1988 Adelaide by-election explained

Country:South Australia
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Election Date:6 February 1988
Party1:Liberal Party of Australia
Popular Vote1:26,777
Percentage1:44.4%
Swing1: 8.9
Candidate2:Don Farrell
Party2:Australian Labor Party
Popular Vote2:22,897
Percentage2:38.0%
Swing2: 10.9
Candidate3:Ian McLeish
Party3:Australian Democrats
Popular Vote3:7,097
Percentage3:11.8%
Swing3: 2.7
1Blank:TPP
2Blank:TPP swing
1Data1:51.9%
2Data1: 8.4
1Data2:48.2%
2Data2: 8.4
MP
Before Election:Chris Hurford
Before Party:Australian Labor Party
After Election:Mike Pratt
After Party:Liberal Party of Australia

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Adelaide on 6 February 1988. This was triggered by the resignation of Labor Party MP Chris Hurford to become Australia's Consul-General in New York City.

The election was won by Liberal candidate Mike Pratt with an 8.4 percent two-party swing on a 1.9 percent margin, defeating Labor candidate Don Farrell.

The 1988 Port Adelaide by-election occurred seven weeks later.

Candidates

Campaign

The proposed introduction of time-based billing for local telephone calls was reportedly a major issue in the campaign. The intended change by government-owned telecommunications monopoly Telecom Australia was announced early in the campaign and was subsequently endorsed by Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who then faced "a backlash from its own left wing, unions and the public".[1] The Liberal Party campaigned heavily on the issue and Liberal candidate Mike Pratt "had a largel model of a telephone receiver placed on the roof of his campaign van to help push home the party message".[2]

Results

|-| |  | style="text-align:left;"| Republican| style="text-align:left;"| Peter Consandine| style="text-align:right;"| 104| style="text-align:right;"| 0.2| style="text-align:right;"| +0.2|-

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Time-charge issue could swing SA by-election. Canberra Times. 1 February 1988.
  2. News: 9.05pc by-election swing leaves Labor reeling. Canberra Times. 8 February 1988.