1988 Dale state by-election
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 (the sitting Liberal member and a former deputy premier) 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.
Background[edit]
Cyril Rushton had held Dale for the Liberal Party since a 1965 by-election, and served as a minister in the governments of Sir Charles Court and Ray O'Connor (including as deputy premier under the latter). Rushton underwent open-heart surgery in August 1987, and missed much of the following parliamentary session.[1] He resigned from parliament on 25 February 1988, and the writ for the by-election was issued on 30 March, with the close of nominations on 14 April. Polling day was on 7 May, with the writ returned on 12 May.[2]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Fred Tubby | 5,323 | 53.2 | +3.3 | |
| Independent | Michael Marsh | 2,561 | 25.6 | +25.6 | |
| Democrats | Mark Beadle | 918 | 9.2 | +6.6 | |
| Independent | Alexander Coffey | 639 | 6.4 | +6.4 | |
| One Australia | Willem Schultink | 438 | 4.4 | +4.4 | |
| Independent | Maralyn Yorston | 124 | 1.2 | +1.2 | |
| Total formal votes | 10,003 | 95.5 | –1.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 469 | 4.5 | +1.9 | ||
| Turnout | 10,472 | 79.0 | –13.9 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Fred Tubby | 5,913 | 59.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Michael Marsh | 4,090 | 40.9 | +40.9 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A | |||
Aftermath[edit]
Tubby joined his father, Reg Tubby, in parliament, and the pair served together until Reg's retirement at the 1989 state election (a period of less than a year). The seat of Dale was abolished in a redistribution prior to that same election, and Fred Tubby switched to the new seat of Roleystone, which he held until his defeat at the 2001 state election.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Edgar Cyril Rushton – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ 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. p. 79. ISBN 0-7309-8409-5.
- ^ Frederick Charles, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2017.