1973 Balcatta state by-election

October 2016 July 2026 A by-election for the seat of Balcatta in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 28 July 1973. It was triggered by the resignation of Herb Graham, the deputy premier in the Labor government of John Tonkin, on 30 May 1973. Like the earlier 1971 Ascot by-election, the Balcatta by-election was of great importance to the Labor Party, as a loss would have seen it reduced to minority government. The party retained the seat despite a 16.5-point negative swing, with Brian Burke (a future premier) outpolling the Liberal candidate, Neil Beck, by only 30 votes on the two-party-preferred count. Burke had been behind Beck on first preferences, but passed him after the preferences of the Australia Party candidate were distributed. Background Herb Graham had held Balcatta for the Labor Party since the seat's re-creation at the 1962 state election, and had served in parliament since 1943. He was made deputy premier under John Tonkin following Labor's victory at the 1971 election, but the pair had frequent differences of opinion. Graham resigned from parliament on 30 May 1973 and was instead appointed chairman of the Licensing Court of Western Australia.Black David Graham, Herbert Ernst (1911–1982 17 2007 graham-herbert-ernst-12557 After his resignation, the writ for the by-election was issued on 1 June, with the close of nominations on 28 June. Polling day was on 28 July, with the writ returned on 17 August.Black David Prescott, Valerie Election statistics, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996 1997 Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission Perth, Western Australia 0-7309-8409-5 22 On the same day that Graham announced his retirement, Brian Burke made his decision to seek Labor preselection for Balcatta. He faced an uphill battle, with state secretary Joe Chamberlain wanting Patricia Giles preselected.Beresford Quentin The Godfather: The life of Brian Burke 25–27 2008 Allen & Unwin 1741755565Peachey Brian The Burkes of Western Australia 140–142 1992 Peacheys Holdings 9780959426113 With the help of his brother Terry and a particularly good performance by Burke at a preselection meeting, he became Labor's candidate. As the Labor Party only had a one seat majority, the by-election would determine whether it would remain in office. Having undertaken an opinion poll of the seat, Burke realised he was most likely not going to win, so he asked acting state secretary Kim Beazley for money to fund his campaign. Beazley gave Burke's campaign $6,000, which was all the money in the party's electoral account, angering Chamberlain as the money was meant for the upcoming full state election. At the by-election, Burke defeated the Liberal Party candidate by 30 votes as measured on a two-party-preferred basis.1 August 1973 Labor Wins W.A. Seat By 30 Preferences 1 The Canberra Times http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110740478 18 June 2022 National Library of Australia He was sworn into parliament on 5 August 1973. Results Balcatta state by-election, 1973 Liberal WA Neil Beck 9,178 49.0 +15.6 Labor WA Brian Burke 9,075 48.5 –18.0 Australia Wilfrid Campin 469 2.5 +2.5 18,722 97.5 +2.9 478 2.5 –2.9 19,200 80.7 –19.3 Labor WA Brian Burke 9,376 50.1 –16.5 Liberal WA Neil Beck 9,346 49.9 +16.5 Labor WA –16.5 Aftermath The Tonkin government was defeated at the 1974 state election, which also saw Balcatta abolished in a redistribution. Burke transferred to the seat of Balga, and remained in parliament until his retirement in 1988. He was elected leader of the Labor Party in 1981, and became premier at the 1983 state election.Brian Thomas Burke, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 24 January 2017. See also 1932 Roebourne state by-election, held in similar circumstances List of Western Australian state by-elections References Category:Western Australian state by-elections Category:1973 elections in Australia Category:July 1973 in Australia Category:1970s in Perth, Western Australia