A by-election was held for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Greensborough on 15 April 1989. The by-election was triggered by the resignation on 28 February of Pauline Toner, the sitting Labor member, who died on 3 March.
The election was won by the Labor candidate Sherryl Garbutt, despite a 16-point swing on first preferences. Garbutt was a former schoolteacher, while the Liberal candidate Margaret Brown ran a catering business. Her husband at the time was Neil Brown, a member of the federal shadow cabinet and a former deputy Liberal leader.[1]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Sherryl Garbutt | 11,862 | 40.12 | −15.95 | |
| Liberal | Margaret Brown | 11,363 | 38.43 | −5.50 | |
| Democrats | Peter Allan | 4,671 | 15.80 | +15.80 | |
| Democratic Labor | John Mulholland | 706 | 2.39 | +2.39 | |
| Independent | Barbara Gilchrist | 479 | 1.62 | +1.62 | |
| Independent | Lance Hutchinson | 387 | 1.31 | +1.31 | |
| Independent | Raelene Jones | 100 | 0.34 | +0.34 | |
| Total formal votes | 29,568 | 96.94 | +0.18 | ||
| Informal votes | 932 | 3.06 | −0.18 | ||
| Turnout | 30,500 | 90.25 | −3.67 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Sherryl Garbutt | 15,229 | 51.55 | −4.52 | |
| Liberal | Margaret Brown | 14,314 | 48.45 | +4.52 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | −4.52 | |||
References
edit- ^ "Bad news for Cain Govt is no help to Liberals". The Canberra Times. 27 March 1989.
- ^ Report on the Greensborough district by-election, 15 April 1989. State Electoral Office Victoria. 1989.