1991 Geraldton state by-election

Last updated December 09, 2023

The 1991 Geraldton state by-election was a by-election for the seat of Geraldton in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia held on 20 July 1991. It was triggered by the resignation of Jeff Carr (the sitting Labor member) on 28 February 1991, due to his expulsion from cabinet. The election was won by the Liberal candidate, Bob Bloffwitch, who won 51.4 percent of the two-candidate-preferred (2CP) vote. The National Party also made the final 2CP count, despite having not stood a candidate in Geraldton since the 1974 state election, whereas Labor slumped to just 16.6 percent on first preferences, a swing of 31 points from the 1989 state election.

Background

Jeff Carr, a former schoolteacher, had held Geraldton for the Labor Party since the 1974 state election. However, he was nearly defeated at the 1986 election, falling from a comfortably safe majority of 63.1 percent of the two-party preferred vote to an extremely marginal 50.4 percent. He was reelected with an equally narrow 50.2 percent at the 1989 state election. Carr served as a minister under Brian Burke, Peter Dowding, and Carmen Lawrence.^[1] On 2 February 1991 Lawrence, removed him from the ministry (along with two others, Pam Buchanan and Gavan Troy).^[2] Carr resigned from parliament on 28 February, and the writ for the by-election was issued on 6 March, with the close of nominations on 22 March. Polling day was on 13 April, with the writ returned on 24 April.^[3]

Results

Geraldton state by-election, 1991
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Bob Bloffwitch	4,446	45.5	+2.0
	National	Malcolm Short	2,054	21.0	+21.0
	Labor	Dianne Spowart	1,620	16.6	–31.0
	Independent	Faye Simpson	471	4.8	+4.8
	Independent	Helena Shields	315	3.2	+3.2
	Independent	Albert Lenane	286	2.9	+2.9
	Independent	Kenneth Gallaher	165	1.7	+1.7
	Grey Power	Jason Meotti	146	1.5	–7.4
	Independent	Bruce Burges	144	1.5	+1.5
	Independent	Arthur Davies	67	0.7	+0.7
	Independent	William Thomson	57	0.6	+0.6
Total formal votes			9,771	94.5	+0.5
Informal votes			566	5.5	–0.5
Turnout			10,337	86.8	–4.0
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Liberal	Bob Bloffwitch	5,024	51.4	+1.6
	National	Malcolm Short	4,747	48.6	+48.6
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	N/A

Aftermath

The Labor Party regained much of its previous support in Geraldton at the 1993 state election, recording a positive swing of 17.2 points in contrast to a statewide negative swing of 5.4 points.^[3] This was not enough to regain the seat, however, and Bloffwitch held Geraldton until being defeated by Shane Hill at the 2001 state election.^[4]

Related Research Articles

Michelle Hopkins Roberts is an Australian politician currently serving as Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. She has been a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly since 1994. She served as a minister in the governments of Geoff Gallop and Alan Carpenter between 2001 and 2008. In November 2015, Roberts became the longest-serving female parliamentarian in Western Australia's history, breaking the record set by Liz Constable. She was a high school teacher, civil servant and local government councillor before entering politics.

Geraldton is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Cunningham by-election</span> Australian federal by-election

The 2002 Cunningham by-election was held in the Australian electorate of Cunningham in New South Wales on 19 October 2002. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the Australian Labor Party's Stephen Martin on 16 August 2002. The writ for the by-election was issued on 16 September 2002.

The 2009 Queensland state election was held on 21 March 2009 to elect all 89 members of the Legislative Assembly, a unicameral parliament.

Elections to the 55th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 26 March 2011. The 16-year-incumbent Labor Party government led by Premier Kristina Keneally was defeated in a landslide by the Liberal–National Coalition opposition led by Barry O'Farrell.

The Lawrence Ministry was the 31st Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, and was led by Labor Premier Dr Carmen Lawrence and her deputy Ian Taylor. It succeeded the Dowding Ministry on 18 February 1990, following the resignation of Peter Dowding six days earlier following an open letter signed by a majority of the 47-member Labor caucus. The ministry was in turn succeeded by the Court–Cowan Ministry on 16 February 1993 after the Labor Party lost government at the state election held on 6 February.

The 2012 Queensland state election was held on 24 March 2012 to elect all 89 members of the Legislative Assembly, a unicameral parliament.

Pamela Anne Beggs is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1983 to 1993, representing the seat of Whitford.

Jeffrey Phillip Carr is a former Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1974 to 1991, representing the seat of Geraldton. He served as a minister in the governments of Brian Burke, Peter Dowding, and Carmen Lawrence.

