Independent senator Tammy Tyrrell joins Labor
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: Independent Tammy Tyrrell has joined Labor, becoming the second senator to join Labor’s ranks since its federal election.
The context: In a surprise announcement alongside the Tasmanian senator on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed Tyrrell would boost Labor’s numbers in the Senate to 40.
“People across Tasmania know her as a fighter. She’s someone who’s warm, genuinely funny and compassionate,” Albanese told reporters.
Tyrrell described Labor as a “good fit” and said she was “not going to apologise” to voters who opted for her because she was an independent.
“I want to have a seat at the table where I can make the most change and bring back the good stuff to Tasmania,” she said.
Tyrrell, who is up for re-election in 2028, confirmed she would run again if she secured a place on Labor’s ticket.
Tyrrell was an outspoken critic of the government’s social media ban on children aged under 16, but dismissed that concern as “one of those things” on Thursday.
“I believe that children should have an education so that they are safer, be it driving a car,” she said.
“There are times when I have not agreed in the past, but this is a fresh start moving forward.”
Tyrrell’s decision does not radically alter dynamics in the Senate, where Labor requires support from either the Coalition or Greens to pass legislation.
Her defection comes after Dorinda Cox, who was elected as a Greens senator, also confirmed she was joining Labor soon after the 2025 election.
Albanese’s embrace of the pair is a reversal of his previous stance on Fatima Payman, who defected from Labor to sit as an independent during the last term of government.
At the time, the prime minister insisted Payman should hand back her seat to the party who she campaigned with at the 2022 election.
“Payman should test democratic support for her actions by contesting the next election herself under the banner of her new political party,” Albanese said in 2024.
Tyrell was elected under the Jacqui Lambie Network’s banner in 2022, defeating Liberal incumbent Eriz Abetz, but announced a decision to sit as an independent in 2024.
What they said: “She is someone who doesn’t mince her words,” Albanese said of Tyrrell.
“She stands up for people. And now she will bring that advocacy into the Labor Party as a member of the Labour caucus.”
The sources: Anthony Albanese, Tammy Tyrrell press conference, The Australian Financial Review
