Weeks out from the federal election, it pays to remember the House contest determines who governs but the Senate always shapes what happens next. From Hobart in the south to Stanley in the far north-west of the state, there are large signs introducing a political candidate to the voters.
People who follow federal politics closely might scratch their heads at this, because engaged voters will already know this fellow.
Abetz is a Liberal senator for Tasmania. But the Abetz of the roadside signs has no visible party affiliation. Perhaps the navy blue text provides a suggestion. A glancing hint. There is also palpable disaffection with the major parties from Launceston right through to the remote north-west.
The backstory is simple. But there was an upset. Abetz was relegated to the third spot after Duniam and Askew. People who know Abetz say he has no intention of bowing out quietly.
But if Ericmentum is organic, it has clear institutional tendencies. Readers on the mainland may not be aware that Tasmanians like to vote below the line. Some have a tendency to get behind grassroots insurrections rather than accede to the will of the faceless men and women who preselect major party candidates. Singh triumphed in the double-dissolution election of , becoming the first candidate to be elected on below-the-line votes since the above and below the line system was introduced in Colbeck also picked up a significant chunk of the vote, but lost in He returned to the Senate in after his colleague Stephen Parry exited during the section 44 fracas.
