A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Maitland on 21 February 1981 following the resignation of Milton Morris (Liberal) to unsuccessfully contest the federal seat of Lyne at the 1980 election.
By-elections for the seats of Cessnock, Oxley and Sturt were held on the same day.
Dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 29 August 1980 | Resignation of Milton Morris. |
| 18 October 1980 | 1980 Australian federal election |
| 22 January 1981 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls. |
| 29 January 1981 | Day of nomination |
| 21 February 1981 | Polling day |
| 13 March 1981 | Return of writ |
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Peter Toms | 13,014 | 48.0 | −6.3 | |
| Labor | Allan Walsh | 12,201 | 45.0 | −0.7 | |
| Independent | Daphne Unicomb | 1,887 | 7.0 | ||
| Total formal votes | 27,102 | 98.8 | |||
| Informal votes | 319 | 1.2 | |||
| Turnout | 27,421 | 90.1 | |||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Peter Toms | 13,750 | 51.5 | −2.8 | |
| Labor | Allan Walsh | 12,963 | 48.5 | +2.8 | |
| Liberal hold | Swing | −2.8 | |||
Aftermath
Peter Toms' career was to be short-lived, as he was defeated by Allan Walsh in the Labor "Wranslide" at the election in September 1981.
See also
References
- ^ "The Hon. Milton Arthur Morris AO (1924–2019)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- "Writ of election: Maitland". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 18. 22 January 1981. p. 425. Retrieved 17 March 2021 – via Trove.
- Green, Antony. "1981 Maitland by-election". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
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