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| | accessdate = 2008-09-07}}</ref> Watkins resigned from parliament and his portfolio of Minister for Transport on 8 September 2008, prompting a Cabinet reshuffle. | | accessdate = 2008-09-07}}</ref> Watkins resigned from parliament and his portfolio of Minister for Transport on 8 September 2008, prompting a Cabinet reshuffle. | ||
| The by-election was won by ] candidate ] on a swing of 23 percent. This was a marked turnaround to the result at the ], when |
The by-election was won by ] candidate ] on a swing of 23 percent. This was a marked turnaround to the result at the ], when Dawkins was reelected with 60.09% of the two-party preferred vote.<ref>{{cite web | ||
| | title = 2007 State Election Results: State Electoral District of RYDE | | title = 2007 State Election Results: State Electoral District of RYDE | ||
| | publisher = ] | | publisher = ] | ||
| | url = http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/state_government_elections/electoral_districts/all_districts_/ryde/results_2007/perferential_count | | url = http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/state_government_elections/electoral_districts/all_districts_/ryde/results_2007/perferential_count | ||
| | accessdate = 2008-09-07 }} | | accessdate = 2008-09-07 }} | ||
| </ref> However, the writ was dropped |
</ref> However, at the time the writ was dropped, Labor had been sinking in the polls since being reelected a year earlier. It was only polling at 44 percent support, a swing of almost eight percent from the 2007 election. Dominello's victory turned Ryde from a safe Labor seat into a safe Liberal seat on paper in one stroke. At the time, it was the largest swing against a sitting government in New South Wales history; it has since been outdone by the ] (which saw a 25 percent swing against Labor) and the ] (which saw a 26 percent swing against the Coalition). | ||
| The loss of Ryde |
The loss of Ryde came at a very bad time for the government. Dawkins' resignation had touched off a domino effect that ultimately resulted in ] ] leaving politics as well. It had also been suffering from several months of bad press that had driven its poll numbers downward. Labor would go on to suffer a landslide defeat at the ]. | ||
| ==Results== | ==Results== | ||
Revision as of 01:51, 21 August 2015
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Ryde on 18 October 2008 to coincide with the Port Macquarie, Lakemba and Cabramatta by-elections. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of sitting member and Deputy Premier John Watkins, who cited exhaustion and the lack of time spent with his family for his resignation. Watkins resigned from parliament and his portfolio of Minister for Transport on 8 September 2008, prompting a Cabinet reshuffle.
The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Victor Dominello on a swing of 23 percent. This was a marked turnaround to the result at the 2007 state election, when Dawkins was reelected with 60.09% of the two-party preferred vote. However, at the time the writ was dropped, Labor had been sinking in the polls since being reelected a year earlier. It was only polling at 44 percent support, a swing of almost eight percent from the 2007 election. Dominello's victory turned Ryde from a safe Labor seat into a safe Liberal seat on paper in one stroke. At the time, it was the largest swing against a sitting government in New South Wales history; it has since been outdone by the 2010 Penrith by-election (which saw a 25 percent swing against Labor) and the 2013 Miranda by-election (which saw a 26 percent swing against the Coalition).
The loss of Ryde came at a very bad time for the government. Dawkins' resignation had touched off a domino effect that ultimately resulted in Premier Morris Iemma leaving politics as well. It had also been suffering from several months of bad press that had driven its poll numbers downward. Labor would go on to suffer a landslide defeat at the 2011 state election.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Victor Dominello | 21,370 | 54.34 | +25.74 | |
| Labor | Nicole Campbell | 11,725 | 29.81 | −15.03 | |
| Greens | Lindsay Peters | 4,407 | 11.21 | +3.34 | |
| Independent | Victor Taffa | 1,171 | 2.98 | +2.98 | |
| Democrats | Peter Goldfinch | 656 | 1.67 | +0.27 | |
| Total formal votes | 39,329 | 97.96 | +0.53 | ||
| Informal votes | 820 | 2.04 | −0.53 | ||
| Turnout | 40,149 | 83.64 | −9.33 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Liberal | Victor Dominello | 22,556 | 63.01 | +23.10 | |
| Labor | Nicole Campbell | 13,243 | 36.99 | −23.10 | |
| Liberal gain from Labor | Swing | +23.10 | |||
References
- "Liberals 'a big chance' in Watkins' seat". ABC News. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- Smith, Alexandra; AAP (2008-09-03). "Watkins quits politics to put family first". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- "2007 State Election Results: State Electoral District of RYDE". New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- 2008 Ryde By-election Results