1936 Bowen state by-election

1936none December 2013 December 2023 1936 Bowen state by-election Queensland parliamentary Primary no 1935 Queensland state election 1935 20 June 1936 1938 Queensland state election 1938 87.8% ( 6.1) Electoral district of Bowen in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland Edward Joseph Riordan - Queensland politician.jpg 180 120 160 0 36 Ernest Riordan Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch) 2,623 36.2% 16.4 John Smith Bowen.png 150 120 160 28 13 John Smith Country 2,294 31.7% 2.3 Fred Paterson.png 130 120 160 0 4 Fred Paterson Communist Party of Australia – Queensland 1,755 24.3% 8.7 TCP TCP swing 59.2% 40.8% MP Charlie Collins Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch) Ernest Riordan Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch) The 1936 Bowen state by-election was held on 20 June 1936 to elect the member for Bowen in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, following the death of Labor Party MP Charlie Collins. Collins had been named as leader of the Queensland Labor Party only several hours before his death.Fitzgerald, Ross. The People's Champion: Fred Paterson]. St. Lucia: Univ. of Queensland Press, 1997. p. 100 Candidates The candidates in the election were Ernest Joseph "Dick" Riordan from the Labor Party, John. P. Smith from the Country Party, Fred Paterson from the Communist Party of Australia, W. B. Morgan from the Douglas Credit Party and H.I. Madden from 'Farmers and Workers'.The Courier-Mail. Issue Beyond Doubt. Tuesday 23 June 1936. p. 14 Labor The selection of the Labor Party candidate had been hotly contested. A plebiscite was arranged.Sunday Mail. Riordan Wins. Sunday 31 May 1936. p. 1 Riordan, the candidate winning the nomination with 189 votes, was an Australian Workers' Union leader, Bowen Town Council alderman and the brother of "Derby" Riordan. Other candidates in the fray were Wall (97 votes), Nolan (94 votes), Russell (93 votes), Wyper (51 votes), Kennedy (44 votes), Christensen (42 votes), Edwards (37 votes), Tabulo (33 votes), Kiterney (24 votes), Malcolm (23 votes), Walsh (20 votes), Gralton (17 votes), Dixon (16 votes), O'Sullivan (16 votes), Hanley (2 votes) and O'Donoghue (0 votes). Several complaints were lodged regarding the plebiscite. In their campaign the Labor Party organised many public meetings with speeches. Country This was the first election contested by the Country Party in Queensland. The party announced that five parliamentarians would travel to Bowen to campaign for their candidate, Smith.Townsville Daily Bulletin. Country Party Campaign. Tuesday 2 June 1936. p. 2 The campaign of the party relied heavily on support from liberal newspapers, as well as face-to-face encounters with voters. One issue the party tried to raise in their campaign was the construction of Mackay Harbour. Criticizing the incumbent Labor government, the party asked why an artificial harbour at Mackay had been preferred over the natural harbour of Bowen.The Courier-Mail. Vital Issue at Bowen. Tuesday 16 June 1936. p. 14 Result [[1936 Bowen state by-election|1936 Bowen state by-election]] Labor QLD Ernest Riordan 2,623 36.2 -16.4 Country QLD John Smith 2,294 31.7 +2.3 Communist Qld Fred Paterson 1,755 24.3 +8.7 Social Credit Henry Madden 449 6.2 +6.2 Independent William Morgan 116 1.6 +1.6 7,237 99.2 +0.7 62 0.8 -0.7 7,299 87.8 -6.1 Labor QLD Ernest Riordan 3,592 59.2 Country QLD John Smith 2,472 40.8 Labor QLD N/A Whilst Riordan obtained absolute majority in the final count, the result for the communist candidate was impressive. Paterson managed to obtain 24.3% of the votes. In Collinsville there were just a few dozen votes separating the two candidates. In Proserpine Paterson obtained more votes than Riordan. On 23 June 1936, with almost all primary votes allotted (120 primary votes remained to be counted at the time), Riordan stood at 2623 votes (36.2%), Smith 2294 votes (31.7%), Paterson 1755 votes (24.2%), Madden 449 votes (6.2%) and Morgan 116 votes (1.6%). The final result was declared by Under Secretary of Justice G. A. Carter on 6 July 1936. With the three minor candidates eliminated and their preference votes counted Riordan had 3658 votes (58.9%) and Smith had 2553 votes (41.1%).The Courier-Mail. Final Figures in Bowen By-Election. Tuesday 7 July 1936. p. 14 References Category:Queensland state by-elections Bowen Category:June 1936 in Australia