Face of Nation : Ms Ogilvie, whose great uncle Albert Ogilvie was a Labor premier, is the first independent Tasmanian MP since Bruce Goodluck in 1998. Madeleine Ogilvie earlier this week won a recount for the Hobart electorate of Clark triggered by the retirement of Labor’s Scott Bacon.
Ms Ogilvie, a Catholic, was a member of Labor’s right faction and had previously clashed with the party’s majority left on issues including euthanasia. She held recent talks with Labor leader Rebecca White about rejoining the party.
“Maybe this is a moment in time where I get to make a once-in-a-lifetime contribution to Tassie,” Ms Ogilvie said. Ms Ogilvie said there were some obstacles to rejoining Labor but didn’t elaborate.
Ms Ogilvie’s decision could give the Liberal government a helping hand in the 25-seat House of Assembly. Liberal Speaker Sue Hickey did hold the casting vote, which the independent-minded MP has used to pass legislation in step with Labor and the Greens, including controversial laws to make gender optional on birth certificates.
Ms Ogilvie, who had an unsuccessful tilt as an independent at the upper house this year, may be more inclined than Ms Hickey to vote along Liberal lines. The Liberals hold 13 seats and the Greens two, with Labor slipping to nine.
Ms Ogilvie says she wants to contribute to a stable parliament but intends to “speak freely”. “The feedback that I’ve had from the people of Clark and Tasmania is that’s what they want – a big contest of ideas for better or worse,” she said.
