1981 Curtin by-election explained

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Curtin on 21 February 1981. This was triggered by the resignation of Liberal MP Victor Garland in order to be appointed High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom. It was held on the same day as by-elections for Boothby and McPherson.

The by-election was won by Liberal Allan Rocher, who had resigned from the Senate to contest it.

Key dates

Date	Event
22 January 1981	Hon Victor Garland resigned from Parliament.^[1]
27 January 1981	The writ for the by-election was issued.^[2]
11 February 1981	Close of nominations.
21 February 1981	Polling day.^[3]
4 March 1981	The writ was returned and Allan Rocher was sworn in as the member for Curtin.^[4]
27 March 1981	The original deadline for the writ to be returned.
24 April 1981	Garland arrived in London to commence his duties as High Commissioner of Australia.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Commonwealth of Australia . House of Representatives . 24 February 1981 . 1 . . Speaker.
2. News: The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia: House of Representatives. . S 13 . 27 January 1981 . 22 December 2020 .
3. Book: Commonwealth By-Elections 1901–82. Australian Electoral Office. Australian Government Publishing Service. 1983. 0-644-02369-4. 166–167, 187.
4. Commonwealth of Australia . House of Representatives . 4 March 1981 . 403 . Hon Billy Snedden . Speaker.
5. Book: The High Commissioners: Australia's Representatives in the United Kingdom, 1910–2010. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). 2010. 978-1-92161-211-4. 239. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade .