2008 Ryde state by-election

By-election in New South Wales, Australia October 2019 October 2019 New South Wales parliamentary no 18 October 2008 2007 New South Wales state election 2007 2011 New South Wales state election 2011 Electoral district of Ryde in the Legislative Assembly 150x150px Victor Dominello Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division) 21,370 54.34% 25.74 150x150px Nicole Campbell Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) 11,725 29.81% 15.03 150x150px Lindsay Peters The Greens NSW 4,407 11.21% 3.34 TPP TPP swing 63.01% 23.10 36.99% 23.10 300px Location in New South Wales MP John Watkins Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Victor Dominello Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division) A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Ryde on 18 October 2008 to coincide with the Port Macquarie, Lakemba and Cabramatta by-elections.Liberals 'a big chance' in Watkins' seat ABC News 2008-09-04 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-09-04/liberals-a-big-chance-in-watkins-seat/499292 https://web.archive.org/web/20231210063926/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-09-04/liberals-a-big-chance-in-watkins-seat/499292 10 December 2023 live 2008-09-07 The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting member and Deputy Premier John Watkins, who cited exhaustion and the lack of time spent with his family for his resignation. Smith Alexandra AAP Watkins quits politics to put family first The Sydney Morning Herald 2008-09-03 10 December 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231210062919/https://www.smh.com.au/national/watkins-quits-politics-to-put-family-first-20080904-gdsti2.html live http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/john-watkins-quits-family-first/2008/09/03/1220121304006.html 2008-09-07 Watkins resigned as Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport and retired from parliament on 8 September 2008, prompting a Cabinet reshuffle. The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Victor Dominello on a swing of 23%. This was a marked turnaround to the result at the 2007 state election, when Watkins was reelected with 60.09% of the two-party preferred vote. Ryde - 2007 (Roll: 46,237) parliament.nsw.gov.au https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/2007/Ryde.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20231210062918/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/2007/Ryde.htm 10 December 2023 live 2008-09-07 However, the writ was issued at a very bad time for the government. Labor had been sinking in the polls since being reelected a year earlier. It had suffered from several months of bad press that had driven its poll numbers downward. It was only polling at 44% support, a swing of almost 8% from the 2007 election. Additionally, Watkins' resignation had touched off a domino effect that ultimately resulted in Premier Morris Iemma leaving politics as well. Watkins had held Ryde without interruption or serious difficulty since its re-creation in 1999, having held its predecessor seat of Gladesville since 1995. Labor sat on a margin of 10.1%, which would have been considered safe under normal conditions (any seat with a two-party margin greater than 10% is considered safe on paper). However, the seat had historically been marginal at the federal level. Combined with Labor's declining poll numbers, commentators thought it was vulnerable to being taken by the Liberals. On paper, Dominello's victory turned Ryde from a safe Labor seat into a safe Liberal seat in one stroke. At the time, it was the largest swing against a sitting government in New South Wales history; it has since been outdone by the 2010 Penrith by-election (which saw a 25% swing against Labor) and the 2013 Miranda by-election (which saw a 26% swing against the Coalition). The loss of Ryde significantly weakened the standing of Iemma's successor, Nathan Rees, who would himself be ousted in a party room coup a year later. It proved to be the beginning of the end for the Labor government, which would go on to suffer a landslide defeat at the 2011 state election. Dates Date Event 12 September 2008 Resignation of John Watkins.The Hon. John Arthur Watkins AM (1955- ) 2120 Yes 8 June 2019 22 September 2008 Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls.https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202008_2008-122.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20231210064922/https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202008_2008-122.pdf 10 December 2023 live 0155-6320 Writ of election: Ryde Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales 122 22 September 2008 23 October 2019 9392 Russell D. Grove Clerk of the Legislative Assembly Denis H. Helm, Government Printer Sydney 26 September 2008 Date of nomination 18 October 2008 Polling day 1 November 2008 Return of writ Results 2008 Ryde by-electionhttps://elections.nsw.gov.au/getmedia/55cc78c8-3d20-4679-985c-71c8fccb746e/2008-ryde-state-by-election-report.pdf State By-Election Report Ryde 2008 NSW Electoral Commission live https://web.archive.org/web/20231210063335/https://elections.nsw.gov.au/getmedia/55cc78c8-3d20-4679-985c-71c8fccb746e/2008-ryde-state-by-election-report.pdf 10 December 2023 Level 25, 201 Kent Street, Sydney 2000 25 May 2009 Dominello elected at count 1 14medic Liberal NSW Victor Dominello 21,370 54.34 +25.74 Labor NSW Nicole Campbell 11,725 29.81 −15.03 Greens NSW Lindsay Peters 4,407 11.21 +3.34 Independent Victor Taffa 1,171 2.98 +2.98 Democrats Peter Goldfinch 656 1.67 +0.27 39,329 97.96 +0.53 820 2.04 −0.53 40,149 83.64 −9.33 Liberal NSW Victor Dominello 22,556 63.01 +23.10 Labor NSW Nicole Campbell 13,243 36.99 −23.10 Liberal NSW Labor NSW +23.10 See also Electoral results for the district of Ryde List of New South Wales state by-elections References External links ABC District Profile & Election Coverage expanded Category:2008 elections in Australia Category:New South Wales state by-elections Category:2008 in New South Wales Category:October 2008 in Australia