Currently sitting in the upper house, Jane Howlett is seeking Liberal preselection for the state seat of Lyons in the upcoming election.
Ms Howlett was a former sports and recreation and small business minister in the Gutwein government.
She relinquished her portfolios after the death of her brother in 2022 but remained in parliament.
Former Liberal minister Jane Howlett is seeking to enter the state's lower house. (Rob Blakers/AAP PHOTOS)
During her time as sports minister, Ms Howlett was accused of a conflict of interest over funding to the Tasmania JackJumpers basketball team, while allegedly having a relationship with its boss Simon Brookhouse.
Both denied any impropriety.
Labor leader Rebecca White questioned whether the Liberals' candidate met the integrity and standards voters expect after the announcement.
"What we see from the Liberal Party is them recycling candidates over and over again, they're obviously struggling to get candidates to stand on their ticket," Ms White said on Saturday.
But Labor's education spokesman Josh Willie is attempting the same feat, running in the electorate of Clark from the upper house.
Former party leader Bryan Green is also mounting a return to parliament, running for the upper house seat of Prosser in May.
Meanwhile, Labor is adding some star power to the party's ticket with Tasmania's 2023 Australian of the Year John Kamara hoping to pick up a seat in Clark.
Labor is putting noted Tasmanian African community advocate John Kamara up for the seat of Clark. (HANDOUT/AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS)
Mr Kamara escaped war-torn Sierra Leone in 2004 and is a co-founder of the Culturally Diverse Alliance of Tasmania, and African Communities Council of Tasmania which supports education and social cohesion between African Australians and the wider community.
"He's an excellent individual, strong humanitarian and Tasmanian Australian of the Year," Ms White said.
The debate around Tasmania's Macquarie Point stadium continued on Saturday with the Liberal sports minister Nic Street defending the party's stance on the project which is required for the AFL to grant the state a licence for a team.
Liberal leader Jeremy Rockliff on Friday promised to cap the state's expenditure on the stadium at $375 million if re-elected.
Mr Street said the government was highly confident private investment will bridge the gap for any cost blowouts to the project.
"The conversations that I've had, that other members of the government have had, have indicated that there is significant private sector interest in the precinct down at Macquarie Point," he told ABC Radio on Saturday.
The federal government is chipping in $240 million, the AFL $15 million, while $85 million is slated to come from borrowings and the private sector.
Tasmanians are heading to an early poll on March 23 after the former government failed to resolve a stand-off with two crossbench independents who had propped up the government.
The Liberals start the campaign with 11 incumbent MPs, while Labor has eight, the Greens two, and four independents, as the parliament expands from 25 seats to 35.
14°C