Barambah state by-election, 1988
Encyclopedia
The Barambah state by-election, 1988 was a by-election
held on 16 April 1988 for the Queensland
Legislative Assembly
seat of Barambah
, based in the town of Kingaroy
. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of National
MP and former Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
. Until the by-election, the seat had been considered the Nationals' safest seat in Queensland.
in his efforts to stabilise the party ahead of the 1989 election.
government of Rob Borbidge
and held the seat of Barambah until his defeat at the 1998 state election.
Defeated National Party candidate Warren Truss was elected as the member for the division of Wide Bay
at the 1990 Australian federal election. He served as a minister in the government of John Howard
and afterward became federal leader of the National Party in 2007.
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on 16 April 1988 for the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
seat of Barambah
Electoral district of Barambah
Barambah was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1950 to 2001.The district was based in the South Burnett region. It is best known for being the seat of long-serving Premier, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen....
, based in the town of Kingaroy
Kingaroy, Queensland
Kingaroy is an agricultural town in Queensland, Australia, approximately or about 2½ hours drive north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The town is situated on the junction of the D'Aguilar and the Bunya Highways...
. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
MP and former Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
. Until the by-election, the seat had been considered the Nationals' safest seat in Queensland.
Candidates
The candidates were:- Warren TrussWarren TrussWarren Errol Truss , Australian politician, is the current leader of the National Party of Australia in the Parliament of Australia. He has held the House of Representatives seat of Wide Bay since the 1990 election...
of the National PartyNational Party of AustraliaThe National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
, the President of the Shire of KingaroyShire of KingaroyThe Shire of Kingaroy was a Local Government Area located in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about northwest of the capital, Brisbane...
; - Trevor PerrettTrevor PerrettTrevor John Perrett is a former Australian politician. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1988 to 1998, representing the electorate of Barambah....
of the Citizens Electoral CouncilCitizens Electoral CouncilThe Citizens Electoral Council of Australia is a minor nationalist political party in Australia affiliated with the international LaRouche Movement, led by American political activist and conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche. It reported having 549 members in 2007...
, a conservative party; - John Lang of the Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
; and - Kevin Polzin, a WondaiWondai, QueenslandWondai is a town in the South Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The town is located to the south of the Bunya Highway, north west of the state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Wondai had a population of 1,402...
peanut farmer who used the title "New Country Party" (not related to the New Country PartyNew Country PartyThe New Country Party is a minor political party in Australia. It emerged out of the internal divisions of the One Nation Party in Queensland and Western Australia in 2003 and was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission on 9 January 2004...
which was formed by former One Nation members in 2003.)
Results
The result was a shock to most observers, and came about largely because 89% of Labor voters' preferences went to the CEC. It was seen by contemporary observers as a clear setback to new party leader Mike AhernMichael Ahern (Australian politician)
Michael John Ahern AO is a former Queensland National Party politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1987 to September 1989. After a long career in the government of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Ahern became his successor amidst the controversy caused by the Fitzgerald Inquiry into...
in his efforts to stabilise the party ahead of the 1989 election.
Aftermath
Though elected as a Citizens Electoral Council candidate, Trevor Perrett defected to the National Party in December 1988, and was re-elected as a National candidate at the 1989 state election. Perrett became a minister in the CoalitionCoalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
government of Rob Borbidge
Rob Borbidge
Robert Edward Borbidge AO , Australian politician, was the 35th Premier of Queensland, and leader of the Queensland branch of the National Party...
and held the seat of Barambah until his defeat at the 1998 state election.
Defeated National Party candidate Warren Truss was elected as the member for the division of Wide Bay
Division of Wide Bay
The Division of Wide Bay is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...
at the 1990 Australian federal election. He served as a minister in the government of John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
and afterward became federal leader of the National Party in 2007.