The Tasmanian electoral analyst Kevin Bonham said Abetzâs Senate seat was not unwinnable at the next poll, but he was in a risky position.
âEver since he got into the Senate heâs been top of the ticket,â Bonham said. âThereâs never been any direct test of his popularity and now he has to actually fight for votes for the party as well as himself.â
Bonham said the considerations that could have swayed the 67 rank-and-file members who cast votes in the preselection were that Abetz has long been a politically controversial figure, that he is close to retirement age and that it would not have looked good to demote a woman to third place.