A general election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on Saturday, 15 October 2016.
The 15-year incumbent Labor Party, led by Chief Minister Andrew Barr, won a fifth term over the main opposition Liberal Party, led by opposition leader Jeremy Hanson. On election night, ABC analyst Antony Green predicted that Labor would once again form a minority government with the support of the Greens, with Liberal leader Hanson saying in a speech it would be very difficult for the Liberals to win government. On 22 October, the final list of elected candidates was confirmed; the Labor Party winning 12 seats, the Liberal Party 11 seats and the Greens 2 seats. Labor and the Greens subsequently signed off on a formal Parliamentary Agreement, which outlined shared policy priorities and allowed Greens leader Shane Rattenbury to retain a seat in the Cabinet whilst mandating that the Greens not move or support any motion of no confidence in the Labor Government, except in instances of gross misconduct or corruption.
Prior to this election, candidates were elected to fill all 17 Legislative Assembly seats in the unicameral parliament which consisted of three multi-member electorates, Brindabella (five seats), Ginninderra (five seats) and Molonglo (seven seats), using a proportional representation single transferable vote method known as the Hare-Clark system. On 5 August 2014, the Assembly voted to increase the size of the Assembly to 25 members, elected from five electorates of five seats each. The Hare-Clark system continued. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission.
Of the 25 elected members, 13 were women, representing the first female parliamentary majority in Australian history.
Results
Primary vote by electorate Results by electorate Brindabella Ginninderra Kurrajong Murrumbidgee Yerrabi Party Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Votes % Seats Labor 15,744 33.6 2 19,494 41.4 3 18,796 38.5 2 17,265 34.5 2 22,512 43.9 3 Liberal 19,606 41.9 3 15,095 32.0 2 15,140 31.0 2 21,425 42.8 2 18,366 35.8 2 Greens 2,399 5.1 0 4,573 9.7 0 9,165 18.8 1 5,325 10.6 1 3,634 7.1 0 Independent 1,967 4.2 0 4,580 9.7 0 2,135 4.4 0 687 1.4 0 1,466 2.9 0 Sex Party 3,694 7.9 0 — — — — — — 1,746 3.5 0 2,034 4.0 0 Liberal Democrats 1,175 2.5 0 587 1.2 0 1,057 2.2 0 813 1.6 0 1,396 2.7 0 Sustainable Australia 697 1.5 0 1,105 2.3 0 645 1.3 0 652 1.3 0 732 1.4 0 Animal Justice 1,106 2.4 0 444 0.9 0 602 1.2 0 1,071 2.1 0 458 0.9 0 Like Canberra 442 0.9 0 450 1.0 0 419 0.9 0 658 1.3 0 655 1.3 0 Community Voters — — — 814 1.7 0 889 1.8 0 — — — — — — Community Alliance — — — — — — — — — 413 0.8 0 — — —
Final distribution of seats Electorate Seats held Brindabella Ginninderra Kurrajong Murrumbidgee Yerrabi Labor Liberal Green New MLAs Since the 2012 election, the total number of seats in the assembly had increased from 17 seats (across two five-seat electorates and one seven-seat electorate) to 25 seats (across five five-seat electorates). This has resulted in twelve new MPs being elected (eight to the new seats, two replacing Simon Corbell and Val Jeffery, who retired, and two replacing Chris Bourke and Jayson Hinder, who were defeated at the election).
Name Party SeatLiberalBrindabellaLaborGinninderraLiberalGinninderraLaborGinninderraLaborKurrajongLiberalKurrajongLaborMurrumbidgeeLaborMurrumbidgeeGreenMurrumbidgeeLaborYerrabiLaborYerrabiLiberalYerrabi
Key dates Last day to lodge applications for party register: 30 June 2016 Party registration closed: 8 September 2016 Pre-election period commenced and nominations opened: 9 September 2016 Rolls close: 16 September 2016 Nominations close: 21 September 2016 Nominations declared and ballot paper order determined: 22 September 2016 Pre-poll voting commences: 27 September 2016 Polling day: 15 October 2016 Last day for receipt of postal votes: 21 October 2016
Background
The incumbent Labor Party led by Chief Minister Andrew Barr attempted to win re-election for a fifth term in the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly. Labor, led by Katy Gallagher, formed a minority coalition government with the Greens after the 2012 election, where Labor won 8 seats, Liberal 8 seats, Greens 1 seat. The Greens retained their balance of power in the election despite losing the majority of their 4-seat representation, with sole remaining representative Shane Rattenbury entering the cabinet to form a coalition government. Gallagher resigned as Chief Minister and Labor leader on 5 December 2014 to enter the Senate in the vacancy left by Kate Lundy. She was replaced by her deputy Andrew Barr on 11 December 2014.
The opposition, the Liberal Party, also had a change in leadership. Zed Seselja, the leader of the party since 2007, stood down on 11 February 2013, to challenge Liberal Party pre-selection for the Senate at the 2013 federal election. Seselja eventually won his pre-selection bid, and was elected Senator for the Australian Capital Territory at the federal election. He was replaced as leader of the Liberal Party by Jeremy Hanson.
All members of the unicameral Assembly faced re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. The Assembly was previously divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella (including Tuggeranong and parts of the Woden Valley) and Ginninderra (including Belconnen and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo (including North Canberra, South Canberra, Gungahlin, Weston Creek, and the remainder of the Woden Valley). These electorates, were redistributed following the increase in the size of the Assembly to 25 seats.
