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A by-election for the seat of Charlestown in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held on 25 October 2014. [1] [2] The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal-turned-independent MP Andrew Cornwell, who won the seat at the 2011 election with a 43.8 percent primary and 59.9 percent two-party vote.
The last New South Wales by-election saw a 26-point two-party swing to Labor.
Charlestown, located in the traditional Labor heartland of the Hunter Region, was held by Labor without interruption from its creation in 1971 until Cornwell won the seat on a swing of 25.2 points, and 59.9 percent of the two-party preferred vote—on paper, turning it into a safe Liberal seat in one stroke. Cornwell's victory was all the more remarkable since the Liberals hadn't even put up a candidate in the 2007 election. [3]
On 6 August 2014, a hearing of the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) revealed that Cornwell had received $10,000 in illegal donations from Newcastle Lord Mayor Jeff McCloy. Following this revelation, Cornwell resigned from the Liberal Party and moved to the crossbench as an independent pending the result of the inquiry. [4] Cornwell also admitted to the ICAC that his wife had received $10,120 from developer Hilton Grugeon, ostensibly for a painting given to the developer in 2010 which was worth much less. The money was used to pay Cornwell's PAYG tax. [5]
On 8 August 2014, Cornwell announced that would not re-nominate for Charlestown at the next NSW election. [6] Less than a week later, on 12 August, Cornwell announced his immediate resignation. [7]
| Date | Event [8] |
|---|---|
| 3 October 2014 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls. [9] |
| Noon, 8 October 2014 | Close of nominations for party-endorsed candidates |
| Noon, 9 October 2014 | Close of nominations for other candidates |
| 25 October 2014 | Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm |
The nine candidates in ballot paper order are as follows: [8]
| Candidate nominations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Luke Arms | IT role at Maitland Christian School, runs a photography business and writes software. [8] | |
| Independent | Marc Sky | Radiographer. [8] | |
| Greens | Jane Oakley | NSW Greens secretary. [8] | |
| Palmer United Party | Suellen Wrightson | Palmer United Party candidate. [8] | |
| Labor Party | Jodie Harrison | Lake Macquarie City Council Mayor. [8] | |
| Independent | Luke Cubis | Former school teacher. [8] | |
| Independent | Arjay Martin | Businessman. Contested seat at previous election. [8] | |
| Christian Democratic Party | Brian Tucker | [8] | |
| Independent | Veronica Hope | Media entrepreneur. [8] | |
The Liberals declined to contest the by-election, and also declined to field a candidate in the by-election in Newcastle held on the same day. NSW Liberal director Tony Nutt stated that the Liberals would not contest either by-election "as an explicit act of atonement" for the revelations, and Premier Mike Baird said that the Liberals didn't deserve to contest the seats while they were "getting (their) house in order." [1] [2] According to ABC election analyst Antony Green, it was the first known occasion of a sitting government in NSW opting not to contest by-elections in seats that it previously held. [10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Jodie Harrison | 19,429 | 49.3 | +20.4 | |
| Greens | Jane Oakley | 5,613 | 14.2 | +5.8 | |
| Independent | Luke Arms | 4,807 | 12.2 | +12.2 | |
| Palmer United | Suellen Wrightson | 2,592 | 6.6 | +6.6 | |
| Independent | Veronica Hope | 2,144 | 5.4 | +5.4 | |
| Christian Democrats | Brian Tucker | 1,804 | 4.6 | +2.4 | |
| Independent | Luke Cubis | 1,366 | 3.5 | +3.5 | |
| Independent | Marc Sky | 1,068 | 2.7 | +2.7 | |
| Independent | Arjay Martin | 611 | 1.5 | +1.5 | |
| Total formal votes | 39,434 | 92.6 | −3.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 3,158 | 7.4 | +3.9 | ||
| Turnout | 42,592 | 85.4 | −9.1 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Jodie Harrison | 21,206 | 70.8 | +30.6 | |
| Greens | Jane Oakley | 8,762 | 29.2 | +29.2 | |
| Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | N/A | |||
The Outdoor Recreation Party (ORP) was a minor political party originating in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It professed to represent the outdoor community and interests such as cycling, bushwalking, camping, kayaking, 4WD motoring, skiing, fishing and shooting. It was formally allied with the Liberal Democratic Party.
Charlestown is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Jodie Harrison of the Labor Party since the Charlestown by-election on 25 October 2014.
Port Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Leslie Williams of the Liberal Party.
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Daryl William Maguire is a former Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Wagga Wagga for the Liberal Party from 1999 to 2018. On 30 March 2011, Maguire was appointed to Government Whip in the O'Farrell-Stoner Liberal/National coalition government; he had been Opposition Whip for the Coalition since 2003. On 13 July 2018, after admitting at a corruption inquiry that he sought payment over a property deal, Maguire resigned from the Liberal Party. He resigned from Parliament on 3 August. Between 2013 and August 2020, Maguire had an "intimate" relationship with Gladys Berejiklian, who became Premier of New South Wales during that time. He had been estranged from his wife since 2013, and divorce proceedings started in 2018.
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Christopher Spence, an Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing The Entrance for the Liberal Party from the 2011 New South Wales state election until 19 February 2014 when he moved to the parliamentary crossbench and sat as an independent after the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard evidence that Spence may have breached electoral funding laws. He retired in 2015.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly who served in the 55th parliament held their seats from 2011 to 2015. They were elected at the 2011 state election and at by-elections. The Speaker was Shelley Hancock.
Andrew Stuart Cornwell is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from the 2011 election until 2014, representing the electorate of Charlestown. He was elected as a Liberal Party candidate, and represented that party until 6 August 2014, when he moved to the parliamentary crossbench and sat as an independent after the Independent Commission Against Corruption heard evidence that Cornwell may have breached electoral funding laws. After earlier announcing that would not contest his seat at the next state election, on 12 August 2014 Cornwell resigned from parliament with immediate effect triggering the 2014 Charlestown by-election.
Timothy Francis Owen is a former Australian politician and a former deputy commander of the Australian Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Newcastle for the Liberal Party from the 2011 New South Wales state election until 6 August 2014, when he moved to the parliamentary crossbench and sat as an independent, following evidence given to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that he may have breached electoral funding laws.
Garry Keith Edwards is a former Australian politician who represented the electoral district of Swansea in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party from 2011 to 2015.
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Charlestown, an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, was established in 1971, replacing parts of the abolished districts of Hamilton and Kahibah.
Jeffrey Raymond 'Jeff' McCloy is an Australian property developer, who was Lord Mayor of Newcastle between 2012 and 2014. Before entering politics, he ran his own construction company, which built John Hunter Hospital. In 2008 he won the Hunter Business Chamber 2008 Business Person of the Year, and in 2009 he won the City of Newcastle Medal.
A by-election for the seat of Newcastle in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held on 25 October 2014. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal-turned-independent MP Tim Owen, who won the seat at the 2011 election with a 36.7 percent primary and 52.6 percent two-party-preferred vote.
The Mackerras pendulum for the 2015 New South Wales state election.
A by-election was held in the New South Wales state electoral district of Wagga Wagga on 8 September 2018. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Daryl Maguire, a Liberal-turned-independent. Maguire resigned from Parliament the previous month after admitting to a corruption inquiry that he sought payment over a property deal.
The 2023 New South Wales state election was held on 25 March 2023 to elect the 58th Parliament of New South Wales, including all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council. The election was conducted by the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC).
 Results of New South Wales State elections | |||||
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