Here is Crikey’s list of the 20 most powerful people behind the scenes in Tasmanian politics. Tasmanians go to the polls on March 15 and are likely to end 16 years of Labor rule and opt for a Liberal government. Political leaders have been excluded from this list, which is about who devises the strategies, whispers in the ears of leaders and convinces the public how to vote. To read our full story explaining who these people are and why they’re powerful, read our full story online.

  1. Brad Stansfield (chief of staff to Liberal leader Will Hodgman)
  2. Bob Brown (Greens spiritual leader)
  3. Barry Prismall (Examiner deputy editor)
  4. Greg Farrell (tourism/pokies chief)
  5. Jan Davis (farming lobbyist)
  6. Robert Rockefeller and Mary Massina (property figures)
  7. Carol Brown — and family (Labor powerbrokers)
  8. Religious groups
  9. Terry Edwards (forestry lobbyist)
  10. Saul Eslake (banker)
  11. Eric Abetz (Liberal Senator)
  12. Vica Bayley (The Wilderness Society)
  13. Peter Rathjen (University of Tasmania VC)
  14. Martine Haley (senior editor at the Hobart Mercury newspaper)
  15. The rich conservationists: Jan Cameron, Graeme Wood, Geoff Cousins
  16. Neroli Ellis (nursing union)
  17. Wayne Bould (mining lobbyist, works for iron ore company Grange Resources)
  18. Miles Hampton (on many boards past and present eg Websters, water boards, Forestry Tasmania)
  19. David Walsh (MONA)
  20. Tom Lynch (Community and Public Sector Union)

*To read Crikey‘s explanation of who these people are and why they’re powerful, check out our full story online