Independent Tasmanian senator Tammy Tyrell has joined the Labor Party. The move gives the government increased numbers.
Senator Tyrell joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra to announce her move to Labor.
She is the second senator to join Labor during this term of government, following Western Australian senator Dorinda Cox, who defected from The Greens.
Senator Tyrell said she decided to join the government ranks so she could have a “seat at the table where I can make the most change”.
“I know exactly what Tasmanians are wanting out of this current government and the people that represent it,” the senator said, adding that she would not be apologising for joining a major party.
“I’m not going to apologise to anybody for joining Labor. It’s a good fit,” she said.
“I’ve supported Labor very regularly over the last four years, but I’ve also pushed back on things for Tasmania,” she added. “I will still do that.”
Senator Tyrell was elected to parliament as part of the Jacqui Lambie Network in 2022. She was previously Lambie’s office manager. She later left the party to sit as an independent in 2022.
While Tyrell’s decision has increased Labor’s ranks, the government will still need the support of either The Greens or the Coalition to pass legislation in the upper house.
While Senators Tyrell and Cox have joined Labor during this term, they are not alone in switching allegiances. The Nationals lost Barnaby Joyce to One Nation, while Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price moved from The Nationals to the Liberal Party.
