List of Western Australian state by-elections

The list of Western Australia state by-elections includes every by-election held in the Australian state of Western Australia. By-elections occur whenever there is a vacancy in the Legislative Assembly (or, historically, the Legislative Council), although an imminent state election may allow the vacancy to remain until the dissolution of parliament.

Section 67 of the Electoral Act 1907 requires the Speaker to issue a writ for a by-election to fill the vacancy. This can either take place after a resolution of the House if Parliament is in session, or simply upon the cause being established by the Speaker acting alone if the Parliament is in adjournment for more than 7 days.^[1]

Causes

A by-election occurs whenever there is a vacancy in the Legislative Assembly. Vacancies can occur for the following reasons, according to Section 38 of the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899.^[2]

The member:

• Is no longer eligible to sit—for example, leaving the State.^[3] This historically occurred more frequently when times were less economically stable, and people would move to another state or country where they could work or conduct business.
• Has been convicted for an offence for which the penalty was imprisonment for life, or for more than five years (Section 32). This last happened to John Marquis Hopkins when he was convicted for fraud in 1910, necessitating a by-election in his seat of Beverley.
• Becomes an undischarged bankrupt. This last happened in 1936 when Independent candidate Thomas Hughes won East Perth against the incumbent member in the 1936 election. However it was found that he was an undischarged bankrupt at the time of the nomination and poll (although had since resolved his affairs), and the election was declared void. He won the resulting by-election.
• Is elected to either the Federal Parliament or the parliament of another state or territory (Section 34). In practice, this is never necessary, as the other Parliament usually requires resignation from the Western Australian parliament in order to nominate as a candidate. This last occurred in the Legislative Assembly in 2001 when Hendy Cowan, the member for Merredin, resigned to unsuccessfully contest a seat in the Australian Senate.
• Is appointed as a judge or magistrate in a Western Australian court or as a chairman (or in some cases member) of another state board or tribunal (Section 34). This provision has never been acted upon, although numerous members have resigned over time to take up such an appointment—for example, Ron Davies resigned in Victoria Park in 1986 to become Agent-General for Western Australia in London, whilst Deputy Premier Herb Graham resigned in Balcatta in 1973 to become chairman of the Licensing Board.
• "Holds an office or place in the service of the Crown" at the time at which they take up their seat (Section 36-37). This has never been used at state level, although it has occurred in other States and in the Federal Parliament (for example, the circumstances leading to the federal Lindsay by-election in 1996.)
• Becomes "of unsound mind".
• Pledges allegiance to a foreign power after their election. This does not apply to members who are already dual citizens at the time of their election, unlike the equivalent section in the Federal Constitution.
• Fails to attend the House for one entire session without the permission of the House. The last time this caused a by-election was in 1915 when Joseph Gardiner, the Labor member for Roebourne, disappeared, necessitating a by-election in which an Opposition candidate was victorious, wiping out the Government's one-seat majority.

Additional reasons not within Section 38 include:

• Death. This last occurred in January 2008, when Trevor Sprigg, the member for Murdoch, died suddenly and a by-election had to be called.
• Resignation, "by writing under his hand, addressed to the Speaker" (Section 25). This last occurred in September 2014, when Troy Buswell, the member for Vasse, resigned from the Parliament, necessitating a by-election.
• A Court of Disputed Returns voids the results.^[4] The last time a by-election took place for this reason was in 1983, when Gavan Troy, the Labor candidate, narrowly defeated incumbent Liberal member Tom Herzfeld in Mundaring. The seat was won by Troy by a larger margin at the resulting by-election.

Ministerial by-elections

Until a constitutional amendment in 1947,^[5] it was necessary for members who were appointed as a Minister to resign their seat and contest their seat at a ministerial by-election. This was because the Ministers became members of the Executive Council, which reported to the Governor of Western Australia and was therefore deemed an "office of profit" under the Crown. Most ministerial by-elections were a formality with the Minister being re-elected unopposed, but on two occasions, in 1901 and 1917, Ministers were defeated at the by-elections, in the former case directly causing the fall of the Morgans Ministry.

List of Legislative Assembly by-elections

2010–2019

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
39th	Vasse	18 October 2014	Troy Buswell		Liberal	Libby Mettam		Liberal	3 September 2014	Resignation	Yes
38th	Armadale	2 October 2010	Alannah MacTiernan		Labor	Tony Buti		Labor	19 July 2010	Resignation (Contesting HoR)	Yes

2000–2009

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
38th	Willagee	28 November 2009	Alan Carpenter		Labor	Peter Tinley		Labor	2 October 2009	Resignation	Yes
38th	Fremantle	16 May 2009	Jim McGinty		Labor	Adele Carles		Greens	3 April 2009	Resignation	No
37th	Murdoch	23 February 2008	Trevor Sprigg		Liberal	Christian Porter		Liberal	17 January 2008	Death	Yes
37th	Peel	3 February 2007	Norm Marlborough		Labor	Paul Papalia		Labor	10 November 2006	Resignation	Yes
37th	Victoria Park	11 March 2006	Dr Geoff Gallop		Labor	Ben Wyatt		Labor	16 January 2006	Resignation	Yes
36th	Merredin	24 November 2001	Hendy Cowan		National	Brendon Grylls		National	17 October 2001	Resignation (contesting Senate)	Yes
36th	Nedlands	9 June 2001	Richard Court		Liberal	Sue Walker		Liberal	23 February 2001	Resignation	Yes

