1975 Wagga Wagga state by-election

Election result for Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia November 2019 November 2019 A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Wagga Wagga on 6 December 1975. The election was triggered by the resignation of Wal Fife (Liberal NSW) who had been pre-selected as the Liberal candidate for the next federal election for the division of Farrer.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110652386 Minister for pre-selection The Canberra Times 13 August 1975 10 October 2021 3 Trovehttps://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110657786 Endorsed The Canberra Times 11 September 1975 10 October 2021 3 Trove Fife subsequently won the election for Farrer on 13 December 1975.The Hon. Wallace Clyde Fife (1929–2017) 1890 Yes 1 May 2019 Dates Date Event 15 October 1975 Wal Fife resigned from parliament. 7 November 1975 Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article220170674 Writ of election: Wagga Wagga 142 7 November 1975 28 November 2019 4603 Trove 13 November 1975 Nominations 6 December 1975 Polling day 23 December 1975 Return of writ Background In October 1975 the Australian constitutional crisis was evolving, with speculation about the possibility of an early election,https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110657799 Opposition in new attack on budget The Canberra Times 11 September 1975 11 January 2022 1 Trovehttps://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110661186 Increased speculation about the possibility of an early election The Canberra Times 4 October 1975 11 January 2022 2 Trove through blocking supply in the Senate.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article236919574 Will there be an election? Tribune 8 October 1975 11 January 2022 3 Trove At the 1974 election Labor had won 29 of the 60 seats, the Liberal–Country Coalition had also won 29 seats with the other senators being Steele Hall (Liberal Movement) and Michael Townley (Independent). In February 1975 Townley joined the Liberal party and two Coalition premiers would break longstanding convention in the replacement of two Labor senators. Lionel Murphy, who had resigned to take up an appointment to the High Court, was replaced by independent Cleaver Bunton; and Bertie Milliner, who had died, was replaced by Albert Field, a Labor member who was opposed to Whitlam. Bunton (along with Hall) refused to vote against supply, but Field was prepared to. Field took his seat in the Senate as an Independent on 9 September. Due to a High Court challenge to his appointment, he was on leave from the Senate, unable to exercise a vote, from 1 October 1975, which reduced the number of sitting senators to 59. This gave the Coalition an effective majority, holding 30 of the 59 seats, allowing them to block supply in the Senate. At the time section 70 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act provided that 70. No person who- lower-alpha is at the date of nomination a Member of the Parliament of a State; or was at any time within fourteen days prior to the date of nomination a member of the Parliament of a State; or has resigned from the Parliament of a State and has the right, under the law of the State, if not elected to the Parliament of the Commonwealth, to be re-elected to the Parliament of the State without the holding of a poll, shall be capable of being nominated as a Senator, or as a Member of the House of Representatives.https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2004C02864 Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 2022-01-11 16 March 1973 (Cth) On 15 October 1975 Fife asked a question without notice in the Legislative Assembly:I address my question to the Premier and Treasurer. Does section 70 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act provide that a nominee for the House of Representatives or the Senate must not have been a member of a State parliament at any time within fourteen days prior to the date of nomination for a House of Representatives seat or a Senate vacancy? Is the Premier aware that, because of the uncertainty as to when the next federal election will be held, I am compelled to resign as member for Wagga Wagga to protect my federal candidature? Will the Premier assure me that during the time the seat of Wagga Wagga may be vacant he and the members of his Government will protect the interests of the Wagga Wagga electorate?NSW Legislative Assembly 15 October 1975 https://api.parliament.nsw.gov.au/api/hansard/search/daily/searchablepdf/HANSARD-290296563-624 1848 1849 Fife, Wal Wal Fife Questions without notice 2022-01-11 Fife resigned from the Legislative Assembly on the same day. Results 1975 Wagga Wagga by-electionSaturday 6 Decemberhttps://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/102190405 Libs win despite 7pc Labor swing The Canberra Times 8 December 1975 1 11 September 20181975 Wagga Wagga by-election 1973 WaggaWagga_1 28 November 2019 Liberal NSW Joe Schipp 9,731 45.4 −18.2 Labor NSW Richard Gorman 7,990 37.2 +10.9 Country Ronald Hunter 2,904 13.5 +13.5 Workers Roger Kendall 569 2.7 +2.7 Australia June Sutherland 195 0.9 −0.9 Independent William Cooper 67 0.3 +0.3 21,456 98.7 282 1.3 −0.2 21,738 91.7 Liberal NSW Joe Schipp 13,087 61.0 Labor NSW Richard Gorman 8,369 39.0 Liberal NSW Wal Fife (Liberal NSW) resigned to successfully contest the federal seat of Farrer at the next election. See also Electoral results for the district of Wagga Wagga List of New South Wales state by-elections References expanded Category:1975 elections in Australia Category:New South Wales state by-elections Category:1975 in New South Wales Category:December 1975 in Australia