At the end of May 2015, the following electorates were announced: Brindabella – contains the district of Tuggeranong (except the suburb of Kambah). Ginninderra – contains the district of Belconnen (except the suburbs of Evatt, Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar and Lawson). Kurrajong – contains the districts of Canberra Central and Majura Murrumbidgee – contains the districts of the Woden Valley, Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and the Tuggeranong suburb of Kambah. Yerrabi – contains the districts of Gungahlin, Hall and the Belconnen suburbs of Evatt, Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar and Lawson.
Election dates are set in statute with four-year fixed terms, to be held on the third Saturday of October every four years.
Campaign The opposition Liberal Party opposed the Light rail in Canberra project, so did the Like Canberra and Sustainable Australia. In April 2015, the Liberal party announced it would cancel any contracts for the light rail if it won the 2016 ACT election. A year out from the poll, the light rail project was already predicted to be the election's major issue. As predicted, the light rail project was the major issue of the campaign. The election saw the Labor government returned, with the party claiming the result as an endorsement of the project.
Candidates
Registered parties Twelve parties were registered with the ACT Electoral Commission as eligible for the October 2016 election, ten of which nominated candidates for the election. Animal Justice Party Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) Australian Sex Party ACT Canberra Community Voters Liberal Democratic Party Liberal Party Like Canberra Sustainable Australia (ACT) The ACT Greens The Community Alliance Party (ACT) The Flux Party – ACT (did not contest) VoteCanberra (did not contest)
Retiring members
Labor Simon Corbell (Molonglo)
Liberal Val Jeffery (Brindabella)
Brindabella Five seats were up for election.
Labor candidatesLiberal candidatesGreens candidatesAnimal Justice candidatesLiberal Democrats candidates Joy Burch* Angie Drake Mick Gentleman* Karl Maftoum Taimus Werner-GibbingsEd Cocks Annette Fazey-Southwell Nicole Lawder* Mark Parton* Andrew Wall*Johnathan Davis Michael Mazengarb Ben MurphySarah O'Brien Robyn SoxsmithMatt Donnelly Jacob Gowor Greg Renet Vera Saragih Matt StraschkoLike Canberra candidatesSex Party candidatesSustainable candidatesUngrouped candidates Timothy Friel Richard TuffinSteven Bailey Monique ShepherdClaude Hastir Melissa KempAndrew Holt (Ind) Joel McKay (Ind)
Ginninderra Five seats were up for election.
Labor candidatesLiberal candidatesGreens candidatesCCV candidatesLiberal Democrats candidates Yvette Berry* Chris Bourke Tara Cheyne* Kim Fischer Gordon Ramsay*Vicki Dunne* Denise Fisher Elizabeth Kikkert* Ignatius Rozario Paul SweeneyJason Chappel Indra Esguerra Richard MerzianBeth Gooch Mick Kaye Geoff Kettle Gilbert Reilly Alan TuttNaomi Gowor Guy JakemanLike Canberra candidatesSustainable candidatesUngrouped candidates Richard Harriss Sam HugginsGeoff Buckmaster Martin TyeBernie Brennan (AJP) Ian Coombes (Ind) Vijay Dubey (Ind) David Edwards (Ind) Emmanuel Ezekiel-Hart (Ind) Kim Huynh (Ind) Vanessa Jones (Ind) Leigh Watson (Ind) Lea Zangl (Ind)
Kurrajong Five seats were up for election.
Labor candidatesLiberal candidatesGreens candidatesCCV candidatesLiberal Democrats candidates Andrew Barr* Josh Ceramidas Leah Dwyer Richard Niven Rachel Stephen-Smith*Candice Burch Brooke Curtin Steve Doszpot* Elizabeth Lee* Peter McKayShane Rattenbury* Jill Thomsen Rebecca VassarottiRichard Farmer Mike Hettinger Lucinda SpierMark Ellis Michael O'Rourke Hugh UptonLike Canberra candidatesSustainable candidatesUngrouped candidates Chris Bucknell Maryann MussaredJohn Haydon Oliver TyeJeff Isaacs (AJP) Marea Fatseas (Ind) Peter Robinson (Ind) Graeme Strachan (Ind)
Murrumbidgee Five seats were up for election.
Labor candidatesLiberal candidatesGreens candidatesAnimal Justice candidatesCommunity Alliance candidates Bec Cody* Mark Kulasingham Brendan Long Jennifer Newman Chris Steel*Jessica Adelan-Langford Jeremy Hanson* Peter Hosking Paul House Giulia Jones*Emma Davidson Jennifer Faerber Caroline Le Couteur*Deborah Field Jessica MontagneMichael Lindfield Nancy-Louise SchergerLiberal Democrats candidatesLike Canberra candidatesSustainable candidatesUngrouped candidates Fergus Brown Brendan Cumpston Roman Gowor Tom Hamer Alexander KlinkonShelley Dickerson Rod VickersJill Mail Mark O'ConnorRobbie Swan (Sex) Margaret Webber (Ind) Brendan Whyte (Ind)
Yerrabi Five seats were up for election.
Labor candidatesLiberal candidatesGreens candidatesLiberal Democrats candidatesLike Canberra Meegan Fitzharris* Deepak-Raj Gupta Jayson Hinder Suzanne Orr* Michael Pettersson*Alistair Coe* Amanda Lynch James Milligan* Justin States Jacob VadakkedathuAndrew Braddock Tobias Holm Veronica WensingDave Green Declan KeatingTim Bohm Casey HeffernanSex Party candidatesSustainable candidatesUngrouped candidates Andrew Dewson Susie KennettPaul Gabriel Violet SheridanMandy Cottingham (AJP) Daniel Evans David Pollard (Ind)
Newspaper endorsements Newspaper Endorsement The Canberra Times
See also Labor–Greens coalition 2012 Australian Capital Territory election Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 2012–2016
References
External links Elections ACT: 2016 Legislative Assembly election Australian Broadcasting Corporation: ACT Election 2016