| Country: | New South Wales |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Election Date: | 18 October 2008 |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Popular Vote1: | 15,003 |
| Percentage1: | 35.94% |
| Swing1: | 35.94 |
| Candidate2: | Leslie Williams |
| Party2: | National Party of Australia – NSW |
| Popular Vote2: | 14,061 |
| Percentage2: | 33.69% |
| Swing2: | 14.24 |
| 1Blank: | TPP |
| 2Blank: | TPP swing |
| 1Data1: | 54.52% |
| 2Data1: | 54.52 |
| 1Data2: | 45.48% |
| 2Data2: | 23.70 |
| MP | |
| Before Election: | Rob Oakeshott |
| Before Party: | Independent politician |
| After Election: | Peter Besseling |
| After Party: | Independent politician |
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Port Macquarie on 18 October 2008.[1] This was triggered by the resignation of independent MP Rob Oakeshott who was elected to the federal seat of Lyne at a by-election the previous month.[2]
The writ for the Port Macquarie by-election was issued on 29 August, which was also when the rolls closed. Candidate nominations closed on 18 September. The by-election was contested on the same boundaries drawn for Port Macquarie at the 2007 state election. At that election, the independent MP won the seat over the Nationals by a two-party preferred margin of 78.2% to 21.8%.
Created in a 1988 redistribution, Port Macquarie has always been based on Port Macquarie and Laurieton–Camden Haven. It was a safe National Party seat prior to the election of Oakeshott, who was MP for Port Macquarie since 1996, becoming an independent in 2002.
The following candidates nominated for the election:
Federal Hume MP Alby Schultz was seen campaigning a few times for Besseling, referring to him as "the pick of the candidates", with similar support from Senator Bill Heffernan, sparking anger and resentment within the coalition.[5]