1990–1999

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
34th	Kalgoorlie	16 March 1996	Ian Taylor		Labor	Megan Anwyl		Labor	4 February 1996	Resignation (contesting HoR)	Yes
34th	Helena	10 September 1994	Gordon Hill		Labor	Rhonda Parker		Liberal	4 August 1994	Resignation	No
34th	Glendalough	19 March 1994	Dr Carmen Lawrence		Labor	Michelle Roberts		Labor	14 February 1994	Resignation (contesting HoR)	Yes
33rd	Ashburton	4 April 1992	Pam Buchanan		Independent	Fred Riebeling		Labor	3 March 1992	Resignation (ill health)	Yes^[1]
33rd	Floreat	20 July 1991	Andrew Mensaros		Liberal	Liz Constable		Independent	May 1991	Resignation (ill health)	No
33rd	Geraldton	13 April 1991	Jeff Carr		Labor	Bob Bloffwitch		Liberal	28 February 1991	Resignation	No
33rd	Cottesloe	11 August 1990	Bill Hassell		Liberal	Colin Barnett		Liberal	28 June 1990	Resignation	Yes
33rd	Maylands	26 May 1990	Peter Dowding		Labor	Judy Edwards		Labor	26 April 1990	Resignation	Yes
33rd	Fremantle	26 May 1990	David Parker		Labor	Jim McGinty		Labor	26 April 1990	Resignation	Yes

¹ The Independent member for Ashburton, Pam Buchanan, was elected at the 1989 state election as a member of the Labor Party, but resigned on 1 February 1991 to sit as an Independent. As such, the 1992 by-election is noted as a retain for Labor.

1980–1989

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
32nd	Dale	7 May 1988	Cyril Rushton		Liberal	Fred Tubby		Liberal	25 February 1988	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Ascot	19 March 1988	Mal Bryce		Labor	Eric Ripper		Labor	17 February 1988	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Balga	19 March 1988	Brian Burke		Labor	Ted Cunningham		Labor	17 February 1988	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Darling Range	24 October 1987	George Spriggs		Liberal	Bob Greig		Liberal	3 September 1987	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Gascoyne	24 October 1987	Ian Laurance		Liberal	Dudley Maslen		Liberal	3 September 1987	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Morley-Swan	9 May 1987	Arthur Tonkin		Labor	Frank Donovan		Labor	18 March 1987	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Narrogin	9 May 1987	Cambell Nalder		National	Bob Wiese		National	14 March 1987	Death	Yes
32nd	Perth	9 May 1987	Terry Burke		Labor	Dr Ian Alexander		Labor	18 March 1987	Resignation	Yes
32nd	Cockburn	7 June 1986	Clive Hughes		Labor	Norm Marlborough		Labor	4 April 1986	Death	Yes
32nd	Victoria Park	7 June 1986	Ron Davies		Labor	Dr Geoff Gallop		Labor	16 April 1986	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	Yes
31st	Cockburn	17 November 1984	Alexander Taylor		Labor	Clive Hughes		Labor	31 August 1984	Resignation	Yes
31st	Mount Lawley	17 November 1984	Ray O'Connor		Liberal	George Cash		Liberal	17 August 1984	Resignation	Yes
31st	Mundaring	8 October 1983	Gavan Troy		Labor	Gavan Troy		Labor	2 September 1983	Voided by Court of Disputed Returns	Yes
30th	Nedlands	13 March 1982	Sir Charles Court		Liberal	Richard Court		Liberal	31 January 1982	Resignation	Yes
30th	Swan	13 March 1982	John Skidmore		Labor	Gordon Hill		Labor	31 January 1982	Resignation	Yes
30th	Kalgoorlie	20 June 1981	Edward Evans		Labor	Ian Taylor		Labor	30 April 1981	Death	Yes

1970–1979

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
29th	Kimberley	17 December 1977	Alan Ridge		Liberal	Alan Ridge		Liberal	7 November 1977	Voided by Court of Disputed Returns	Yes
28th	Greenough	1 November 1975	Sir David Brand		Liberal	Reg Tubby		Liberal	21 August 1975	Resignation	Yes
27th	Balcatta	28 July 1973	Herb Graham		Labor	Brian Burke		Labor	30 May 1973	Resignation (appointed to Licensing Court)	Yes
27th	Bunbury	7 April 1973	Maurice Williams		Liberal	John Sibson		Liberal	28 February 1973	Resignation (appointed to Licensing Court)	Yes
27th	Blackwood	16 December 1972	David Reid		Country	Sandy Lewis		Liberal	26 October 1972	Resignation (contesting HoR)	No
27th	Ascot	13 November 1971	Merv Toms		Labor	Mal Bryce		Labor	8 October 1971	Death	Yes
26th	Albany	6 June 1970	Jack Hall		Labor	Wyndham Cook		Labor	14 April 1970	Resignation	Yes

