BRADDON IN FOCUS

Covering the Tasmanian cities of Burnie and Devonport, Braddon is a rural electorate containing industries such as forestry, fishing, dairy farming, mining and tourism. It is a marginal electorate, having changed hands at five of the past seven federal elections. Braddon is the sixth-poorest electorate in Australia.

Ms Justine Keay, of the Labor party, was the incumbent MP until May of 2018, when she resigned due to not having renounced her British citizenship prior to her election in 2016.

An advocate for improved health services, increased investments in local schools and improved job opportunities for young people, Ms Keay was the first female to be elected for the seat of Braddon in 2016 with just under 3,000 votes in her favour. During her term, Ms Keay served on the Standing Committee for Agriculture and Water Resources, becoming the Deputy Chair in 2017. In her by-election campaign, she has run on the issues of elective surgery waiting lists, protection of local jobs and penalty rates. Ms Keay has been preferenced ahead of her opponent by both the Greens and independents.

Mr Brett Whiteley (Liberal Party) has previously represented the electorate of Braddon at both the State and Federal levels, serving for eight years and three years respectively. He was defeated by Ms Keay in the 2016 Federal Election. Mr Whiteleyserved on the Standing Committees for Treaties and for Selection during his Federal term, and was advocated for regional communities and the improvement of cancer services in North-West Tasmania. Mr Whiteley has based his by-election campaign around the message that Braddon cannot afford another term of Labor representation.

The 2016 election saw Ms Keay defeat Mr Whiteley by a margin of 4.4%. Leaked pre-polling has shown that the seat of Braddon is currently locked at 50–50 on a two-party preferred basis. It is for this reason that the independent candidate, fisherman Craig Garland, is expected to be the turning point of the by-election. Predicted to attract 9% of the vote, Mr Garland’s preferences are expected to flow to Ms Keay, which will be crucial in her campaign to beat Mr Whiteley for a second time.