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Federal election 2025: Elizabeth Watson-Brown wins Ryan for Greens

Federal election 2025: Elizabeth Watson-Brown wins Ryan for Greens

News.com.au13-05-2025

Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown has officially retained the inner Brisbane seat of Ryan, giving her embattled radical-left party a lonely victory following its lower house wipe-out in the May 3 federal election.
The Greens entered the election with four seats in the lower house of parliament, but will return with just one following Ms Watson-Brown's close win over Coalition rival Maggie Forrest.
The Sky News Decision Desk called the seat for Ms Watson-Brown on Monday.
She secured about 53 per cent of the votes after preferences with a 0.5 per cent swing in her favour.
Ms Watson-Brown on Tuesday said the Greens were ready 'push Labor' for 'stronger action on the climate, housing and cost-of-living crises'.
'I want to thank the people of Ryan for again putting their trust in me to be their strong, independent voice in parliament and for helping to keep (former Opposition Leader Peter) Dutton out,' she said on her victory.
'This term we have one of the most progressive Senates we've ever had, an opportunity for real progressive reform. There is no excuse now for Labor to resist real reform to help people and nature.
'The Greens are ready to push Labor to take stronger action on the climate, housing and cost-of-living crises.'
Ryan, which takes in Brisbane's leafy inner and outer western suburbs, was long considered a safe blue-ribbon Liberal electorate.
Ms Watson-Brown snatched it from the Liberals in 2022.
The Greens copped a shellacking on May 3, with long-serving Greens leader Adam Bandt booted from his seat of Melbourne along with Brisbane MPs Max Chandler-Mather and Stephen Bates.
The Greens now consist of 11 Senators in the Upper House and Ms Watson-Brown in the Lower House.
Anthony Albanese secured a crushing victory for Labor, with the party winning at least 93 seats as of Monday, compared to 43 for the Coalition.
There are now just three seats in doubt: Calwell and Flinders in Victoria, and Longman in Queensland.
In Calwell, Labor candidate Basem Abdo is ahead of Coalition rival Usman Ghani.
In Flinders, Liberal MP Zoe McKenzie is ahead of independent challenger Ben Smith.
Ms McKenzie leads with 4572 votes with 90.0 per cent of the vote counted.
In Longman, LNP member Terry Young is leading Labor challenger Rhiannyn Douglas.
Mr Young leads with just 196 votes with 85.4 per cent of the vote counted.
On Monday, the Decision Desk called the seat of Bradfield, in Sydney, for the Liberals.
Labor has clung onto Bean in the ACT and Bullwinkel in Western Australia.
Former teal independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel, meanwhile, has not yet conceded her seat to victorious Liberal Tim Wilson.
In a post to X from May 9, Ms Daniel said she would not concede until postals and pre-poll votes were counted.
'The AEC has not yet declared the seat,' she said.
'Please respect the process and voters until a definitive position is clear.'

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Recent opinion polling showed 60 per cent of Tasmanians were also against the development. Tasmania faces days of political uncertainty with a request by the state's embattled premier for a snap poll being considered by the governor. Jeremy Rockliff made the drive to Government House on Tuesday evening to meet with Governor Barbara Baker, five days after he lost the confidence of the parliament. "Following their conversation, Her Excellency is now taking the time necessary to give due consideration to all available options," Government House official secretary David Hughes said. "By the end of the week the premier will meet with Her Excellency again. Further statements will be made in due course." Mr Rockliff has refused to resign after losing Thursday's vote of no-confidence, putting the state on a seemingly unavoidable collision course with an election. It is not clear whether Ms Baker will ask the Liberals to find a new leader and premier, which would remove the need for a poll. Former senator Eric Abetz, Deputy Premier Guy Barnett and ex-deputy Michael Ferguson are among Liberal leadership options. Labor, which has just 10 seats, has ruled out forming a minority government in alliance with the five-seat Greens plus members of the crossbench. Tasmania is staring down the barrel of its fourth election in seven years. The Liberals were returned to power in minority in March 2024 with 14 of 35 lower-house seats. "I respect the need for her excellency to take the appropriate time to consider important matters of state," Mr Rockliff said in a statement. "I remain committed to serving the people of Tasmania." The no-confidence motion was put forward by Labor and supported by the Greens and three crossbench independent MPs. Labor said the motion against Mr Rockliff was necessary because of his financial "mismanagement" and poor handling of delayed and over-budget new Bass Strait ferries. Labor was ready to contest an election, MP Josh Willie told parliament. His party would enter a campaign without veteran MP and Speaker Michelle O'Byrne, who announced on Tuesday she would not run again. Ms O'Byrne, elected to state parliament in 2006, criticised parliament's dysfunction. "If minority government is the way of the future then it requires us all to behave differently," she told parliament. "We have to have the maturity to not do things just because we can. The events of the last week have proven that." Election battle lines have already been drawn, with the Liberals dropping a plan to investigate public asset sales and announcing former federal MP Bridget Archer would run in Bass. Liberal MP Felix Ellis said the party was "united" behind Mr Rockliff. A plan for a $945 million stadium at Hobart's Macquarie Point, a condition of the Tasmania Devils entering the AFL in 2028, is likely to be a major issue for potential voters. The project is backed by the Liberals and Labor but the Greens and several crossbenchers are opposed. 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