1960–1969

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
25th	Mount Marshall	2 September 1967	George Cornell		Country	Ray McPharlin		Country	6 July 1967	Death	Yes
25th	Roe	2 September 1967	Tom Hart		Country	Bill Young		Country	30 June 1967	Resignation	Yes
25th	Dale	8 May 1965	Gerald Wild		Liberal	Cyril Rushton		Liberal	16 March 1965	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	Yes
24th	Bunbury	1 September 1962	George Roberts		Liberal	Maurice Williams		Liberal	22 July 1962	Death	Yes
24th	Darling Range	21 July 1962	Ken Dunn		Liberal	Ken Dunn		Liberal	22 June 1962	Voided by Court of Disputed Returns	Yes
24th	Murray	23 June 1962	Sir Ross McLarty		Liberal	Ewart Runciman		Liberal	7 May 1962	Resignation	Yes
23rd	Victoria Park	26 August 1961	Hugh Andrew		Labor	Ron Davies		Labor	1 July 1961	Death	Yes
23rd	South Fremantle	12 March 1960	Dick Lawrence		Labor	Henry Curran		Labor	25 January 1960	Death	Yes

1950–1959

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
22nd	Moore	20 September 1958	John Ackland		Country	Edgar Lewis		Country	29 July 1958	Death	Yes
22nd	Pilbara	24 April 1958†	Alec Rodoreda		Labor	Arthur Bickerton		Labor	11 March 1958	Death	Yes
22nd	Warren	25 January 1958	Ernest Hoar		Labor	Joseph Rowberry		Labor	17 December 1957	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	Yes
21st	Bunbury	29 October 1955	Frank Guthrie		Labor	George Roberts		Labor	21 September 1955	Death	Yes
21st	Kimberley	16 May 1953	Aubrey Coverley		Labor	John Rhatigan		Labor	19 March 1953	Death	Yes
20th	Murchison	8 November 1952	William Marshall		Labor	Everard O'Brien		Labor	19 August 1952	Death	Yes
20th	Leederville	9 February 1952	Alexander Panton		Labor	Ted Johnson		Labor	25 December 1951	Death	Yes
20th	Gascoyne	13 October 1951	Frank Wise		Labor	Noel Butcher		Ind. Lib.	9 July 1951	Resignation (appointed as NT Administrator)	No
20th	Boulder	14 September 1951†	Charlie Oliver		Labor	Arthur Moir		Labor	16 August 1951	Death	Yes
20th	South Fremantle	14 July 1951	Thomas Fox		Labor	Dick Lawrence		Labor	20 April 1951	Death	Yes
20th	Maylands	17 February 1951	Harry Shearn		Independent	Edward Oldfield		Liberal	25 January 1951	Death	No

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ.

1940–1949

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
19th	Hannans	26 February 1949	David Leahy		Labor	Herbert McCulloch		Labor	19 December 1948	Death	Yes
19th	Boulder	4 December 1948	Hon Philip Collier		Labor	Charlie Oliver		Labor	18 October 1948	Death	Yes
19th	Guildford-Midland	13 March 1948	William Johnson		Labor	John Brady		Labor	26 January 1948	Death	Yes
19th	Sussex	7 June 1947	William Willmott		Liberal	William Bovell		Liberal	2 May 1947	Death	Yes
19th	Pilbara	2 August 1947	Bill Hegney		Labor	Bill Hegney		Labor	20 June 1947	Voided by petition	Yes
18th	Greenough	27 October 1945	John Newton		Labor	David Brand		Liberal	27 September 1945^[2]	Death (WWII combat)	No
18th	Victoria Park	10 February 1945	Howard Raphael		Labor	William Read		Independent	9 December 1944	Death	No
18th	Avon	1 July 1944	William Telfer		Labor	William Telfer		Labor	24 May 1944	Voided by Court of Disputed Returns	Yes
18th	Swan	29 April 1944	Richard Sampson		Country	Ray Owen		Ind. Country	16 February 1944	Death	No
17th	East Perth	14 August 1943	Thomas Hughes		Independent	Herb Graham		Labor	15 July 1943	Resignation (contesting HoR)	No
17th	York	21 November 1942	Charles Latham		Country	Charles Perkins		Country	7 October 1942	Resignation (appointed to Senate)	Yes
17th	Yilgarn-Coolgardie	9 August 1941	George Lambert		Labor	Lionel Kelly		Ind. Country	30 June 1941	Death	No

² At the 1943 election, the Labor candidate for Greenough, John Newton, a farmer from Mingenew who had enlisted in the RAAF as a Flight Lieutenant in 1941 and left for the United Kingdom in 1942, unexpectedly defeated the sitting Country member, William Patrick. On 14 January 1944, he was reported missing after a raid on Germany. On 31 July 1945, a panel of members was appointed to enquire whether a vacancy existed, and on 27 September 1945, the seat was declared vacant. At the resulting by-election on 27 October 1945, Liberal candidate David Brand was successful, becoming the first person to win an Australian election under the new Liberal banner.

