1978 Earlwood state by-election

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| ← 1976 | 15 July 1978 | Oct. 1978 →

|
|

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Electoral district of Earlwood in the
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Registered| 33,545
Turnout| 88.24% ( 7.02)
|   | First party  | Second party

|
|

|  |

Candidate  | Ken Gabb | Alan Jones
Party  | Labor | Liberal
First preference vote  | 15,168 | 12,118
Percentage  | 52.62% | 42.04%
Swing  |  7.17  |  12.51

* * *

| MP before election

Sir Eric Willis
Liberal

| Elected MP

Ken Gabb
Labor

|

The 1978 Earlwood state by-election was held on 15 July 1978 to elect the member for Earlwood in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of Liberal MP and former premier Sir Eric Willis.[1][2]

The seat was gained by Labor candidate Ken Gabb, who became the youngest member of the Parliament of New South Wales at the age of 28.[3][4] Gabb defeated seven candidates, including future talkback host and Australia national rugby union team coach Alan Jones, who contested the by-election for the Liberals.[5][6]

Gabb retained the seat three months later at the "Wranslide" state election on 7 October 1978, where he again defeated Jones and independent candidate Charles Bingle.[7]

## Key events

[edit]

* 16 June 1978 − Sir Eric Willis resigned[8]
* 23 June 1978 − Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly[9]
* 29 June 1978 − Candidate nominations[10]
* 15 July 1978 − Election day
* 31 July 1978 − Return of writ

## Result

[edit]

1978 Earlwood by-election[11] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Labor | Ken Gabb | 15,168  | 52.62  | +7.17
| Liberal | Alan Jones | 12,118  | 42.04  | −12.51
| Democrats | Kerry Warr  | 1,053  | 3.65  | +3.65
| Independent | Neville Fleming  | 269  | 0.93  | +0.93
| Gay Liberation  | Peter Blazey  | 105  | 0.36  | +0.36
| Independent | Charles Bingle  | 52  | 0.18  | +0.18
| Conservative | Josephine Mallett  | 33  | 0.11  | +0.11
| Independent | Edwin Bellchambers  | 27  | 0.09  | +0.09
Total formal votes  | 28,825  | 97.38  | −1.14
Informal votes  | 775  | 2.62  | +1.14
Turnout | 29,600  | 88.24  | −7.02
| Labor gain from Liberal | Swing | +7.17 |

## See also

[edit]

* Electoral results for the district of Earlwood
* List of New South Wales state by-elections

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Poll for Earlwood in July". The Canberra Times. 24 June 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
2. ^ "July 15 polling date". Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. 16 June 1978. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
3. ^ "NSW by-election win to Labor". The Canberra Times. 16 July 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
4. ^ "Wran finds confidence in win". The Canberra Times. 17 July 1978. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
5. ^ "Alan Jones – Earlwood – NSW Liberal HTV". AustralianPolitics.com. 13 July 1978. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
6. ^ Green, Antony (20 February 2021). "The Gurgle Hole of History – Leaders who've lost their Seats at Elections". Antony Green's Election Blog. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
7. ^ Green, Antony. "Earlwood - 1978". Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
8. ^ "Willis resigns from NSW Parliament". The Canberra Times. 17 June 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
9. ^ "WRIT OF ELECTION". New South Wales Government Gazette. 26 June 1978. p. 2453. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
10. ^ "Candidates for poll". The Canberra Times. 30 June 1978. p. 3. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
11. ^ Green, Antony. "Earlwood - By-election 1978". Parliament of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2025.

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