edges.
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