2009 Pembroke state by-election
A by-election was held in the Tasmanian Legislative Council division of Pembroke on 1 August 2009.[1] It was triggered by the resignation of sitting member Allison Ritchie.
Background
Ritchie was first elected to the Legislative Council in 2001 at the age of 26, the youngest person ever elected to that chamber. She spent nine and a half weeks as Minister for Planning and Workplace Relations in 2008, but resigned due to ill health.[2] She announced her resignation from parliament amid allegations of nepotism on 20 June 2009.[3]
Candidates
The writ for the by-election was issued on 30 June 2009; nominations closed on 9 July.[1] The eight candidates were:
- Independent — Honey Bacon, widow of former Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon.
- Independent — Peter Cooper, a Clarence City Alderman (2008–present).
- Independent — James Crotty, former Labor candidate and considered the unofficial representative of the Government.[4]
- Liberal Party of Australia — Vanessa Goodwin, a 39-year-old lawyer and criminologist, was previously the Liberal candidate for the state seat of Franklin in 2006 and the federal candidate for the equivalent seat in 2007, achieving a rare swing to the Liberal Party.
- Tasmanian Greens — Wendy Heatley, a 46-year-old lawyer.
- Independent — Richard James, a Clarence City Alderman( 1984–89, 1994–present). James previously contested Pembroke in 1995, 1999 and 2007.
- Independent — John Peers, a Clarence City Alderman (1994–present).
- Independent — Kit (Sharon) Soo, a public relations consultant.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Vanessa Goodwin | 7,812 | 38.55 | +38.55 | |
| Greens | Wendy Heatley | 2,604 | 12.85 | –0.56 | |
| Independent | Richard James | 2,285 | 11.28 | –7.10 | |
| Independent | Honey Bacon | 2,110 | 10.41 | +10.41 | |
| Independent | John Peers | 1,942 | 9.58 | +0.32 | |
| Independent | James Crotty | 1,783 | 8.80 | +8.80 | |
| Independent | Peter Cooper | 1,510 | 7.45 | +7.45 | |
| Independent | Kit (Sharon) Soo | 219 | 1.08 | +1.08 | |
| Total formal votes | 20,265 | 96.48 | –0.26 | ||
| Informal votes | 740 | 3.52 | +0.26 | ||
| Turnout | 21,005 | 85.05 | –2.47 | ||
| Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | N/A | |||
Distribution of Preferences
The distribution of preferences is shown in detail on the Tasmanian Electoral Commission website.[6] In accordance with the preferential voting system, the following candidates were excluded in the order shown and their votes distributed to remaining candidates or declared exhausted (no more preferences): Soo, Cooper, Crotty, Peers, Bacon.
Vanessa Goodwin attained a quota (an absolute majority of formal votes) when two other candidates were left in the count, meaning that no two-candidate-preferred figure was attained.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Vanessa Goodwin | 10,143 | 51.05 | ||
| Independent | Richard James | 5,510 | 27.73 | ||
| Greens | Wendy Heatley | 4,215 | 21.22 | ||
References
- ^ a b Tasmanian Legislative Council Pembroke 2009
- ^ Minister resigns from Cabinet, ABC News, November 24, 2008
- ^ Allison Ritchie quits Tas Parliament, ABC News, June 20, 2009
- ^ ABC Elections
- ^ a b Pembroke by-election results table: Tasmanian Electoral Commission
- ^ Pembroke Election Final Result