Murdoch by-election, 2008
Encyclopedia
The Murdoch state by-election, 2008 was a by-election
held on 23 February 2008 for the Western Australia
n Legislative Assembly
seat of Murdoch
in the southern suburbs of Perth
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of Liberal
member
Trevor Sprigg
on 17 January 2008. Sprigg had held the seat since the 2005 state election
. A former football star with East Fremantle Football Club
, he was a popular local member, and served in Parliament as the Opposition Whip
in the Legislative Assembly. On 17 January 2008, while returning from the Gold Coast
to attend a Liberal leadership vote, Sprigg died of a heart attack aged 61. The leadership vote produced a victory for Troy Buswell
, and members were to learn of Sprigg's death only after the vote had been taken.
On 24 January 2008, the Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
issued a writ directing the Electoral Commissioner to proceed with an election in the district. Christian Porter
, a 37-year-old law lecturer at the University of Western Australia
, won the Liberal preselection ballot on 30 January 2007 against former minister and member for neighbouring Riverton
, Graham Kierath.
The seat of Murdoch, first established in 1976, was considered to be a safe seat for the Liberal Party, with just two other members since its creation—former Leader of the Opposition
Barry MacKinnon, and Mike Board. Commentators viewed the by-election as a non-event, and it became clear early that the Australian Labor Party
, in government in Western Australia
since 2001, had no intention of contesting the seat, and that the media's main interest in the race was to debate Porter's role in a future shadow cabinet. Porter went on to win the seat against three non-major-party candidates.
, a 37-year-old law lecturer at the University of Western Australia
, grandson of former Queensland Liberal MLA Charles Porter who held the seat of Toowong from 1966 until 1980 and son of former Western Australian state director Chilla Porter, won the Liberal preselection ballot against former minister and member for neighbouring Riverton
, Graham Kierath. He was tipped, if successful, to become the shadow attorney-general
, a role which had been vacant following the departure of Sue Walker
(Nedlands
) from the Liberal party.
Other candidates ran for the Greens
, One Nation and Christian Democratic Party
:
on election night.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 23 February 2008 for the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Murdoch
Electoral district of Murdoch
Murdoch was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia. It existed from 1977 to 1989 and again from 1996 to 2008....
in the southern suburbs of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
The by-election was triggered by the death of Liberal
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...
member
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Trevor Sprigg
Trevor Sprigg
Trevor Sprigg was an Australian politician and legislator from Western Australia, as well as a former football star...
on 17 January 2008. Sprigg had held the seat since the 2005 state election
Western Australian state election, 2005
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 26 February 2005 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
. A former football star with East Fremantle Football Club
East Fremantle Football Club
The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League . The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval...
, he was a popular local member, and served in Parliament as the Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in the Legislative Assembly. On 17 January 2008, while returning from the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
to attend a Liberal leadership vote, Sprigg died of a heart attack aged 61. The leadership vote produced a victory for Troy Buswell
Troy Buswell
Troy Raymond Buswell is currently the Liberal member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Vasse, and the Minister for Transport and Minister for Housing. He was Leader of the Opposition for several months in 2008, then served as Treasurer of Western Australia in the Barnett...
, and members were to learn of Sprigg's death only after the vote had been taken.
On 24 January 2008, the Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the Constitution Act 1889...
issued a writ directing the Electoral Commissioner to proceed with an election in the district. Christian Porter
Christian Porter
Charles Christian Porter is a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Bateman and is Treasurer and Attorney-General in the Liberal-National government. He entered Parliament after winning the seat of Murdoch in a by-election in 2008 following...
, a 37-year-old law lecturer at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, won the Liberal preselection ballot on 30 January 2007 against former minister and member for neighbouring Riverton
Electoral district of Riverton
The Electoral district of Riverton is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Riverton is named for the southern Perth suburb of Riverton which falls within its borders.-History:...
, Graham Kierath.
The seat of Murdoch, first established in 1976, was considered to be a safe seat for the Liberal Party, with just two other members since its creation—former Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
Barry MacKinnon, and Mike Board. Commentators viewed the by-election as a non-event, and it became clear early that 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...