1930–1939

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
17th	Irwin-Moore	9 September 1939	Claude Barker		Independent	Horace Berry		Independent	2 August 1939	Resignation	Yes
17th	Forrest	20 May 1939	May Holman		Labor	Edward Holman		Labor	20 March 1939	Death (car accident)	Yes
16th	Hannans	5 May 1938	Selby Munsie		Labor	David Leahy		Labor	12 March 1938	Death	Yes
16th	Sussex	12 February 1938	Edmund Brockman		Nationalist	William Willmott		Nationalist	4 January 1938	Death	Yes
16th	East Perth	9 May 1936	Thomas Hughes		Independent	Thomas Hughes		Independent	18 April 1936	Resignation	Yes
15th	Katanning	31 August 1935	Arnold Piesse		Country	Arthur Watts		Country	21 July 1935	Death	Yes
15th	Avon	4 July 1935	Harry Griffiths		Country	Ignatius Boyle		Country	23 March 1935	Death	Yes
15th	South Fremantle	4 July 1935	Alick McCallum		Labor	Thomas Fox		Labor	16 March 1935	Resignation	Yes
15th	Kimberley	29 July 1933	Aubrey Coverley		Labor	Aubrey Coverley		Labor	3 July 1933	Voided by Court of Disputed Returns	Yes
14th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	14 July 1932†	John Lutey		Labor	Frederick Smith		Labor	22 June 1932	Death	Yes
14th	Kanowna	25 June 1932	Thomas Walker		Labor	Emil Nulsen		Labor	10 May 1932	Death	Yes
14th	Roebourne	6 February 1932	Frederick Teesdale		Nationalist	John Church		Nationalist	14 December 1931	Death	Yes

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ.

1920–1929

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
13th	Irwin	19 November 1929	C. C. Maley		Country	H. K. Maley		Country	15 October 1929	Death	Yes
13th	Mount Leonora	7 November 1928†	Thomas Heron		Labor	Ernest Cowan		Labor	13 October 1928	Death	Yes
13th	Williams-Narrogin	3 November 1928†	Edward Johnston		Country	Victor Doney		Country	3 October 1928	Resignation (contesting Senate)	Yes
12th	Forrest	3 April 1925†	John Holman		Labor	May Holman		Labor	23 February 1925	Death	Yes
11th	Forrest	8 December 1923	Peter O'Loghlen		Labor	John Holman		Labor	12 November 1923	Death	Yes
11th	Kalgoorlie	13 January 1923	John Boyland		Independent	James Cunningham		Labor	14 December 1922	Death	No
11th	East Perth	18 November 1922	J. J. Simons		Nationalist^[3]	Thomas Hughes		Labor	1 November 1922	Resignation	No
10th	Mount Leonora	20 December 1920	George Foley		National Labor	Thomas Heron		Labor	18 November 1920	Resignation (contesting HoR)	No

³ Simons had been elected as a Labor member in the 1921 state election, but had resigned to sit as an independent and subsequently joined the Nationalist Party. He was a candidate in the by-election, but was defeated.

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ.

