Incumbent MLC
Dean Harriss, since 2022.
Geography
Southern Tasmania. Huon covers the entirety of the Huon Valley local government area, as well as most of the Kingborough local government area, including Bruny Island.
History
The electorate of Huon has existed continuously since the first election in 1856.
The seat had always been held by independent MPs, apart from one term in Labor hands in the 1940s and another partial term in the 2020s. Despite officially being an independent seat since 1948, three of the last four MLCs to hold Huon prior to 2020 went on to run as a Liberal Party candidate for another public office.
In 1966, the seat was won by Michael Hodgman. He held Huon for eight years, resigning in 1974 to run for the federal seat of Denison. Hodgman lost that first attempt, but was elected in 1975. He held Denison until 1987, serving as a minister from 1980 to 1983.
Michael Hodgman returned to state politics in 1992, serving as a member of the House of Assembly for Denison from 1992 to 1998, and again from 2001 to 2010.
Michael Hodgman was replaced in Huon in 1974 by his brother, Peter Hodgman. The younger Hodgman held Huon until he resigned in 1986 to run for the lower house seat of Franklin as a Liberal. He served in the House of Assembly, including as a minister, until he resigned in 2001 in an unsuccessful attempt to win the federal seat of Franklin.
Michael and Peter Hodgman’s father Bill had served as a member of both houses of the Tasmanian Parliament from the 1950s to the 1980s. Michael’s son Will went on to serve as Premier and Member for Franklin.
Athol Meyer won Huon in 1986, and held the seat until 1996.
Paul Harriss won Huon in 1996, shortly after an unsuccessful run for the state seat of Franklin as a Liberal at the 1996 election.
Harriss stepped down from Huon in 2014 to run for the lower house seat of Franklin at the March election. Harriss was elected, and served as a minister in the new Liberal government until he resigned from parliament in 2016.
Huon was won in 2014 by Robert Armstrong, who defeated Liberal candidate Peter Hodgman, the former Huon MLC. Armstrong generally voted as one of the more right-wing members of the upper house.
Armstrong was defeated in 2020 by Labor candidate Bastian Seidel, the first successful Labor candidate in Huon since 1942. Seidel lasted barely a year as a Labor MLC, and resigned from parliament by the end of 2021.
The 2022 by-election was won by right-wing independent Dean Harriss, son of the former MLC Paul Harriss.
- Paul Gibson (Greens)
- Clare Glade-Wright (Independent)
- Dean Harriss (Independent)
- Abby McKibben (Labor)
Assessment
Huon has a long history of being a right-wing electorate, but these rural parts of south-western Tasmania have moved a long way to the left in recent years. Labor’s victory in 2020 was short-lived, but they would fancy their chances in 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Bastian Seidel | Labor | 6,795 | 31.3 |
| Robert Armstrong | Independent | 4,071 | 18.7 |
| Pat Caruana | Greens | 3,808 | 17.5 |
| Dean Harriss | Independent | 3,506 | 16.1 |
| Debbie Armstrong | Independent | 1,784 | 8.2 |
| Garrick Cameron | Shooters, Fishers & Farmers | 1,752 | 8.1 |
| Informal | 571 | 2.6 |
2020 two-candidate-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Bastian Seidel | Labor | 12,284 | 57.3 |
| Robert Armstrong | Independent | 9,152 | 42.7 |
2022 by-election result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Toby Thorpe | Labor | 5,648 | 25.0 |
| Dean Harriss | Independent | 5,340 | 23.7 |
| Aldo Antolli | Liberal | 5,111 | 22.7 |
| Gideon Cordover | Greens | 4,704 | 20.9 |
| Pat Caplice | Local Party | 1,748 | 7.8 |
| Informal | 615 | 2.7 |
2022 by-election two-candidate-preferred result
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| Dean Harriss | Independent | 11,840 | 52.5 |
| Toby Thorpe | Labor | 10,693 | 47.5 |
Booths in Huon have been divided into four areas. The electorate covers two local government areas. The Huon Valley was split into east and west, with Kingborough split into north and south. A majority of the vote was cast as a pre-poll, postal or other kind of special vote in 2020, while there was a slight rebound in the election day vote in 2022.
Labor topped the primary vote in all four areas at the 2020 election, ranging from 28.6% in southern Kingborough to 32.6% in eastern Huon Valley. The Greens came second in western Huon Valley, while the Greens came second in the other three areas.
Labor topped the primary vote in three areas at the 2022 by-election, while the Greens topped the poll in southern Kingborough. Dean Harriss came second in three out of four areas, and won with Liberal preferences.
2020 booth breakdown
| Voter group | ALP | Armstrong | GRN | Harriss | Total votes | % of votes |
| Kingborough North | 28.8 | 15.4 | 21.9 | 17.9 | 4,229 | 19.5 |
| Huon Valley East | 32.6 | 15.8 | 18.1 | 15.7 | 2,699 | 12.4 |
| Huon Valley West | 30.0 | 21.1 | 12.3 | 16.3 | 1,652 | 7.6 |
| Kingborough South | 28.6 | 14.1 | 27.8 | 14.1 | 1,091 | 5.0 |
| Other votes | 32.0 | 20.9 | 15.7 | 15.8 | 10,302 | 47.4 |
| Pre-poll | 34.1 | 19.3 | 15.6 | 15.8 | 1,743 | 8.0 |
2022 by-election booth breakdown
| Voter group | ALP | Harriss | LIB | GRN | Total votes | % of votes |
| Kingborough North | 27.5 | 21.9 | 25.3 | 25.2 | 4,312 | 20.7 |
| Huon Valley East | 30.0 | 28.3 | 18.8 | 22.9 | 3,418 | 16.4 |
| Huon Valley West | 31.3 | 29.3 | 22.4 | 17.0 | 1,914 | 9.2 |
| Kingborough South | 20.7 | 24.8 | 20.5 | 33.9 | 994 | 4.8 |
| Other votes | 25.7 | 26.3 | 27.0 | 21.0 | 8,692 | 41.8 |
| Pre-poll | 26.9 | 22.9 | 26.7 | 23.4 | 1,473 | 7.1 |
Election results in Huon at the 2020 Legislative Council election
Toggle between primary votes for Labor, independent candidate Robert Armstrong, the Greens and independent candidate Dean Harriss.
Election results at the 2022 Huon by-election
Toggle between primary votes for Labor, independent candidate Dean Harriss, the Liberal Party and the Greens.