PM clings to hope of five seats in Tas PM Julia Gillard has refused to concede Labor could lose two vulnerable seats in Tasmania. PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has refused to concede Labor could lose two vulnerable seats in Tasmania and is adamant her party can beat independent Andrew Wilkie. The ALP holds four of Tasmania's five lower-house seats but the northern seats of Bass and Braddon are considered likely battlegrounds in the September 14 federal election. Mr Wilkie holds the fifth seat, Hobart-based Denison, and is favoured to win again on preferences despite reports of dealmaking between Labor and the Greens. Denison ALP candidate Jane Austin joined Ms Gillard on a visit to southern Tasmania on Friday, raising the question of whether the trip is the start of a concerted effort to win back a seat the ALP held for 23 years before Mr Wilkie's victory in 2010. "It's part of my continuing pattern of visits here," Ms Gillard said. I've been a very frequent visitor to Tasmania. Mr Wilkie won the seat with 21 per cent of the primary vote, to Labor's 35.79 per cent, but his profile in the hung parliament has skyrocketed, with $900 million of federal funding being pumped into the electorate. Asked if Ms Austin could win, the prime minister said, "Well, of course." Bass, in the state's northeast, is held by the ALP's Geoff Lyons with a margin of 6.7 per cent, while Braddon, in the state's northwest, is held by Sid Sidebottom with a margin of 7.5 per cent. With Tasmania's economy struggling, both electorates are considered possible Liberal gains. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will host a quiz night in Braddon at Mr Sidebottom's invitation next month. But Ms Gillard said her decision to make the state's south the focus of her last three visits did not signify that the ALP had written off the northern seats. "It's an acknowledgment that we're announcing 750 new jobs here today, and we're standing at a jobs expo," she said at her announcement of Vodafone's decision to expand its Hobart workforce. I go to different parts of the state and travel to Tasmania very frequently. It depends (on) the purpose for which I'm coming. The prime minister said she hoped a controversial $2 billion pulp mill would still be built in the north's Tamar Valley. The proposed mill's permit is for sale following the collapse of timber company Gunns last year, while a Supreme Court legal challenge remains unresolved. "The issue with the pulp mill has been finding a private-sector proponent that would take on the mission of constructing and operating a pulp mill," Ms Gillard said. We of course are happy to talk to any private-sector proponents who come forward.