Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services Parliamentary Library RESEARCH BRIEF Information analysis and advice for the Parliament 16 August 2005, no. 1, 2005–06, ISSN 1832-2883 House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2005 The first part of this revised brief discusses the 141 by-elections for the House of Representatives since Federation, including the most recent for the New South Wales division of Werriwa. The brief’s appendices give a full set of by-election figures. Gerard Newman, Statistics Section Scott Bennett, Politics and Public Administration Section Contents Party abbreviations ................................................... 1 Executive summary ................................................... 2 Contests ......................................................... 2 Causes .......................................................... 2 Outcomes ........................................................ 2 The organisation of Commonwealth by-elections.............................. 3 The reasons why by-elections have been held .............................. 3 The timing of by-elections ............................................ 4 By-elections 1994–05 ............................................. 5 Vacancies for which no by-election was held 1901–2005 ................... 6 Number of nominations .............................................. 6 Candidates per by-election ......................................... 7 Voter turnout ..................................................... 7 Party performance .................................................... 8 Seats lost at by-elections 1901–2005 .................................... 8 Impact upon party................................................ 9 www.aph.gov.au/library House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2005 Impact upon Government/Opposition.................................. 9 Party performance at by-elections 1901–2005............................ 9 By-elections caused by resignation—safeness of seat 1949–2005............. 10 Analysing by-election swings since 1949 ................................ 10 Average swings against government: by-elections 1949–2005 ............... 11 Two-party preferred swings, by-elections 1949–2005 ..................... 12 Personal and political matters ........................................... 13 The changing of the old guard ........................................ 13 Future Prime Ministers ............................................. 13 The passing of Prime Ministers ....................................... 13 The passing of leaders of the Opposition................................. 14 Family matters ................................................... 14 Famous entries into the House ........................................ 14 Kicked upstairs? .................................................. 15 A matter of treason ................................................ 16 By-elections that caused ripples ....................................... 16 Voided elections .................................................. 17 Endnotes.......................................................... 17 Appendix 1: Schedule of House of Representatives by-elections, 1901–2005 ........ 19 Appendix 2: Electoral division details..................................... 22 First past the post electoral system ................................... 22 Preferential voting electoral system .................................. 24 Appendix 3: Notes on Commonwealth by-elections ........................... 41 Appendix 4: By-election timing ......................................... 52 Appendix 5 ........................................................ 55 General studies ................................................... 55 Case studies ..................................................... 55 Commonwealth ................................................ 55 State ........................................................ 56 House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2005 Party abbreviations AAP Advance Australia Party ILib Independent Liberal AC Australian Constitutionalist INat Independent Nationalist AFI Australians Against Further Immigration Ind Independent ALP Australian Labor Party LFF Liberals for forests ANAG Australian National Action Group Lib Liberal Party AntiSoc Anti-Socialist LibF Liberal Forum AP Australia Party LLab Lang Labor APPG Australian Pensioner Pressure Group LP Liberal Party AR Australian Republican LRG Liberal Reform Group ARM Australian Reform Movement NA National Alliance ASP Australian Shooters Party NAP New Australian Party Atok Atokist Nat Nationalist CDP Christian Democratic Party NCPP Non-Custodial Parents Party CEC Citizens Electoral Council NGST No GST Party Com Communist Party NHP National Humanitarian Party Cons Conservative NLP Natural Law Party Const Constitutionalist NP National Party CP Country Party NSP National Socialist Party CRep Constitutional Republican ON One Nation CTA Call to Australia PCP Progressive Conservative Party Dem Australian Democrats PLP Progressive Labour Party DLP Democratic Labor Party PORP Property Owners’ Rights Party DOGS Council for the Defence of Government Schools PP Progress Party DSP Deadly Serious Party Prot Protectionist EcRef Economic Reform ProtLab Protestant Labor FF Family First RARI Reclaim Australia: Reduce Immigration FLP Federal Labor Party RPA Republican Party of Australia FLR Family Law Reform Party RSNP Returned Soldiers National Party FP Farmers’ Party SA Socialist Alliance FPA Federal Party of Australia SC Social Credit FST Australia First Party SLib State Liberal FT Free Trade Soc Socialist Grn Greens SPA Socialist Party of Australia Gry Grey Power SWP Socialist Workers’ Party GWA The Greens (WA) TA Taxpayers’ Association HAN Pauline Hanson’s One Nation UAP United Australia Party HMP Help End Marijuana Prohibition UM Uninflated Movement HPA Hope Party Australia Unite Unite Australia Party ICP Independent CP UTG United Tasmanian Group ILab Independent Labor UWU Unemployed Workers Union ILCL Independent Liberal Country League VFU Victorian Farmers’ Union VOTE Voice of the Elderly 1 House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2005 Executive summary By-elections are held to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives. This paper gives details of by-elections held from the first for Darling Downs on 14 September 1901 to the most recent held on 19 March 2005 for Werriwa. Among the major points made in the paper: Contests • Since September 1901 there have been 141 by-elections, an average of 3.5 per parliament. • The number of contestants has grown over the years from 2.2 per by-election (1901–18) to 11.8 per by-election (2000–2005). • In only four cases (2.9 per cent) was a by-election contested by just a single candidate. • An increasing tendency has been for governments to avoid contesting by-elections in their opponents’ safe seats. Since 1990 this has occurred in 11 of the 19 by-elections held. • In only seven cases (5 per cent) has the Opposition party failed to contest a by-election, the most recent case being Bradfield in 1952. Causes • Sixty-seven (47.5 per cent) of the by-elections occurred because of the death of the member, 68 (48.2 per cent) as the result of the resignation of the member, five (3.5 per cent) because of voided elections, and one (0.7 per cent) because of the expulsion of the Member from the House (Kalgoorlie 1920). • Since 1949 most by-elections have been caused by the resignation of the sitting member and have occurred in safe seats. Only eight of 53 by-elections in this period (15.1 per cent) have occurred in marginal seats. Outcomes • On 34 occasions (24.1 per cent) the party complexion of a seat has altered at a by- election. • Twenty-four of these (17.0 per cent) have been in seats lost by the government of the day. The most recent case was the loss of Ryan by the Coalition Government to Labor in 2001. 2 House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2005 • Four of the losses (2.8 per cent) have been by the Opposition of the day. The most recent case was the loss of Cunningham by Labor to the Greens in 2002. • The average two-party preferred swing against the government of the day has been 4.0 per cent, while the average swing in government-held seats was 5.0 per cent against the government. • In the period since 1949, the largest two-party swing against a government occurred in Canberra in 1995 when the ALP Government’s vote fell by 16.1 per cent. The largest swing to a government was 16.2 per cent, which occurred in the Coalition Government’s seat of McPherson in 1981. The organisation of Commonwealth by-elections By-elections are held to fill vacancies in the House of Representatives resulting from the death, resignation, absence without leave, expulsion, disqualification or ineligibility of a Member: • There have been 141 Commonwealth by-elections held since Federation. • The first was held in the Queensland seat of Darling Downs, on 14 September 1901 barely four months after the opening of the new Commonwealth Parliament. • The most recent by-election was held in the New South Wales seat of Werriwa on 19 March 2005. The reasons why by-elections have been held Of the 141 by-elections, 67 (47.5 per cent) have occurred because of the death of the member, 68 (48.2 per cent) as the result of the resignation of the member, five (3.5 per cent) because of voided elections, and one (0.7 per cent) because of the expulsion of the member from the House (Kalgoorlie 1920). The pattern has altered quite markedly, however: • From 1901 to 1970, 63.3