1951 Macquarie by-election explained

Country:New South Wales
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Election Date:28 July 1951
Vote Type:Popular
Image1:Anthony Luchetti.jpg
Candidate1:Tony Luchetti
Party1:Australian Labor Party
Popular Vote1:18,426
Percentage1:52.3%
Swing1:9.5pp
Candidate2:William Hannam
Party2:Liberal Party of Australia
Popular Vote2:12,356
Percentage2:35.1%
Swing2:3.1pp
MP
Before Election:Ben Chifley
Before Party:Australian Labor Party
After Election:Tony Luchetti
After Party:Australian Labor Party
Election Name:1951 Macquarie by-election
Candidate3:William Blanchard
Party3:Independent Labor
Popular Vote3:3,853
Percentage3:10.9%
Swing3:10.9pp

The 1951 by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Macquarie was held on 28 July after the death of the incumbent Australian Labor Party member, former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who died on 14 June after suffering a heart attack. Chifley's death came less than three months after the 1951 general election.

Candidates

Contesting the seat for the Labor Party was Tony Luchetti, who had been the Lang Labor candidate in Macquarie in 1931 and 1934, his preferences defeating Chifley in 1931.[1] [2] William Blanchard ran as an independent Labor candidate in protest at Luchetti's selection as Chifley's successor.

Their main opponent was William Hannam of the Liberal Party of Australia.[3] Vernon Moffitt, representing the Communist Party of Australia, also ran.

Aftermath

At the following 1954 general election Luchetti retained the seat and was the sole Labor candidate.[4]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 19 December 1931 . 2011-05-02 . Adam Carr. psephos . Adam Carr.
  2. Web site: Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 15 September 1934 . 2011-05-02 . Adam Carr. psephos . Adam Carr.
  3. Web site: Commonwealth of Australia Legislative By-election of 1951 - Macquarie . https://web.archive.org/web/20110316054150/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1951/1951repsby.txt . dead . 16 March 2011 . 2011-05-02 . Adam Carr . psephos . Adam Carr .
  4. Web site: Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 29 May 1954 . 2011-05-02 . Adam Carr . psephos . Adam Carr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060902050556/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1954/1954-lyne.txt . 2 September 2006 .