William Hawkins Sewell was an Australian politician who was a Labor Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1950 to 1974, representing the seat of Geraldton.

The 1991 Floreat state by-election was a by-election for the seat of Floreat in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia held on 20 July 1991. It was triggered by the resignation of Andrew Mensaros on 16 May 1991, due to ill health. He died before the by-election was held. The election was won by an independent candidate, Liz Constable, who finished with 58.94 percent of the two-candidate-preferred vote. Constable became the first woman to win election to the Parliament of Western Australia as an independent, and only the third woman overall to win a by-election.

The 1990 Maylands state by-election was a by-election for the seat of Maylands in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia held on 26 May 1990. It was triggered by the resignation of Peter Dowding on 26 April 1990. The Labor Party retained Maylands at the election, albeit with a reduced majority. Judy Edwards, a general practitioner based in Mount Lawley, secured 55.57 percent of the two-party-preferred vote. Edwards became only the second woman to win election to the Parliament of Western Australia at a by-election, after May Holman in 1925. The election occurred on the same day as the 1990 Fremantle state by-election.

A by-election for the seat of Roebourne in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 6 February 1932. It was triggered by the death of Frederick Teesdale on 14 December 1931.

A by-election for the seat of Guildford-Midland in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 13 March 1948. It was triggered by the death of the sitting member, William Johnson of the Labor Party, on 26 January 1948. The Labor Party retained the seat, with John Brady recording 53.7 percent of the two-party-preferred vote. The election was notable for the performance of the Communist Party candidate, Alexander Jolly, who polled 19.3 percent on first preferences.

The 1994 Helena state by-election was a by-election for the seat of Helena in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia held on 10 September 1994. It was triggered by the resignation of Gordon Hill on 4 August 1994. The election was won by the Liberal Party, with their candidate, Rhonda Parker, recording 52.1 percent of the two-party-preferred vote. Parker became the first woman from the Liberal Party to win a by-election in Western Australia, and the fifth overall. Richard Court's government became the first sitting government to increase its majority at a by-election since 1943, when John Willcock's Labor government won East Perth from an independent.

The 1994 Glendalough state by-election was a by-election for the seat of Glendalough in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia held on 19 March 1994. It was triggered by the resignation of Carmen Lawrence on 14 February 1994, in order to contest the House of Representatives at the 1994 Fremantle by-election. The Labor Party retained Glendalough at the by-election, with their candidate, Michelle Roberts, recording 52.7 percent of the two-party-preferred vote.

A by-election for the seat of Ascot in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 13 November 1971. It was triggered by the death of Merv Toms, the serving Labor member and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, on 8 October 1971.

A by-election for the seat of Nedlands in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 9 June 2001. It was triggered by the resignation of Richard Court, the sitting Liberal member and a former premier, on 27 April 2001. The Liberal candidate at the by-election, Sue Walker, retained the seat with 53.4 percent of the two-candidate-preferred (2CP) vote, a negative swing of 1.5 points from the 2001 state election. The Greens made the final 2CP count for only the second time in their history.

A by-election for the seat of Dale in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 7 May 1988. It was triggered by the resignation of Cyril Rushton on 25 February 1988. The seat was retained by the Liberal Party, with their candidate, Fred Tubby, winning 59.1 percent of the two-candidate-preferred (2CP) vote. The Labor Party did not stand at the election, despite having lost the seat by less than 400 votes at the 1986 state election. A former Labor candidate, Michael Marsh, won 40.9 percent of the 2CP vote standing as an independent.

A by-election for the seat of Greenough in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 1 November 1975. It was triggered by the resignation of Sir David Brand on 21 August 1975. The Liberal Party retained Greenough at the by-election, with its candidate, Reg Tubby, winning 57.3 percent of the two-candidate-preferred (2CP) vote. However, the party suffered a swing of 33.6 points on first preferences, in part due to the entry of two parties that had not stood in Greenough at the 1974 state election. The Workers Party was in fact making its electoral debut, and surprised most observers by polling 13 percent on first preferences.

References

↑ Jeffrey Phillip Carr – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
↑ The Lawrence Government: Other Perspectives, The Carmen Lawrence Collection, Curtin University Library. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
1 2 Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, Western Australia: Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0-7309-8409-5.
↑ Robert Clyde Bloffwitch, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

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.

[bio-1] Jeffrey Phillip Carr – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2017.

[2] The Lawrence Government: Other Perspectives, The Carmen Lawrence Collection, Curtin University Library. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

[res-3] 1 2 Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, Western Australia: Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0-7309-8409-5.

[4] Robert Clyde Bloffwitch, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]