Isaacs by-election, 2000
Encyclopedia
The 2000 Isaacs by-election was held in the Australia
n electorate of Isaacs
in Victoria
on 12 August 2000. The by-election
was triggered by the death of the sitting member, the Australian Labor Party
's Greg Wilton
on 14 June 2000. The writ for the by-election was issued on 30 June 2000.
, committed suicide
on 14 June 2000. Wilton's marriage had broken down earlier in the year, and shortly afterwards Victoria Police
arrested Wilton after finding him, clearly distressed, with his children in a car in the You Yangs
national park. While Wilton's intentions on the day were unclear, unrestrained media coverage of the incident was considered by his colleagues to have contributed to his eventual suicide six weeks later.
The Isaacs by-election was the first election in Australia to be held after the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax
on 1 July 2000, and the Liberal Party
declined to run a candidate. Labor's preselection was a messy battle with the party's left faction proposing to pre-select Jill Hennessy
, the former state president of the Labor Party and an advisor to Premier Steve Bracks
. They were overridden by the party's federal executive, who put forward Ann Corcoran
, although the change resulted in a convoluted factional deal in which pre-selection ballots were altered after their submission.
, the main rival on a two-party basis. Ann Corcoran went on to hold the seat in the 2001 and 2004 federal elections, but lost pre-selection prior to the 2007 election.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n electorate of Isaacs
Division of Isaacs
The Division of Isaacs is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, on the eastern shores of Port Phillip Bay...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
on 12 August 2000. The by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was triggered by the death of the sitting member, the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's Greg Wilton
Greg Wilton
Gregory Stuart Wilton was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Isaacs, from 1996 until his suicide at the age of 44...
on 14 June 2000. The writ for the by-election was issued on 30 June 2000.
Background
The Labor Party's member for Isaacs, Greg WiltonGreg Wilton
Gregory Stuart Wilton was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Isaacs, from 1996 until his suicide at the age of 44...
, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on 14 June 2000. Wilton's marriage had broken down earlier in the year, and shortly afterwards Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
arrested Wilton after finding him, clearly distressed, with his children in a car in the You Yangs
You Yangs
The You Yangs are a series of granite ridges that rise to 364m above the Werribee Plain approximately 55km south west of Melbourne and 22km north east of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. The main ridge runs roughly N-S for about 9 km, with a lower extension running for about 15 km to the west...
national park. While Wilton's intentions on the day were unclear, unrestrained media coverage of the incident was considered by his colleagues to have contributed to his eventual suicide six weeks later.
The Isaacs by-election was the first election in Australia to be held after the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax (Australia)
The GST is a broad sales tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia. It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer....
on 1 July 2000, and the 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...
declined to run a candidate. Labor's preselection was a messy battle with the party's left faction proposing to pre-select Jill Hennessy
Jill Hennessy (politician)
Jill Hennessy is an Australian politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since 13 February 2010, representing the seat of Altona....
, the former state president of the Labor Party and an advisor to Premier Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
. They were overridden by the party's federal executive, who put forward Ann Corcoran
Ann Corcoran
Ann Kathleen Corcoran , an Australian politician, was an Australian Labor Party member of the House of Representatives from 12 August 2000 to the 2007 election, representing the Division of Isaacs, Victoria....
, although the change resulted in a convoluted factional deal in which pre-selection ballots were altered after their submission.
Results
Aftermath
The Labor Party held the seat of Isaacs, with a swing of 8.11 towards them. The lack of a Liberal candidate saw positive swings towards all the minor parties, in particular the Australian DemocratsAustralian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
, the main rival on a two-party basis. Ann Corcoran went on to hold the seat in the 2001 and 2004 federal elections, but lost pre-selection prior to the 2007 election.
External links
- Isaacs (VIC) By-Election (12 August 2000) Results, Australian Electoral CommissionAustralian Electoral CommissionThe Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...