1910–1919

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
10th	Albany	31 May 1919	Herbert Robinson		Nationalist	John Scaddan		National Labor	2 May 1919	Death	No
10th	Claremont	14 September 1918	John Stewart		Nationalist	Thomas Duff		Nationalist	30 August 1918	Resignation	Yes
10th	Subiaco	10 November 1917	Bartholomew James Stubbs		Labor	Samuel Brown		Nationalist	26 September 1917	Death (WWI combat)	No
9th	Perth	21 July 1917	Sir James Connolly		Nationalist	Robert Pilkington		Nationalist	June 1917	Resignation	Yes
9th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	21 July 1917	John Scaddan^[4]		National Labor	John Lutey		Labor	28 June 1917	Ministerial by-election	No
9th	Geraldton	14 April 1917	Edward Heitmann		National Labor	Samuel Elliott		Liberal	20 March 1917	Resignation (contesting HoR)	No
9th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	7 October 1916	John Lutey^[4]		Labor	John Scaddan		Labor	15 September 1916	Resignation	Yes
9th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	19 August 1916†	John Scaddan^[4]		Labor	John Lutey		Labor	8 August 1916	Resignation	Yes
9th	Geraldton	15 August 1916	Charles McDowall		Labor	Samuel Elliott		Liberal	13 July 1916	Resignation (contesting HoR)	No
9th	Williams-Narrogin	9 January 1916†	Edward Johnston^[5]		Independent	Edward Johnston		Independent	18 December 1915	Resignation	Yes
9th	Roebourne	17 November 1915	Joseph Gardiner		Labor	William Butcher		Liberal	30 September 1915	Absence without leave	No
8th	Kalgoorlie	4 February 1914	Albert Green		Labor	George McLeod		Labor	8 December 1913	Resignation	Yes
8th	Geraldton	15 November 1913	Bronte Dooley		Labor	Samuel Elliott		Liberal	19 October 1913	Death	No
8th	Cue	12 November 1913†	Edward Heitmann		Labor	Thomas Chesson		Labor	4 November 1913	Resignation	Yes
8th	Forrest	3 July 1913	Thomas Moore		Labor	Peter O'Loghlen		Labor	17 June 1913	Resignation	Yes
8th	Forrest	6 May 1913†	Peter O'Loghlen		Labor	Thomas Moore		Labor	17 April 1913	Resignation (contesting HoR)	Yes
7th	Bunbury	1 March 1911	Sir Newton Moore		Ministerial	William Lemen Thomas		Labor	13 February 1911	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	No
7th	Beverley	15 August 1910	John Marquis Hopkins		Ministerial	Nat Harper		Ministerial	28 July 1910	Disqualified (jailed for uttering)	Yes
7th	Forrest	8 July 1910	Dennis Jones		Labor	Peter O'Loghlen		Labor	20 June 1910	Resignation	Yes
7th	Gascoyne	28 June 1910†	William Butcher		Ministerial	William Butcher		Ministerial	18 June 1910	Sold land to Crown	Yes
7th	Fremantle	9 June 1910	James Price		Ministerial	William Murphy		Ministerial	21 May 1910	Death	Yes
7th	Forrest	23 March 1910†	Peter O'Loghlen		Labor	Dennis Jones		Labor	13 March 1910	Resignation (contesting HoR)	Yes

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ.

⁴ The Labor member for Brown Hill-Ivanhoe and former Premier, John Scaddan, resigned from his seat on 8 August 1916 in order to contest the Canning ministerial by-election against new minister Robert Robinson. On 19 August 1916, Labor candidate John Lutey was elected unopposed to fill the vacancy. However, upon Scaddan's narrow loss in Canning, Lutey resigned from the seat on 15 September 1916 before being sworn in to allow Scaddan to regain his seat, which he did at the resulting by-election on 7 October 1916 against two minor-party candidates. In March 1917, Scaddan and several others left the Labor Party and joined the new National Labor Party. This party formed a coalition with the Nationalists who, under Premier Sir Henry Lefroy, formed a Ministry on 28 June 1917. Scaddan was appointed Minister for Railways, and had to contest a ministerial by-election. John Lutey won the seat at the by-election on 21 July 1917.

⁵ On 18 December 1915, the Labor member for Williams-Narrogin, Edward Johnston, resigned from the Labor Party and from Parliament. He was returned unopposed as an Independent at the close of nominations for the resulting by-election on 9 January 1916. In mid-1917, he joined the Country Party.

1900–1909

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
7th	Katanning	12 November 1909†	Frederick Henry Piesse		Ministerial	Arnold Piesse		Ministerial	26 October 1909	Resignation	Yes
7th	Albany	17 September 1909	Edward Barnett		Ministerial	William Price		Ministerial	Aug/Sep 1909	Resignation	Yes
7th	Menzies	20 November 1908	Henry Gregory		Ministerial	Henry Gregory		Ministerial	4 November 1908	Voided by petition	Yes
6th	West Perth	2 September 1907	Frederick Illingworth		Ministerial	Thomas Draper		NPL (Min.)	13 August 1907	Resignation	Yes
6th	Mount Leonora	13 November 1906†	Patrick Lynch		Labor	Julian Stuart		Labor	2 November 1906	Resignation (contesting Senate)	Yes
6th	Geraldton	21 November 1906	Henry Carson		Ministerial	Thomas Brown		Labor	26 October 1906	Voided by petition	No
6th	East Fremantle	13 November 1906	Joseph Holmes		Ministerial	William Angwin		Labor	24 October 1906	Voided by petition	No
6th	Pilbara	23 July 1906	James Isdell		Independent	Henry Underwood		Labor	27 June 1906	Resignation	No
6th	Guildford	16 July 1906	Sir Cornthwaite Rason		Ministerial	William Johnson		Labor	27 June 1906	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	No
6th	South Fremantle	16 July 1906	Arthur Diamond		Ministerial	Arthur Davies		Ministerial	22 June 1906	Death	Yes
6th	Coolgardie	9 July 1906	William Eddy		Ministerial	William Eddy		Ministerial	27 April 1906	Voided by petition	Yes
5th	East Perth	20 October 1904	Walter James		Ministerial	John Hardwick		Ministerial	4 October 1904	Resignation (appointed as Agent-General)	Yes
4th	Nelson	11 December 1903	Sir J. G. Lee-Steere		Ministerial	John Walter		Ministerial	30 November 1903	Death	Yes
4th	North Fremantle	26 August 1903	Denis Doherty		Ministerial	John Ferguson		Ministerial	13 August 1903	Resignation (left State)	Yes
4th	York	6 April 1903	Frederick Monger		Ministerial	R. G. Burges		Ministerial	24 March 1903	Resignation	Yes
4th	Pilbara	18 March 1903	Walter Kingsmill		Opposition	James Isdell		Independent	12 February 1903	Resignation	No
4th	Hannans	15 October 1902†	John Reside		Labor	Thomas Bath		Labor	29 September 1902	Death	Yes
4th	York	16 July 1902	William George		Opposition	William Atkins		Independent	1 July 1902	Resignation	No
4th	East Perth	14 July 1902	George Leake		Opposition	Charles Moran		Independent	24 June 1902	Resignation	No
4th	Claremont	11 June 1902	William Sayer		Ministerial	John Foulkes		Opposition	28 May 1902	Resignation	No
4th	North Perth	5 October 1901	Richard Speight		Opposition	George McWilliams		Opposition	19 September 1901	Resignation	Yes
4th	West Kimberley	23 July 1901	Alexander Forrest		Ministerial	Sydney Pigott		Ministerial	20 June 1901	Death	Yes
3rd	Albany	24 July 1900	George Leake		Opposition	John Hassell		Opposition	10 July 1900	Resignation	Yes
3rd	Geraldton	24 July 1900	Richard Robson		Independent	Robert Hutchinson		Opposition	13 June 1900	Resignation	No
3rd	De Grey	28 May 1900†	E. T. Hooley		Ministerial	Leonard Darlot		Ministerial	1 May 1900	Resignation (ill health)	Yes
3rd	Ashburton	24 April 1900†	Septimus Burt		Ministerial	David Forrest		Ministerial	10 April 1900	Resignation	Yes

