1949 Prahran state by-election

none January 2025 January 2025 1949 Prahran state by-election Victoria parliamentary Primary no 1947 Victorian state election 1947 22 January 1949 1950 Victorian state election 1950 25,791 86.9% ( 3.9) Electoral district of Prahran in theVictorian Legislative Assembly 170x170px Frank Crean Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) 11,379 51.2% 1.0 170x170px Martin Smith Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) 10,829 48.8% 1.0 MP Bill Quirk Labor Frank Crean Labor The 1949 Prahran state by-election was held on 22 January 1949 to elect the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the death of Labor Party MP Bill Quirk.LABOR VICTORY IS CERTAIN IN PRAHRAN https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59509568 Sunday Times 16 January 2025 1 23 January 1949 Frank Crean retained the seat for Labor, gaining a swing of 1% over the Liberal Party, which was serving in government at the time.PRAHRAN BY-ELECTION AND THE PUNDITS https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205352058 The Age 16 January 2025 2 24 January 1949 Crean resigned two years later in 1951 to successfully contest the federal seat of Melbourne Ports, and he later served as Deputy Prime Minister for several months in 1975.Francis Daniel (Frank) Crean (1916–2008) https://labouraustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/crean-francis-daniel-frank-32948 Labour Australia 16 January 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20241026232549/https://labouraustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/crean-francis-daniel-frank-32948 26 October 2024 This was the second of three by-elections in Prahran held in a timeframe of six years, with by-elections also held in 1945 (where Quirk was elected) and 1951 (to replace Crean).PRAHRAN BY-ELECTION TODAY https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/979175 The Argus 16 January 2025 10 18 August 1945LABOR WINS PRAHRAN BY-ELECTION https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/267923452 Border Morning Mail 16 January 2025 3 18 June 1951 This was also the final election contested by the original Victorian division of the Liberal Party, as the party ceased to exist in March 1949 when the new Liberal and Country Party (LCP) was formed.VICTORIAN LIBERAL COUNTRY PARTY https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/56898172 Morning Bulletin 16 January 2025 4 22 March 1949BIRTH OF COMBINED PARTY https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26511594 The Mercury 15 January 2025 4 23 March 1949 Key events 16 November 1948 – Bill Quirk diesDEATH OF MR QUIRK, MLA https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22703676 The Argus 16 January 2025 7 17 November 1948 25 November 1948 – Liberal preselection closesBy-Election for Prahran https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205674451 The Age 16 January 2025 4 20 November 1948 26 November 1948 – Martin Smith endorsed as Liberal candidate 26 November 1948 – Labor preselection closess 3 December 1948 – Frank Crean endorsed as Labor candidate 15 December 1948 – Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative AssemblyBy-Election for Prahran https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205672206 The Age 16 January 2025 3 9 December 1948 4 January 1949 – Candidate nominations close 22 January 1949 – Polling day 28 January 1949 – Declaration of resultPRAHRAN BY-ELECTION https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22698136 The Argus 16 January 2025 5 27 January 1949 Candidates Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on the ballot. Party Candidate Background   labor vic Frank Crean Member for Albert Park between 1945 and 1947   liberal vic Martin Smith Former mayor of Prahran and candidate for Prahran in 1947 Labor Labor chose Frank Crean, who was elected as the member for Albert Park in 1945 and served until his defeat in 1947, as its candidate. The preselection was also contested by three other candidates – John Bourke (future MP for St Kilda), Thomas Brennan (Labor state executive member and future MLC for Monash) and Robert Pettiona (Federated Rubber and Allied Workers' Union of Australia president and future MP for Prahran) – but all three withdrew in order to allow Crean to win the nomination.Labor Candidate For Prahran https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/279526856 The Sun News-Pictorial 16 January 2025 7 4 December 1948Labor Candidate for By-Election https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205680687 The Age 16 January 2025 11 4 December 1948 Liberal Martin Smith, who served as the mayor of Prahran between 1946 and 1947 and unsuccessfully contested Prahran for the Liberals at the 1947 state election, was again endorsed as the party's candidate.BY-ELECTION AT PRAHRAN https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/247720620 