1932 Roebourne state by-election

October 2016 July 2026 A by-election for the seat of Roebourne in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 6 February 1932. It was triggered by the death of Frederick Teesdale (the sitting Nationalist member) on 14 December 1931. The election was considered to be of great importance to the government of Sir James Mitchell, as a loss to the Labor Party would reduce his Nationalist–Country coalition to minority government."POLITICAL STRATEGY" – The Sunday Times (Perth, Western Australia), 24 January 1932. John Church, a 72-year-old pastoralist, was one of two candidates fielded by the Nationalist Party, and won the election with 56.42 percent of the two-party-preferred vote. He defeated five other candidates, including four who polled more than 10 percent on first preferences, and became the oldest person to win election to parliament in Western Australia for the first time.The Western Australian Parliamentary Handbook (Twenty-Third Edition) https://web.archive.org/web/20160303183010/http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/ParliamentaryHandbook/23rd%20Edition%20of%20the%20Parliament%20Handbook%20-%20Final%20Version.pdf 3 March 2016 , p. 241. Background Frederick Teesdale had held Roebourne for the Nationalist Party since the 1917 state election, generally with a large majority (and on one occasion running unopposed).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 0-7309-8409-5 300 He died at his home in Perth on 14 December 1931, having suffered from tuberculosis for two years."DEATH OF MR. F. W. TEESDALE", The West Australian, 15 December 1931. The writ for the by-election was issued on 17 December, with the close of nominations on 11 January. Polling day was on 6 February, with the writ returned on 15 February. Results Roebourne state by-election, 1932 Nationalist John Church 108 28.9 n/ana The combined Nationalist total was 158 votes or 42.2 percent, a swing of 27.9 points away from the party's total at the 1930 state election. Labor WA John Archer 68 18.2 –11.7 Independent Harold Cornish 61 16.3 +16.3 Independent Ernest Foulkes-Taylor 54 14.4 +14.4 Nationalist Richard Sleeman 50 13.4 n/ana Country WA Charles Ferguson 33 8.8 +8.8 374 96.9 –2.7 12 3.1 +2.7 386 83.9 +9.7 Nationalist John Church 211 56.4 –13.7 Independent Harold Cornish 163 43.5 +43.6 Nationalist N/A Notes Aftermath Church held Roebourne for just over a year, losing the seat to Aloysius Rodoreda by 23 votes in the Labor landslide at the 1933 state election. Rodoreda remained in parliament until his death in 1958, transferring to the seat of Pilbara when Roebourne was abolished at the 1950 election. See also 1973 Balcatta state by-election, held in similar circumstances List of Western Australian state by-elections References Category:Western Australian state by-elections Category:1932 elections in Australia Category:February 1932 Category:1930s in Western Australia