Flinders by-election, 1982
Encyclopedia
A by-election
was held for the Australian House of Representatives
seat of Flinders
on 4 December 1982. This was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Party
MP Phillip Lynch
.
The by-election was won by Liberal Party candidate Peter Reith
. However, Reith never got to take his seat on that occasion because the by-election occurred while the House was in recess and because Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser
called a double dissolution
election for 5 March 1983, before Parliament could meet following the by-election. Reith lost his seat in 1983 but was re-elected in December 1984, a day before the second anniversary of his original victory.
Opponents of the Franklin Dam
in Tasmania (which was eventually vetoed by the incoming Hawke Government in 1983) used the Flinders by-election as an informal referendum. 41% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot-papers (Helen Hunter and Richard Bailey, "Lessons from the Franklin Dam: How Labor was forced to act," Socialist Worker (14 August 1998), p 7.) This had no legal effect but did not invalidate their votes.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was held for the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
seat of Flinders
Division of Flinders
The Division of Flinders is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
on 4 December 1982. This was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP Phillip Lynch
Phillip Lynch
Sir Phillip Reginald Lynch KCMG was an Australian Liberal politician.Lynch held the House of Representatives seat of Flinders from 1966 to 1982. Between 1968 and 1972, he served variously as Minister for the Army, Minister for Immigration, and Minister for Labour and National Service, under Prime...
.
The by-election was won by Liberal Party candidate Peter Reith
Peter Reith
Peter Keaston Reith, , former Australian politician, was a Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and then a senior Cabinet minister in the first two terms of the Howard Government.-Early life:...
. However, Reith never got to take his seat on that occasion because the by-election occurred while the House was in recess and because Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Malcolm Fraser
Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
called a double dissolution
Double dissolution
A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks between the House of Representatives and the Senate....
election for 5 March 1983, before Parliament could meet following the by-election. Reith lost his seat in 1983 but was re-elected in December 1984, a day before the second anniversary of his original victory.
Opponents of the Franklin Dam
Franklin Dam
The Franklin Dam or Gordon-below-Franklin Dam project was a proposed dam on the Gordon River in Tasmania, Australia, that was never constructed. The movement that eventually led to the project's cancellation became one of most significant environmental campaigns in Australian history.The dam was...
in Tasmania (which was eventually vetoed by the incoming Hawke Government in 1983) used the Flinders by-election as an informal referendum. 41% of voters wrote "No Dams" on their ballot-papers (Helen Hunter and Richard Bailey, "Lessons from the Franklin Dam: How Labor was forced to act," Socialist Worker (14 August 1998), p 7.) This had no legal effect but did not invalidate their votes.