The Herald 16 January 2025 1 22 January 1949 Smith defeated ten other preselection candidates, including Desmond McGinnes, the president of the Liberal Party's Prahran branch.Prahran Liberal Candidate https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205685080 The Age 16 January 2025 3 27 November 1948 Campaign The by-election campaign was largely fought on the issue of price controls, which had been under the control of the state government since September 1948 following a national referendum held in May 1948.Cain Sums Up Victory https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59509684 Sunday Times 16 January 2025 1 23 January 1949Price control https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VF49 Public Record Office Victoria 16 January 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20250116112452/https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VF49 16 January 2025 Labor leader John Cain claimed that if the Liberals won Prahran, it would immediately begin lifting price controls.'Labor loss will end price control' https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22704273 The Argus 16 January 2025 3 13 January 1949Victoria Not To Lift Price Control https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2785314 The Canberra Times 16 January 2025 4 14 January 1949 The claim was disputed by Liberal leader and premier Thomas Hollway, who described it as "nonsense".FIRM ON PRICE CONTROL ISSUE https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69324104 Advocate 16 January 2025 1 14 January 1949Price Control to be Retained https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205354027 The Age 16 January 2025 2 14 January 1949 Communism was also a topic throughout the campaign.PRAHRAN https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104543284 Goulburn Evening Post 16 January 2025 4 24 January 1949 Hollway promised to fight "socialistic regimentation", with Smith saying he would "destroy communism" if elected.Liberal Win Expected In Prahran Tomorrow https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/279492490 The Sun News-Pictorial 16 January 2025 8 21 January 1949'Destroyer' Of Communism Takes Count https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/209386836 Tribune 16 January 2025 7 26 January 1948 Cain accused the Liberals of having no intention of fighting communism, "because the communists are the greatest assets the Liberals have ever had".Labor Opens Its Prahran Campaign https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205355549 The Age 16 January 2025 9 8 January 1949Liberal Stand on Communism https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205361765 The Age 16 January 2025 2 10 January 1949 On 3 December 1948, all Country Party ministers resigned from the Hollway ministry and returned to sitting in opposition, ending the coalition between the Liberal Party and the Country Party."C.P. COULD NOT STAND DICTATION": McDONALD https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/279535634 The Sun News-Pictorial 15 January 2025 6 7 December 1948Mr McDonald re-opens the door https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/22706528 The Argus 15 January 2025 3 24 December 1948 Labor had won Prahran by a margin of only 91 votes in 1947, and the by-election was expected to be close.CLOSE PRAHRAN POLL EXPECTED https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/280694454 Sunraysia Daily 16 January 2025 1 22 January 1949 Predictions were varied, with The Sun News-Pictorial saying a Liberal victory was "expected", while Labor Call (the official newspaper of the Political Labor Council of Victoria) claimed that Crean was indicated to win.FRANK CREAK WILL WIN PRAHRAN BY-ELECTION https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/249763606 Labor Call 16 January 2025 1 21 January 1949 Results [[1949 Prahran state by-election|1949 Prahran state by-election]]THE THIRTY-SEVENTH PARLIAMENT ELECTED 8 NOVEMBER 1947 http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/states/vic/historic/1947assembly.txt Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive 16 January 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20241228105248/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/states/vic/historic/1947assembly.txt 28 December 2024LABOR WINS PRAHRAN BY-ELECTION https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69325616 Advocate 16 January 2025 2 24 January 1949Prahran By-Election: FINAL FIGURES ANNOUNCED https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/95712282 Kalgoorlie Miner 16 January 2025 4 25 January 1949 Labor VIC Frank Crean 11,379 51.2 +1.0 Liberal VIC Martin Smith 10,829 48.8 -1.0 22,208 99.1 +0.2 195 0.9 -0.2 22,403 86.9 -3.9 Labor VIC +1.0 See also Electoral results for the district of Prahran List of Victorian state by-elections References Category:1949 elections in Australia 1949Prahran