Tasmania’s electoral system, particularly its implementation of the Hare-Clark proportional representation method, has frequently faced criticism for its tendency to produce unstable governments. This instability largely arises from the system’s inherent design, which promotes a fragmented parliament and necessitates coalition-building and negotiations that may ultimately compromise governmental efficacy and stability. The Hare-Clark system, in theory, […]
Tasmania’s unstable electoral system
Tasmania’s unstable electoral system
25 Jul 2025 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, politics - Australia, Public Choice Tags: Tasmania
Does a country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables?
01 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming Tags: solar power, Tasmania, wind power
On this blog, I already looked in some rather confusing fact-checks. There is for example the fact-checker who was struggling to find an example of someone actually making the claim he is fact-checking and the fact-checker who fact-checked a entirely different claim than he was set to do. I think there is a new contender […]
Does a country has ever been able to run entirely on renewables?
Australia as seen from Tasmania
22 Nov 2023 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture Tags: Australia, Tasmania
More proof of the unreliability of renewable energy
01 Aug 2016 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, politics - Australia Tags: hydroelectric power, reading myths, renewable energy, Tasmania
The Lake Pedder dam is full for the first time since 1988. A few months ago, Tasmanian hydroelectric lake levels were 13% with 6% the level at which the entire system shuts down.
Electric Eric Lives on in a classic Tasmanian tourist ad
14 Apr 2016 Leave a comment
in economics, economics of media and culture Tags: economics of advertising, Tasmania
The Green vote drops 30% after going into government
25 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Australia, Australian Greens, New Zealand Greens, Tasmania, Tasmanian Greens
The Australian Greens suffered dramatic drops in their vote when they got anywhere near the reins of power.
First consider the Tasmanian Greens. They were in a confidence and supply agreement in 1989 in the Tasmanian House of Assembly and then Cabinet ministers from 2010.
As Figure 1 shows, the Green primary vote dropped dramatically after each spell near power – from 21.6% to 13.8%.
Figure 1: Tasmanian Greens primary vote, House of Assembly
The Australian Greens suffered the same fate when they entered into a confidence and supply agreement after the 2011 Australian Federal Election. Figure 2 shows that their vote dropped by 1/3rd.
Figure 2: Australian Greens Senate primary vote
What lessons does this have for the New Zealand Greens and their ambitions for Cabinet portfolios after the 2017 election? Figure 3 shows of their part vote only got a comfortable distance from the 5% minimum threshold for list MPs after Labour lost power and popularity after the 2008 election.
Figure 3: New Zealand Greens party vote
In the 2005 election, the Green party vote was below 5% at the end of election night after rose above that after early and postal votes were count P.
Part of the boost in the vote of the Greens in the 2008 and 2011 New Zealand general elections can be explained by grumpy Labour voters going elsewhere while waiting the call home to a credible Labour government in waiting.
The Greens need to buy an insurance policy and win an electorate seat such as Wellington Central where their new leader James Shaw stood at the last election. The Labour Party came third in the party vote last time but won the seat comfortably because the Greens chose not to seek the electoral vote.
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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