Lyne by-election, 1952

The 1952 by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Lyne was called on 22 March after the death of the incumbent Country Party of Australia member Jim Eggins who died in office on 28 January.

Candidates

Contesting the seat for the Country Party were Donald Lancaster and Philip Lucock, who had stood as one of multiple Country Party candidates for the seat at the 1949 election.[1]

Their main opponent was Edward Hayes of the Australian Labor Party. He had been the Labor party candidate at several previous polls.[1][2]

Two independents, Edward Spensley and Joe Cordner, also stood for the seat.

Results

Lyne by-election, 1952
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Labor Edward Hayes 13,588 37.3 +7.4
Country Philip Lucock 10,994 30.2 -3.1
Country Donald Lancaster 10,631 29.2 -3.1
Independent Liberal Edward Spensley 775 2.1 +2.1
Independent Joe Cordner 421 1.2 -3.4
Total formal votes 36,409 98.5
Informal votes 565 1.5
Turnout 36,974 92.1
Two-party-preferred result
Country Philip Lucock 21,484 59.0 -9.8
Labor Edward Hayes 14,925 41.0 +9.8
Country hold Swing -9.8

The presence of two Country Party candidates split the vote and Hayes took three thousand votes more than either Lucock or Lancaster, but with preferences from Lancaster, Lucock easily won the seat.[3]

Aftermath

When Philip Lucock was sworn in as the member for Lyne on 22 March 1952, he became the first member of the House of Representatives to swear allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II who had ascended to the throne on 6 February.[4]

At the following Federal election in 1954 Lancaster stood as an independent candidate against his former Country Party colleague.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Adam Carr. "Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 10 December 1949". psephos. Adam Carr. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  2. Adam Carr. "Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 1951". psephos. Adam Carr. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  3. Adam Carr. "Lyne By-election of 1952". psephos. Adam Carr. Archived from the original on 2006-08-26. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
  4. "Condolence Motions" (pdf). House of Representatives Official Hansard. Commonwealth of Australia. 20 August 1996. pp. 26–32. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
  5. Adam Carr. "Commonwealth of Australia Legislative Election of 1954". psephos. Adam Carr. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
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