Tasmania’s northern seats of Bass and Braddon flip to Labor, as Liberal’s Bridget Archer ousted

ABC NEWS (Australia)

As the red wave swept Tasmania on election night, it wasn’t just federal Labor Party that was celebrating the ‘extraordinary result. Northern Tasmania has dramatically swung to Labor in a surprise result that pushed out a well-liked local MP – turning a safe Liberal seat red.

Transcript

00:00Going into the night, it was a seat held comfortably by the Liberals.

00:07But it didn't take long for the North West Tasmanian seat of Braddon

00:11to be scooped up by a former Labor Senator.

00:14Very excited actually, very excited. It was a big hill to climb.

00:18And it wasn't the island state's only northern seat to change hands.

00:23Unfortunately tonight I'm a bit emotional because we haven't had the result that we hoped for.

00:28Bridget Archer faced a slimmer margin in Bass but she was still the favourite.

00:33A moderate maverick who once crossed the floor to censure her leader,

00:37she was unseated by former teacher Jess Teasdale.

00:41I think even up until today not many people at all, if any, thought we could actually do this.

00:48Labor's campaign leveraging a perceived distrust in Tasmania of the Liberal leader appears to have worked.

00:55Our campaign in Bass has been to say you can like Bridget Archer but if you vote for her you get Peter Dutton.

01:01I was absolutely over the moon and I think it's the end of the Scott Morrison era with getting rid of Peter Dutton.

01:09I've never seen such a laughable portfolio of policies.

01:12I mean the nuclear thing is just, it's uneconomic, it's unproven.

01:17Slightly disappointed that Labor was in. I would like to see more independents.

01:22Popular independent Andrew Wilkie was returned in the southern seat of Clark with Labor claiming the remaining four of Tasmania's five seats.

01:31Former state Labor leader Rebecca White claimed victory in Lyons while Cabinet Minister Julie Collins was returned in Franklin.

01:42While it's an extraordinary result, Tasmania is no stranger to wiping out a party seats at a federal election.

01:50And historically it's been the Liberals who've been shown the door.

01:54Precedented or not, it's a devastating blow for Tasmanian Liberals.

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