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ.

1890–1899

Parl.	By-election	Date	Incumbent	Party		Winner	Party		Vacated	Cause	Retained
3rd	North Murchison	18 September 1899	Henry Kenny		Opposition	Frederick Moorhead		Ministerial	25 August 1899	Death	No
3rd	Geraldton	12 July 1899	George Simpson		Opposition	Richard Robson		Independent	27 June 1899	Resignation	No
3rd	York	26 June 1899†	Frederick Monger		Ministerial	Frederick Monger		Ministerial	15 June 1899	Resignation	Yes
3rd	Gascoyne	26 June 1899†	George Hubble		Ministerial	George Hubble		Ministerial	13 June 1899	Resignation	Yes
2nd	Fremantle	18 July 1896	William Marmion			John Higham			4 July 1896	Death
2nd	North Fremantle	22 May 1895	William Silas Pearse			Matthew Moss			2 May 1895††	Resignation
2nd	Murray	12 January 1895	William Paterson			William George			4 January 1895	Resignation
2nd	Murchison	15 October 1894†	Everard Darlot			E. T. Hooley			18 September 1894	Resignation
1st	East Kimberley	20 April 1893†	William Baker			Francis Connor			7 January 1893	Death
1st	York	27 October 1892†	Stephen Henry Parker			Frederick Monger			5 October 1892	Resignation
1st	South Fremantle	12 October 1892	David Symon			Elias Solomon			13 September 1892	Resignation
1st	Moore	11 August 1892†	George Randell			Henry Lefroy			4 July 1892	Resignation
1st	Perth	12 January 1892	Edward Scott			Thomas Molloy			22 December 1891††	Resignation
1st	Geraldton	10 December 1891†	Edward Keane			George Simpson			6 November 1891††	Resignation
1st	Roebourne	16 January 1891†	George Leake			Horace Sholl			30 December 1890	Resignation

† Won by acclamation; this date is the date of the return of the writ. †† This was the date which the writ was issued — the date of the event which caused the by-election is unknown.

Ministerial by-elections

The following Ministers had to resign their seats and recontest them at a ministerial by-election. Most were unopposed; these are noted in italics in the table.