, in government in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
since 2001, had no intention of contesting the seat, and that the media's main interest in the race was to debate Porter's role in a future shadow cabinet. Porter went on to win the seat against three non-major-party candidates.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 17 January 2008 | Trevor Sprigg died, vacating the seat of Murdoch Electoral district of Murdoch Murdoch was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia. It existed from 1977 to 1989 and again from 1996 to 2008.... . |
| 24 January 2008 | Writs were issued by the Speaker Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer in the Legislative Assembly. The office has existed since the creation of the Legislative Assembly in 1890 under the Constitution Act 1889... of the Legislative Assembly Western Australian Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth.... to proceed with a by-election. |
| 1 February 2008 | Close of nominations and draw of ballot papers. |
| 23 February 2008 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 23 April 2008 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
Candidates
The by-election attracted four candidates. Christian PorterChristian Porter
Charles Christian Porter is a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Bateman and is Treasurer and Attorney-General in the Liberal-National government. He entered Parliament after winning the seat of Murdoch in a by-election in 2008 following...
, a 37-year-old law lecturer at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, grandson of former Queensland Liberal MLA Charles Porter who held the seat of Toowong from 1966 until 1980 and son of former Western Australian state director Chilla Porter, won the Liberal preselection ballot against former minister and member for neighbouring Riverton
Electoral district of Riverton
The Electoral district of Riverton is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Riverton is named for the southern Perth suburb of Riverton which falls within its borders.-History:...
, Graham Kierath. He was tipped, if successful, to become the shadow attorney-general
Attorney-General of Western Australia
The Attorney-General of Western Australia is the member of the Government of Western Australia responsible for maintenance and improvement of Western Australia's system of law and justice. Before the advent of representative government in 1870, the title was Advocate-General of Western Australia...
, a role which had been vacant following the departure of Sue Walker
Sue Walker
Susan Elizabeth Walker is a British-born Australian politician. She had been a Liberal member and then turned to Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from June 2001 to September 2008, representing the electorate of Nedlands.She resigned from the Liberal Party in...
(Nedlands
Electoral district of Nedlands
The Electoral district of Nedlands is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Nedlands is named for the inner western Perth suburb of Nedlands which falls within its borders.-History:...
) from the Liberal party.
Other candidates ran for the Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, One Nation and Christian Democratic Party
Christian Democratic Party (Australia)
The Christian Democratic Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. Its leader is Fred Nile, a Congregational Church minister and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.-Formation:...
:
- Hsien Harper (Greens), an organiser for the Australian Services UnionAustralian Services UnionThe Australian Municipal, Administrative, Clerical and Services Union, which operates under the trading name of the Australian Services Union or ASU, is a trade union that represents members in a variety of industries.-Union history:...
who previously ran for WillageeElectoral district of WillageeWillagee is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia.The district is located in the southern suburbs of Perth.Willagee has at all times been a safe Labor seat.-Geography:...
in 2005; - Neil Gilmour (One Nation), the party's state president who ran for Division of CurtinDivision of CurtinThe Division of Curtin is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1949 and is named for John Curtin, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45. It is located in the wealthy beachside suburbs of Perth, including Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park,...
in 2001 and the South MetropolitanElectoral region of South MetropolitanThe electoral region of South Metropolitan is a multi-member electoral region of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the southern suburbs of Perth. It was created by the Acts Amendment Act 1987, and became effective on 22 May 1989 with five members who had been elected at the...
Legislative Council region in 2005; - Ka-ren Chew (CDP), a local solicitor who ran for Division of TangneyDivision of TangneyThe Division of Tangney is an Australian electoral division in the state of Western Australia. Eligible voters within the Division elect a single representative, known as the member for Tangney, to the Australian House of Representatives...
, which includes Murdoch and Riverton, in the 2007 federal election.
Results
As largely predicted, Christian Porter retained the seat for the Liberal Party. As the Labor Party did not run, a swing could not be determined, although the 10-15% increase in the Liberal vote due to Labor voters (35.51% at the 2005 election) choosing the Liberals ahead of the Greens was hailed by Porter in his victory speech at 7:40pm AWDTTime in Australia
Australia uses Standard time, i.e: the same well defined time for a region. The proper names of Australia's time zones are Australian Western Standard Time , Australian Central Standard Time , and Australian Eastern Standard Time...
on election night.