A by-election for the seat of Lowan in the Victorian Legislative Assembly was held on Saturday 4 November 1944. The election was triggered by the notification of the death of Country Party member Hamilton Lamb on 7 December 1943. Lamb was a prisoner of war on the Burma Railway at the time of the June 1943 state election, and he had been re-elected as MLA for Lowan is unopposed in his absence. He died on 7 December, but official notification of his death in Thailand was not received in Australia until 1 September 1944, nearly nine months later.
Candidates
There were three candidates for the Lowan by-election following the close of nominations on 18 October 1944. They were:
- John Matthew Tripovich (Labor), an assistant station master from Nhill
- Wilfred John Mibus (United Country), a farmer and grazier from Horsham
- William Percy Armstrong (unendorsed Country), a farmer from Kewell North.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | John Tripovich | 4,201 | 42.07 | n/a | |
| Country | Wilfred Mibus | 4,000 | 40.06 | n/a | |
| Unendorsed Country | William Armstrong | 1,785 | 17.88 | n/a | |
| Total formal votes | 9,986 | n/a | n/a | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Country | Wilfred Mibus | 5,223 | 52.30 | n/a | |
| Labor | John Tripovich | 4,763 | 47.70 | n/a | |
| Country hold | Swing | N/A | |||
References
- "THREE LOWAN CANDIDATES". The Argus. Melbourne. 19 October 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- "FINAL LOWAN FIGURES". The Horsham Times. Vic. 14 November 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 30 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.