1953 Kahibah state by-election

Election result for Kahibah, New South Wales, Australia September 2019 September 2019 A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Kahibah on 31 October 1953. It was triggered by the forced resignation of Labor MLA Joshua Arthur,Mr Joshua George Arthur (1906-1974) 1666 Yes 30 April 2019 after a Royal Commission found his dealings with Reginald Doyle were improper.Royal Commission of Inquiry into matters relating to Joshua George Arthur and Reginald Aubrey Doyle https://records-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1ebnd1l/ORGANISATIONS1004400 NSW State Records and Archives 26 September 2019 and was won by independent candidate Tom Armstrong. Background Joshua Arthur had been the Labor member for Kahibah and its predecessor seat of Hamilton since 1935. He had been a minister in the McGirr government, serving as Minister for Tourist Activities and Immigration from 1949 to 1950, before being promoted to Secretary for Mines and Minister for Immigration. On 9 February 1953, William Wentworth, a NSW member of federal parliament, aired allegations concerning Arthur's associations with Reginald Doyle, a Newcastle-based conman who was wanted on fraud charges.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2874902 M.L.A. swears charge on Doyle's car The Canberra Times 9 February 1953 2 December 2021 1 Trove Arthur voluntarily stood down as a minister while declaring he would fight to clear his name, and the state government set up a Royal Commission into the allegations,http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134044233 Commission into Minister's link with Doyle Illawarra Daily Mercury 12 February 1953 2 December 2021 2 Trove to be conducted by Judge George Amsberg of the District Court. Amsberg's report, handed down in August after several months of hearings, found that Arthur had acted improperly but not corruptly in his dealings with Doyle. In the immediate wake of the Royal Commission's findings, Arthur announced on 20 August that he would resign as member for Kahibah, but would contest the resulting by-election. The matter of his continued membership of the Labor was initially undecided, but when it became clear that the state executive would not support him, Arthur announced that he would resign from the party and not contest the by-election. This was insufficient for the executive, who rejected his resignation and formally expelled him from the party on 22 August.https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2889251 Labor Party refuses Arthur's resignation, insists on expulsion The Canberra Times 22 August 1953 2 December 2021 1 Trove Candidates Five candidates nominated for the by-election. The Labor candidate for the by-election was Joshua Arthur Sr., the 71-year-old father of the outgoing member. His nomination and eventual victory in the preselection ballot was widely considered a surprise. There was reported concern within the Labor Party about his electability in the wake of the Doyle scandal, but a rumored move to overturn the result did not eventuate. The campaign was heavily tied to the former member; not only was his father the Labor candidate, but his wife served as campaign manager. Tom Armstrong, a Newcastle councillor, former mayor, and prominent union official, contested the seat as an independent Labor candidate. Inglis Alexander, the Liberal candidate from the 1952 election, also contested the election as independent Labor after losing Liberal preselection. The endorsed Liberal candidate was Harry Quinlan, while the endorsed Communist candidate was Douglas Olive. Result [[1953 Kahibah state by-election|1953 Kahibah by-election]]Saturday 31 October1953 Kahibah by-election 1953 Kahibah_1 24 September 2019 Independent Tom Armstrong 5,706 34.67 +34.67 Liberal NSW Harry Quinlan 5,144 31.26 -4.07 Labor NSW Joshua Arthur, Sr. 4,059 24.67 -40.00 Independent Inglis Alexander 1,101 6.69 +6.69 Communist Douglas Olive 446 2.71 +2.71 16,456 428 2.53 16,884 88.82 Independent Tom Armstrong 10,647 64.70 +64.70 Liberal NSW Harry Quinlan 5,809 35.30 -0.03 Independent Labor NSW N/A Joshua Arthur (Labor NSW) was forced to resign after a Royal Commission found his dealings with Reginald Doyle were improper. The by-election was a disastrous defeat for Labor in one of their safest seats. Arthur suffered a 40% swing against, finishing third behind independent candidate Armstrong and Liberal candidate Quinlan, with Armstrong being elected on Arthur's preferences. Aftermath Armstrong had never been a member of the Labor Party, but generally supported the Labor government throughout his term. He was re-elected at the 1956 election, but died suddenly in March 1957. The seat reverted to Labor control upon his death, being won by endorsed candidate Jack Stewart.1957 Kahibah by-election 1956 Kahibah_1 2020-09-27 See also Electoral results for the district of Kahibah List of New South Wales state by-elections References expanded Category:New South Wales state by-elections Category:1953 elections in Australia Category:1950s in New South Wales