Initially formed in 1962 as a new Tasmanian branch of the Country Party of Australia after decades of inactivity in the state, it at first enjoyed no electoral success.
[1] In the run up to the 1969 election the party was joined by Kevin Lyons, a former Liberal turned independent member of the Assembly for Braddon, who renamed it the Centre Party and retained his seat at the election, securing the balance of power and serving as Deputy Premier in a coalition government until 1972.
The party first contested the 1964 state election, winning 9,280 votes (5.26%) but no seats.
In 1966, a dispute arose over preselection and Lyons resigned from the Liberals on 7 September.
The resulting instability triggered the 1972 election, which the Centre Party did not contest.