1988 Dale state by-election

A by-election for the seat of Dale in the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia was held on 7 May 1988. It was triggered by the resignation of Cyril Rushton (the sitting Liberal member and a former deputy premier) on 25 February 1988. The seat was retained by the Liberal Party, with their candidate, Fred Tubby, winning 59.1 percent of the two-candidate-preferred (2CP) vote. The Labor Party did not stand at the election, despite having lost the seat by less than 400 votes at the 1986 state election. A former Labor candidate, Michael Marsh, won 40.9 percent of the 2CP vote standing as an independent.

## Background[edit]

Cyril Rushton had held Dale for the Liberal Party since a 1965 by-election, and served as a minister in the governments of Sir Charles Court and Ray O'Connor (including as deputy premier under the latter). Rushton underwent open-heart surgery in August 1987, and missed much of the following parliamentary session.[1] He resigned from parliament on 25 February 1988, and the writ for the by-election was issued on 30 March, with the close of nominations on 14 April. Polling day was on 7 May, with the writ returned on 12 May.[2]

## Results[edit]

Dale state by-election, 1988  Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
|

| Liberal | Fred Tubby | 5,323  | 53.2  | +3.3
| Independent | Michael Marsh  | 2,561  | 25.6  | +25.6
| Democrats | Mark Beadle  | 918  | 9.2  | +6.6
| Independent | Alexander Coffey  | 639  | 6.4  | +6.4
| One Australia | Willem Schultink  | 438  | 4.4  | +4.4
| Independent | Maralyn Yorston  | 124  | 1.2  | +1.2
Total formal votes  | 10,003  | 95.5  | –1.9
Informal votes  | 469  | 4.5  | +1.9
Turnout | 10,472  | 79.0  | –13.9
Two-candidate-preferred result
| Liberal | Fred Tubby | 5,913  | 59.1  | N/A
| Independent | Michael Marsh  | 4,090  | 40.9  | +40.9
| Liberal hold | Swing | N/A |

## Aftermath[edit]

Tubby joined his father, Reg Tubby, in parliament, and the pair served together until Reg's retirement at the 1989 state election (a period of less than a year). The seat of Dale was abolished in a redistribution prior to that same election, and Fred Tubby switched to the new seat of Roleystone, which he held until his defeat at the 2001 state election.[3]

## See also[edit]

* List of Western Australian state by-elections

## References[edit]

1. ^ Edgar Cyril Rushton – Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
2. ^ Black, David; Prescott, Valerie (1997). Election statistics, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, Western Australia: Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. p. 79\. ISBN 0-7309-8409-5.
3. ^ Frederick Charles, Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2017.