1988 Adelaide by-election

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1988 Adelaide by-election
Flag of South Australia.svg
6 February 1988
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Liberal Placeholder.png Senator Don Farrell crop.jpg
DEM
Candidate Mike Pratt Don Farrell Ian McLeish
Party Liberal Labor Democrats
Popular vote26,77722,8977,097
Percentage44.4%38.0%11.8%
SwingIncrease2.svg 8.9Decrease2.svg 10.9Increase2.svg 2.7
TPP 51.9%48.2%
TPP swingIncrease2.svg 8.4Decrease2.svg 8.4

MP before election

Chris Hurford
Labor

Elected MP

Mike Pratt
Liberal

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Adelaide on 6 February 1988. This was triggered by the resignation of Labor Party MP Chris Hurford to become Australia's Consul-General in New York City.

Contents

The election was won by Liberal candidate Mike Pratt with an 8.4 percent two-party swing on a 1.9 percent margin, defeating Labor candidate Don Farrell.

The 1988 Port Adelaide by-election occurred seven weeks later.

Candidates

Campaign

The proposed introduction of time-based billing for local telephone calls was reportedly a major issue in the campaign. The intended change by government-owned telecommunications monopoly Telecom Australia was announced early in the campaign and was subsequently endorsed by Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who then faced "a backlash from its own left wing, unions and the public". [1] The Liberal Party campaigned heavily on the issue and Liberal candidate Mike Pratt "had a largel model of a telephone receiver placed on the roof of his campaign van to help push home the party message". [2]

Results

Adelaide by-election, 1988 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Mike Pratt 26,77744.4+8.9
Labor Don Farrell 22,89738.0-10.9
Democrats Ian McLeish7,09711.8+2.7
Independent Bronwyn Mewett1,4082.3+2.3
National Bryan Stokes1,0001.7-3.4
Independent Michael Brander4090.9+0.9
Independent John Litten3670.6+0.6
Unite Australia Dorothy McGregor-Dey2180.4+0.4
  Republican Peter Consandine1040.2+0.2
Total formal votes60,27796.1
Informal votes2,4323.9
Turnout 62,70988.0
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal Mike Pratt 31,19551.9+8.4
Labor Don Farrell 28,96748.2-8.4
Liberal gain from Labor Swing +8.4

See also

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References

  1. "Time-charge issue could swing SA by-election". Canberra Times . 1 February 1988.
  2. "9.05pc by-election swing leaves Labor reeling". Canberra Times. 8 February 1988.
  3. "By-Elections 1987-1990". Psephos.