Parl.	Electorate	Date	Member	Party		Winner	Party		Appointed	Ministry	Retained
19th	Murray-Wellington	17 April 1947	Ross McLarty		Liberal				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	Katanning	17 April 1947	Arthur Watts		Country				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	West Perth	17 April 1947	Sir Robert McDonald		Liberal				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	Toodyay	17 April 1947	Lindsay Thorn		Country				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	Williams-Narrogin	17 April 1947	Victor Doney		Country				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	North Perth	17 April 1947	Arthur Abbott		Liberal				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
19th	Pingelly	17 April 1947	Harrie Seward		Country				1 April 1947	McLarty-Watts	Yes
18th	Murchison	17 August 1945	William Marshall		Labor				3 August 1945	Wise	Yes
18th	North-East Fremantle	17 December 1943	John Tonkin		Labor				9 December 1943	Willcock	Yes
17th	Kanowna	5 April 1939	Emil Nulsen		Labor				29 March 1939	Willcock	Yes
17th	Kimberley	5 April 1939	Aubrey Coverley		Labor				29 March 1939	Willcock	Yes
16th	Leederville	9 April 1938	Alexander Panton		Labor				24 March 1938	Willcock	Yes
16th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	4 September 1936	Frederick Smith		Labor				27 August 1936	Willcock	Yes
16th	Northam	22 May 1936	Albert Hawke		Labor				13 May 1936	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Gascoyne	11 April 1935	Frank Wise		Labor				26 March 1935	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Boulder	2 May 1933	Philip Collier		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	South Fremantle	2 May 1933	Alexander McCallum		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Geraldton	2 May 1933	John Willcock		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Hannans	2 May 1933	Selby Munsie		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Mount Magnet	2 May 1933	Michael Troy		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	Mount Hawthorn	2 May 1933	Harry Millington		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
15th	East Perth	2 May 1933	James Kenneally		Labor				24 April 1933	2nd Collier	Yes
14th	Northam	1 May 1930	Sir James Mitchell		Nationalist				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	Northam	1 May 1930	Charles Latham		Country				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	West Perth	1 May 1930	Thomas Davy		Nationalist				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	Maylands	1 May 1930	John Scaddan		Nationalist				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	Mount Marshall	1 May 1930	John Lindsay		Country				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	Nedlands	1 May 1930	Norbert Keenan		Nationalist				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
14th	Irwin-Moore	1 May 1930	Percy Ferguson		Country				24 April 1930	2nd Mitchell	Yes
13th	Leederville	23 December 1927	Harry Millington		Labor				15 December 1927	1st Collier	Yes
13th	Kalgoorlie	23 December 1927	James Cunningham		Labor				15 December 1927	1st Collier	Yes
13th	Hannans	9 May 1927	Selby Munsie		Labor				30 April 1927	1st Collier	Yes
12th	Boulder	1 May 1924	Philip Collier		Labor				16 April 1924	1st Collier	Yes
12th	North-East Fremantle	1 May 1924	William Angwin		Labor				16 April 1924	1st Collier	Yes
12th	Mount Magnet	1 May 1924	Michael Troy		Labor				16 April 1924	1st Collier	Yes
12th	Geraldton	1 May 1924	John Willcock		Labor				16 April 1924	1st Collier	Yes
12th	South Fremantle	1 May 1924	Alexander McCallum		Labor				16 April 1924	1st Collier	Yes
11th	Swan	31 August 1922	Richard Sampson		Country				22 August 1922	Mitchell	Yes
11th	Greenough	14 May 1921	H. K. Maley		Country				13 April 1921	1st Mitchell	Yes
10th	Beverley	10 July 1919	Frank Broun		Country				25 June 1919	1st Mitchell	Yes
10th	West Perth	7 June 1919	Thomas Draper		Nationalist				17 May 1919	1st Mitchell	Yes
10th	Northam	24 April 1919	James Mitchell		Nationalist				17 April 1919	Colebatch	Yes
9th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	21 July 1917	John Scaddan		National Labor	John Lutey		Labor	28 June 1917	Lefroy	No
9th	Irwin	11 July 1917	James Gardiner		Nationalist				28 June 1917	Lefroy	Yes
9th	Sussex	10 August 1916	Frank Wilson		Liberal				27 July 1916	2nd Wilson	Yes
9th	Moore	10 August 1916	Sir Henry Lefroy		Liberal				27 July 1916	2nd Wilson	Yes
9th	Northam	19 August 1916	James Mitchell		Liberal				27 July 1916	2nd Wilson	Yes
9th	Murray-Wellington	10 August 1916	William George		Liberal				27 July 1916	2nd Wilson	Yes
9th	Canning	19 August 1916	Robert Robinson		Liberal				27 July 1916	2nd Wilson	Yes
9th	North-East Fremantle	2 December 1914	William Angwin		Labor				23 November 1914	Scaddan	Yes
8th	Brown Hill-Ivanhoe	17 October 1911	John Scaddan		Labor				7 October 1911	Scaddan	Yes
