1992 Davidson state by-election
2 May 1992
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electoral district of Davidson in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Davidson on 2 May 1992.[1]
It was triggered by the resignation of former Liberal Party-turned-independent MP, Terry Metherell, after the scandal known as the 'Metherell Crisis'.[1]
The seat was subsequently won by Andrew Humpherson of the Liberal Party. However the Liberals suffered a 16% drop in their primary vote, and a 14% drop in their two party preferred vote.[1]
Background
The seat of Davidson, a traditionally safe Liberal seat, was held since 1981 by Terry Metherell, a controversial Minister for Education in the first term of the Greiner government.[1]
Charges of tax avoidance forced his resignation from the Ministry in 1990. However, there was speculation that he would be re-appointed to the ministry when the Greiner government was re-elected in 1991. However, at the 1991 election, the Greiner government lost its majority, and was forced to depend on the support of the four independents in order to stay in office. This all but squashed any chance of Metherell returning to cabinet. Feeling betrayed and rejected from his party, Metherell resigned from the Liberal Party in October 1991 live on the 7:30 Report, without having given his colleagues notice.[1]
The government subsequently created a job for Metherell, a position with the Environment Protection Agency. He accepted and duly resigned from state parliament, effectively engineering a vacancy in a seat that was very likely to revert to the Liberals in a by-election. Labor did not nominate a candidate, but a field of Independents and minor parties reduced the Liberal vote by 16%, and 14% after preferences.[1]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Andrew Humpherson | 15,852 | 49.32 | −16.07 | |
| Independent | Julie Sutton | 9,489 | 29.52 | +29.52 | |
| Greens | Ross Knowles | 1,195 | 3.72 | +3.72 | |
| Democrats | Edna Cunningham | 1,156 | 3.60 | −12.01 | |
| Independent | Kevin Begaud | 918 | 2.86 | +2.86 | |
| Independent | Michael Evanian | 852 | 2.65 | +2.65 | |
| Call to Australia | Bruce Coleman | 770 | 2.40 | +2.40 | |
| Independent EFF | Michael Vescio | 683 | 2.12 | +2.12 | |
| Independent | Ted Roach | 361 | 1.12 | +1.12 | |
| Independent | Janet Fairlie-Cuninghame | 357 | 1.11 | +1.11 | |
| Independent | Peter Leney | 190 | 0.59 | +0.59 | |
| Independent | Steven Klinger | 157 | 0.49 | +0.49 | |
| Independent | William Williams | 105 | 0.33 | +0.33 | |
| Independent | Julien Droulers | 34 | 0.11 | +0.11 | |
| Independent | Sandor Torzsok | 24 | 0.07 | +0.07 | |
| Total formal votes | 32,143 | 96.97 | |||
| Informal votes | 1,006 | 3.03 | |||
| Turnout | 33,149 | 87.10 | |||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Andrew Humpherson | 17,352 | 59.65 | −13.04 | |
| Independent | Julie Sutton | 11,737 | 40.35 | +40.35 | |
| Liberal hold | |||||
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f "NSW By-Elections Background". ABC Elections. 12 September 2005.
- ^ Green, Antony. "1992 Davidson by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 September 2019.