Legislative elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on Saturday July 20, 2002. It saw the incumbent Australian Labor Party government headed by Premier Jim Bacon face the Liberal Party of Australia Opposition headed by Opposition Leader Bob Cheek. The election was marked by a strong swing to both the ALP and the Tasmanian Greens, an environmentalist third party, at the expense of the Liberals, with Cheek suffering the indignity of losing his own seat. The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Tasmania in Australia. ... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... Before the 1890s there was no formal party system in Tasmania. ... James Alexander Bacon AC (May 15, 1950 - June 20, 2004) was Premier of Tasmania from 1998 to 2004. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... Bob Cheek (born May 13, 1944, Launceston, Tasmania) was leader of the Opposition Tasmanian Liberal Party from 20 August 2001 until he lost his seat in the July 2002 election. ... The Tasmanian Greens are a political party who developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the building of the Franklin Dam. ...

Bacon and the ALP campaigned on a platform of revitalising the state after the 1990s-era economic reforms of successive Liberal governments, while maintaining law and order and a strong economy, and promoting tourism in particular. In response, Cheek and the Liberals claimed that the government had abandoned small business and promised a wide range of spending initiatives - something that was seized upon by Bacon as a means of attacking the Liberals' economic credentials. The Tasmanian Greens, under leader Peg Putt, campaigned as an alternative to both major parties, concentrating on environmental issues, which are often an area of bipartisan agreement among the Tasmanian major parties. The Tasmanian Greens are a political party who developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the building of the Franklin Dam. ... Margaret Ann (Peg) Putt is an Australian politician and parliamentary leader of the Tasmanian Greens. ...

The results of the election were somewhat unexpected. The government retained its 14-seat majority in the 25-member parliament and recorded a swing in their favour in all five electorates. The Liberal Party had held ten seats before the election, but lost three to the Greens, who subsequently went from one to four seats. The Greens gained 18.1% of the state-wide vote, their highest on record. In the Hobart-based seat of Denison, the Greens polled 24.5%, outpolling the main Opposition Liberal Party. Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. ... The Division of Denison, Tasmania is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly or lower house. ...

The election had major impacts on both the Liberal Party and Tasmanian Greens, while leaving the governing ALP largely unchanged. The Liberal Party elected a new parliamentary leader, MP Rene Hidding, from the Lyons, following the defeat of its previous leader, Bob Cheek who lost his seat in the Liberal rout. Rene Hidding (born 5 February 1953), Australian politician, is the leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania. ... The Division of Lyons, Tasmania is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly or lower house. ... Bob Cheek (born May 13, 1944, Launceston, Tasmania) was leader of the Opposition Tasmanian Liberal Party from 20 August 2001 until he lost his seat in the July 2002 election. ...

In contrast to the misfortune of the Liberal Party, the election saw the unexpected revival of the Greens, who had been nearly annihilated when both major parties reduced the size of the Assembly in 1998, from 35 to 25, increasing the quota necessary to win a seat to 16.7%. Both major parties portrayed this as a way to cut the costs of government, but the Greens saw it as an attempt to eradicate them. The changes nearly had the latter effect at the 1998 election, with all of their MPs except one, Peg Putt, being defeated. While this had the potential to threaten their continued existence, they managed to markedly increase their vote in the 2002 poll, and picked up three new MPs, Kim Booth, Nick McKim and Tim Morris. Legislative elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on Saturday August 29, 1998. ... Margaret Ann (Peg) Putt is an Australian politician and parliamentary leader of the Tasmanian Greens. ... Tasmanian Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the people of Bass since 2002. ... Nicholas James Nick McKim is an Australian politician. ... Tasmanian Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly representing the people of Lyons since 2002. ...

2002 Election Results

The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian liberal conservative political party. ... The Tasmanian Greens are a political party who developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania including the flooding of Lake Pedder and the building of the Franklin Dam. ...

See also

• Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 2002-2006
• Tasmanian legislative election, 1998

List of members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, elected at the 2002 state election: Distribution of seats Categories: Politics of Tasmania ... Legislative elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on Saturday August 29, 1998. ...

References

• Tasmanian Parliamentary Library: 2002 election results
• Voting by Division from Adam Carr's Electoral Archive
• Australian Parliamentary Library research note