8th	Boulder	17 October 1911	Philip Collier		Labor				7 October 1911	Scaddan	Yes
8th	Avon	17 October 1911	Thomas Bath		Labor				7 October 1911	Scaddan	Yes
8th	Guildford	17 October 1911	William Johnson		Labor				7 October 1911	Scaddan	Yes
8th	Kanowna	17 October 1911	Thomas Walker		Labor				7 October 1911	Scaddan	Yes
7th	Subiaco	24 September 1910	Henry Daglish		Ministerial				16 September 1910	1st Wilson	Yes
7th	Greenough	8 July 1909	John Nanson		Ministerial				30 June 1909	Moore	Yes
7th	Northam	3 June 1909	James Mitchell		Ministerial				14 May 1909	Moore	Yes
6th	Fremantle	25 May 1906	James Price		Ministerial				7 May 1906	Moore	Yes
6th	Kalgoorlie	25 May 1906	Norbert Keenan		Ministerial				7 May 1906	Moore	Yes
5th	Guildford	14 September 1905	Cornthwaite Rason		Ministerial				25 August 1905	Rason	Yes
5th	Menzies	14 September 1905	Henry Gregory		Ministerial				25 August 1905	Rason	Yes
5th	Sussex	14 September 1905	Frank Wilson		Ministerial				25 August 1905	Rason	Yes
5th	Bunbury	14 September 1905	Newton Moore		Ministerial				25 August 1905	Rason	Yes
5th	Roebourne	4 September 1905	John Sydney Hicks		Ministerial				25 August 1905	Rason	Yes
5th	Brown Hill	22 June 1905	Thomas Bath		Labor				7 June 1905	Daglish	Yes
5th	Mount Leonora	30 June 1905	Patrick Lynch		Labor				7 June 1905	Daglish	Yes
5th	Subiaco	19 August 1904	Henry Daglish		Labor				10 August 1904	Daglish	Yes
5th	Mount Margaret	19 August 1904	George Taylor		Labor				10 August 1904	Daglish	Yes
5th	Kanowna	19 August 1904	Robert Hastie		Labor				10 August 1904	Daglish	Yes
5th	Murchison	19 August 1904	John Holman		Labor				10 August 1904	Daglish	Yes
5th	Kalgoorlie	19 August 1904	William Johnson		Labor				10 August 1904	Daglish	Yes
4th	Boulder	25 February 1903	John Marquis Hopkins		Opposition				17 February 1903	James	Yes
4th	East Perth	11 July 1902	Walter James		Opposition				1 July 1902	James	Yes
4th	Albany	11 July 1902	James Gardiner		Opposition				1 July 1902	James	Yes
4th	West Perth	7 January 1902	George Leake		Opposition				23 December 1901	2nd Leake	Yes
4th	Cue	7 January 1902	Frederick Illingworth		Opposition				23 December 1901	2nd Leake	Yes
4th	Pilbara	7 January 1902	Walter Kingsmill		Opposition				23 December 1901	2nd Leake	Yes
4th	Guildford	7 January 1902	Cornthwaite Rason		Opposition				23 December 1901	2nd Leake	Yes
4th	North Coolgardie	7 January 1902	Henry Gregory		Opposition				23 December 1901	2nd Leake	Yes
4th	Coolgardie	6 December 1901	Alf Morgans		Ministerial				21 November 1901	Morgans	Yes
4th	Coolgardie	10 December 1901	Frederick Moorhead		Ministerial	John Holman		Labor	21 November 1901	Morgans	No
4th	Toodyay	6 December 1901	Timothy Quinlan		Ministerial				21 November 1901	Morgans	Yes
4th	Murchison	10 December 1901	John Nanson		Ministerial				21 November 1901	Morgans	Yes
4th	Perth	6 December 1901	Frank Wilson		Ministerial	William Purkiss		Ministerial	21 November 1901	Morgans	No
4th	West Perth	19 June 1901	George Leake		Opposition				27 May 1901	1st Leake	Yes
4th	Cue	19 June 1901	Frederick Illingworth		Opposition				27 May 1901	1st Leake	Yes
4th	Pilbara	19 June 1901	Walter Kingsmill		Opposition				27 May 1901	1st Leake	Yes
4th	East Fremantle	19 June 1901	Joseph Holmes		Opposition				27 May 1901	1st Leake	Yes
4th	North Coolgardie	19 June 1901	Henry Gregory		Opposition				27 May 1901	1st Leake	Yes
3rd	West Perth	22 September 1900	Barrington Wood		Ministerial				10 September 1900	Forrest	Yes
3rd	Greenough		Richard Pennefather		Ministerial				27 October 1897	Forrest	Yes
3rd	Moore		Henry Lefroy		Ministerial				12 May 1897	Forrest	Yes
2nd	Northam	27 January 1897	George Throssell		Ministerial				20 January 1897	Forrest	Yes
2nd	Williams	18 April 1896	Frederick Henry Piesse		Ministerial				1 April 1896	Forrest	Yes
2nd	Bunbury	17 January 1895	Alexander Richardson		Ministerial				4 December 1894	Forrest	Yes
1st	Bunbury	8 January 1891	John Forrest		Ministerial				30 December 1890	Forrest	Yes
1st	Ashburton	8 January 1891	Septimus Burt		Ministerial				30 December 1890	Forrest	Yes
1st	Fremantle	8 January 1891	William Marmion		Ministerial				30 December 1890	Forrest	Yes
1st	Wellington	8 January 1891	Harry Venn		Ministerial				30 December 1890	Forrest	Yes

List of Legislative Council by-elections

Notes

1. Section 67, Electoral Act 1907
2. Section 38, Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899. All sections referred below are linked from this section.
3. Section 76A, Electoral Act 1907.
4. Section 172, Electoral Act 1907.
5. Constitution (Re-election of Ministers) Act 1947 (No. 4 of 1947), assented 2 October 1947.

References

• By-elections in Western Australia (Parliamentary Library)
• Hughes, Colin A.; Graham, B. D. (1976). Voting for the South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian Lower Houses, 1890-1964. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 0-7081-1334-6.