The Liberal government of Tasmanian Premier Tony Rundle was defeated at the August 29 election by the ALP under the leadership of Jim Bacon.
Mr. Rundle, announced an early election on 13 July. The State’s voters went to the polls on Saturday 29 August, 18 months earlier than necessary. Mr. Rundle said he was tired of the frustration and difficulty of running a minority government. The Federal Opposition Leader, Mr. Kim Beazley, said that Rundle had committed political suicide, a prediction that turned out to be accurate.
In announcing the election, Mr. Rundle also announced that he was introducing a bill to reduce the size of the Legislative Assembly from 35 to 25 members. The plan was attacked by the Greens as a blatant attempt to destroy their representation in the Parliament. The legislation was subsequently passed by the ALP and the Liberals, and the Parliament was dissolved for the elections.