1986 Rockdale state by-election

Last updated

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Rockdale on 2 August 1986. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor MP Brian Bannon. The by-election was won by Labor candidate and Premier Barrie Unsworth.

Contents

The Rockdale by-election was held the same day as the Bass Hill by-election.

Background

Barrie Unsworth become Premier of New South Wales on 4 July 1986, by virtue of succeeding Neville Wran as parliamentary leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. Wran resigned the premiership after more than 10 years in the role. At that time, Unsworth was a member of the Legislative Council, whereas premiers are typically members of the Legislative Assembly. Rockdale MP Brian Bannon resigned his seat on 3 July 1986, [1] officially to accept a government job as Chairman of the Homebush States Sports Centre Trust, [2] but in reality to create a vacancy for Unsworth to fill. [3]

Results

Barrie Unsworth's transition from the upper house to the lower house was a very close run thing. Whilst Labor had held Rockdale at all times since the district's re-creation in 1941, it only barely retained the seat at the by-election. Labor suffered a large drop in its vote compared with the 1984 state election. In the finish, Unsworth prevailed by only 54 votes after the distribution of preferences. [2]

1986 Rockdale by-election
Saturday 2 August  [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labor Barrie Unsworth 11,25146.17−17.10
Liberal Bob Gemmell9,89640.61+6.53
Independent James McLean1,7207.06+7.06
Socialist Workers Valmai Frances Edwards7252.98+2.98
Independent John Badman3751.54+1.54
Independent Charles Bellchambers3341.37−1.28
Uninflated MovementNadar Ponnuswamy670.27+0.27
Total formal votes24,36896.50−0.21
Informal votes8853.50+0.21
Turnout 25,25379.59−13.17
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Barrie Unsworth 11,94650.11−14.5  [a]
Liberal Bob Gemmell11,89249.89+14.5  [a]
Labor hold Swing −14.5 

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Since the two-party preferred count was not conducted for Rockdale in 1984, [4] the two party preferred swing at the by-election cannot be calculated precisely. ABC election analyst Antony Green estimates a two party preferred swing of 14.5% against the Labor Party. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrie Unsworth</span> Australian politician

Barrie John Unsworth is an Australian former politician, representing the Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988. Since the death of Steele Hall on 10 June 2024, Unsworth is the oldest living premier of an Australian state.

Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly who served in the 48th parliament held their seats from 1984 to 1988. They were elected at the 1984 state election, and at by-elections. The Speaker was Laurie Kelly.

Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served in the 48th Parliament were elected at the 1978, 1981 and 1984 elections. Members served for three terms of the Legislative Assembly, which, as a result of the 1981 referendum meant the maximum term was twelve years. The 15 members elected in 1978 did not face re-election until 1988, the 15 members elected in 1981 did not face re-election until 1992 and the 15 members elected in 1984 did not face re-election until 1996. The President was Johno Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 New South Wales state election</span> State election for New South Wales, Australia in March 1988

Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and a third of the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election. The Labor government of Premier Barrie Unsworth was defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition, led by Opposition Leader Nick Greiner in a landslide victory against Labor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 New South Wales state election</span> State election for New South Wales, Australia in May 1976

A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Labor Party under Neville Wran—the party's first in the state in more than a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 New South Wales state election</span> State election for New South Wales, Australia in October 1978

A general election was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 7 October 1978. The result was a landslide victory for the Labor Party under Neville Wran, popularly known as the "Wranslide."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Booth (politician)</span> Australian politician

Kenneth George Booth was a New South Wales politician, Treasurer, and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Neville Wran and Barrie Unsworth. From 1981 to 1988 he was the Treasurer of New South Wales. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 28 years from 8 October 1960 until his death on 1 November 1988 for the Labor Party, representing the seats of Kurri Kurri and Wallsend.

Peter Thomas Anderson, a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Nepean between 1978 and 1981, Penrith between 1981 and 1988, and Liverpool between 1989 and 1995 for the Labor Party. During his parliamentary career, Anderson held a range of portfolios including Minister for Health, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Youth and Community Services, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Corrective Services, Minister for Police and Emergency Services between 1981 and 1988.

Brian Joseph Bannon was an Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Rockdale in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1959 to 1986. He died in Sydney on 6 October 2017.

Rockdale, an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, has had two incarnations, the first from 1927 to 1930, the second from in 1941 to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1978–1980)</span>

The Wran ministry (1978–1980) or Second Wran ministry was the 72nd ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the second of eight consecutive occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1981–1983)</span>

The Wran ministry (1981–1983) or Fourth Wran ministry was the 74th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the fourth of eight consecutive occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1983–1984)</span>

The Wran ministry (1983–1984) or Fifth Wran ministry was the 75th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the fifth of eight consecutive occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1984)</span> 76th New South Wales government ministry led by Neville Wran

The Wran ministry (1984) or Sixth Wran ministry was the 76th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the sixth of eight consecutive occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1984–1986)</span>

The Wran ministry (1984–1986) or Seventh Wran ministry was the 77th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the seventh of eight consecutive occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wran ministry (1986)</span> 78th New South Wales government ministry, led by Neville Wran

The Wran ministry (1986) or Eighth Wran ministry was the 78th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 35th Premier of New South Wales, Neville Wran, representing the Labor Party. It was the eighth of eight consecutive and final occasions when Wran was Premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unsworth ministry</span> 79th New South Wales government ministry, led by Barrie Unsworth

The Unsworth ministry was the 79th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 36th Premier of New South Wales, Barrie Unsworth, representing the Labor Party.

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Bass Hill on 2 August 1986. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting Labor MP Neville Wran. It was won by Liberal candidate Michael Owen.

Bass Hill, an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales was created in 1962 and abolished in 1991.

References

  1. ↑ "Mr Brian Joseph Bannon". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Green, Antony. "1986 Rockdale by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Election Background". www.abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC). Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  4. ↑ Green, Antony. "1984 Rockdale". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 31 August 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.