A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Oxley on 21 February 1981 following the resignation of Bruce Cowan to successfully contest the federal seat of Lyne at the 1980 election.[1]
By-elections for the seats of Cessnock, Maitland and Sturt were held on the same day.
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 August 1980 | Resignation of Bruce Cowan. | |
| 18 October 1980 | 1980 Australian federal election | |
| 22 January 1981 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls.[2] | |
| 29 January 1981 | Day of nomination | |
| 21 February 1981 | Polling day | |
| 13 March 1981 | Return of writ |
Peter King's career was to be short-lived.[3] The electoral redistribution for the 1981 state election abolished the nearby electorate of Raleigh, and its Country Party MLA, Jim Brown,[4] chose to challenge King for Oxley preselection rather than contest the new electorate of Coffs Harbour. Brown emerged successful after a controversial preselection campaign, and King was forced to retire at the 1981 election.[3]