ELECTIONS for three seats in the Legislative Council will be held next Saturday. Incumbent Ivan Dean has faced only three elections since 2003 because the terms are six years.
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The Windermere seat has a salary and allowance package of $146,759 plus car. Mr Dean is the favourite again because of the advantage of incumbency and the possibility of a split Labor vote. Former union official Scott McLean is running as an independent against the endorsed Labor candidate Jennifer Houston.
The Greens have endorsed lawyer Vanessa Bleyer. The Liberal Party is not running a candidate, either because it believes Mr Dean is unbeatable or because the party is happy with his voting patterns.
Many Tasmanians have no idea what the Legislative Council is. If they are unsure they should inform themselves before voting on Saturday. An election in their area is just as important for Tasmania's future as electing a government.
Once the plaything of conservative politics, the Legislative Council is now aggressively reformist, highly inquisitive and worth its weight in gold.
Many times the council has saved governments from themselves by modifying or rejecting poorly drafted laws.
The major political parties often promote abolition of the council but that's because governments have a robust notion of an election mandate, and believe an election, even a close one, gives them licence to be autocratic.
Queensland abolished its Legislative Council in 1922 and has since been marked by highly unpopular governments from both sides, sometimes because of incumbent arrogance and complacency in the absence of proper parliamentary scrutiny.
Like you would at the races, study the form guide for Saturday and give it some thought. It's easier because you are mainly measuring the performance of individuals rather than oppositions and governments.
Make your vote count, and that way you will know enough to make the winner accountable.