Wentworth by-election, 1995
Encyclopedia
The 1995 Wentworth by-election was held in the Australia
n electorate of Wentworth
in New South Wales
on 8 April 1995. The by-election
was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia
's Dr. John Hewson
on 28 February 1995. The writ for the by-election was issued on 3 March 1995.
had lost the 1993 federal election. Hewson had pledged to resign if the Coalition lost the 1993 election, but did not do so, and his leadership was undermined over the next year by Alexander Downer
, Peter Costello
and Bronwyn Bishop
. Eventually, Hewson called a leadership ballot in May 1994 which was won by Downer with Costello as his deputy. Downer's leadership lasted until January 1995, when John Howard
won the leadership – Hewson resigned from the Parliament shortly afterwards.
did not run a candidate in the by-election, and the two-party preferred votes went to the Australian Greens
candidate who polled a respectable 34.10%. The former Liberal minister William Wentworth, whom the seat was named after his namesake great grandfather and now standing as an independent, gained 18.85%. The Liberal Party retained the seat, however, with Andrew Thomson
elected to parliament.
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 Wentworth
Division of Wentworth
The Division of Wentworth is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was proclaimed in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. The Division is named after William Charles Wentworth , a noted Australian explorer and statesman...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
on 8 April 1995. 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 resignation of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia
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...
's Dr. John Hewson
John Hewson
John Robert Hewson AM is an Australian economist, company director and a former politician. He was federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1990 to 1994 and led the party to defeat at the 1993 federal election.-Early life:...
on 28 February 1995. The writ for the by-election was issued on 3 March 1995.
Background
John Hewson had been Leader of the Opposition since 1990, and the CoalitionCoalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
had lost the 1993 federal election. Hewson had pledged to resign if the Coalition lost the 1993 election, but did not do so, and his leadership was undermined over the next year by Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from March 1996 to December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history...
, Peter Costello
Peter Costello
Peter Howard Costello AC is an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the Treasurer in the Australian government from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving Treasurer in Australian history. Costello was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1990 to 2009, representing...
and Bronwyn Bishop
Bronwyn Bishop
Bronwyn Kathleen Bishop , an Australian politician, is a Member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Liberal Party representing the Division of Mackellar, New South Wales since 1994...
. Eventually, Hewson called a leadership ballot in May 1994 which was won by Downer with Costello as his deputy. Downer's leadership lasted until January 1995, when John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
won the leadership – Hewson resigned from the Parliament shortly afterwards.
Results
Aftermath
The Australian Labor PartyAustralian 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...
did not run a candidate in the by-election, and the two-party preferred votes went to the Australian 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...
candidate who polled a respectable 34.10%. The former Liberal minister William Wentworth, whom the seat was named after his namesake great grandfather and now standing as an independent, gained 18.85%. The Liberal Party retained the seat, however, with Andrew Thomson
Andrew Thomson (Australian politician)
Andrew Peter Thomson , Australian politician, is a former Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Wentworth in New South Wales....
elected to parliament.
External links
- Wentworth (NSW) By-Election (8 April 1995), 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...