Former senator and Tony Abbott ally Eric Abetz is set to return to public office after winning the backing of rank-and-file Liberals.
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The 66-year-old was the standout choice among party members in a vote to select candidates for the Tasmanian seat of Franklin, topping two siting MPs.
Mr Abetz's strong endorsement by members means he is a frontrunner to win a place in the expanding state parliament.
The Liberals have only once failed to elect multiple candidates in Franklin, one of Tasmania's five multi-member electorates.
Each electorate set to elect seven MPs at the next poll, up from five, and the long-time senator likely to attract a significant personal vote.
While the Liberals' backing of Mr Abetz has attracted criticism, Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he would take a "highly capable" team into the next state election.
"I'm proud of our team, of our endorsed candidates to date, and we're focused on what matters for all Tasmanians, and that's teachers in our schools, police on the beat and jobs in rural and regional Tasmania," he told reporters on Sunday.
"What Tasmanians want is a premier and a government that's focused on their needs."
Mr Abetz spent nearly three decades in the Senate, serving in the Howard and Abbott ministries, often as an attack dog on Labor, before being sent to the backbench by moderate Malcolm Turnbull.
His federal career came to a close at the 2022 election after he was demoted to a virtually unwinnable position on the Liberal ticket.
The hard-right powerbroker's foray into state politics posed a threat to the leadership of the nation's sole Liberal premier, a Labor MP said.
"The last thing Jeremy Rockliff wants is Eric Abetz in his party room," shadow attorney-general Ella Haddad said.
"If Mr Abetz is elected, it won't be long before he has a crack at the party leadership with the support of people like hard right Michael Ferguson, Guy Barnett and Felix Ellis."
Mr Rockliff is heading a minority government after two conservative Liberal MPs quit the party over plans for a new Hobart stadium and contract for an AFL team.
One of those MPs has threatened to withdraw confidence and supply, potentially sparking an early election when parliament returns in March over his concerns for animal welfare in abattoirs.
Australian Associated Press
