Luke Matthew Edmunds (born 7 December 1981) is an Australian politician who was first elected to the Tasmanian Legislative Council as the Labor member for Pembroke at the 2022 Pembroke state by-election, replacing retiring incumbent Jo Siejka.
Personal life
Edmunds rents a home with his wife and three children in Bellerive on Hobart's Eastern Shore. He was raised in Launceston, and worked as a journalist for all three of Tasmania's major newspapers: The Examiner, The Mercury and The Advocate, where he was Sports Editor. Edmunds attended Mowbray Primary School, Brooks High School and Newstead College, and studied arts at the University of Tasmania.
Political career
A lifelong Labor supporter, Edmunds’ first memory of politics was watching the 1993 Australian Federal Election on television, where Prime Minister Paul Keating captured his attention, as retold in his first speech to Parliament. Edmunds first joined the Party in 2006.
Edmunds was elected to Clarence City Council at the 2018 Tasmanian Local Government Elections. “People are telling me they want Council focused on delivering the basics like good roads, getting our rubbish and recycling right, and investing in our green spaces,” he said during his campaign.
In 2022 Edmunds was endorsed by the Labor Party to run in the Pembroke state by-election. He delivered a strong victory, securing a 63.33% majority after distribution of preferences. As the Member for Pembroke Edmunds has praised health workers, fought for funding to support children with hearing loss, stood up for local councils against forced amalgamations – a policy later abandoned by the State Liberal Government, and launched a parliamentary inquiry into Tasmanian power prices.
Edmunds has announced he will recontest the seat of Pembroke at the 2025 periodic Legislative Council election, to be held on 24 May 2025.
References
