Ryan by-election, 2001
Encyclopedia
The 2001 Ryan by-election was held in the Australia
n electorate of Ryan
in Queensland
on 17 March 2001. The by-election
was triggered by the retirement of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia
's John Moore
, on 5 February 2001. The writ for the by-election was issued on 9 February 2001.
and Howard
governments. When a Cabinet
reshuffle saw him lose the Defence portfolio
, Moore resigned immediately. His retirement was announced in the wake of Liberal defeats in the Western Australia
and Queensland state elections, and the public reaction to the GST
introduced eight months earlier was still worrying the Liberals.
Comparisons were drawn with the 1975 by-election
in the Tasmania
n electorate of Bass
: both had resulted from the resignation of a Defence Minister (Labor's Lance Barnard
in 1975), and Labor's landslide loss in Bass was linked to the defeat of the Whitlam
government several months later.
The Liberals were expected to preselect
Hong Kong
-born lawyer Michael Johnson
as their candidate for the by-election, although Johnson's Chinese heritage led to accusations of branch stacking
by signing up ethnic Chinese as members of the Liberal Party. Eventually it emerged that Johnson had not properly renounced his British citizenship
, and was ineligible to run as an electoral candidate in Australia.
four months later.
Short contested the 2001 federal election, but was defeated by her Liberal opponent Michael Johnson
, who had by then renounced his British citizenship.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n electorate of Ryan
Division of Ryan
The Division of Ryan is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for T.J. Ryan, a former Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on 17 March 2001. The by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was triggered by the retirement of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
's John Moore
John Moore (Australian politician)
John Colinton Moore AO is a former Australian politician. He was a Liberal member of the House of Representatives for over 25 years, and a minister from 1980 to 1982 and 1996 to 2001....
, on 5 February 2001. The writ for the by-election was issued on 9 February 2001.
Background
John Moore had held Ryan for the Liberal Party since 1975, and he had been a minister in the FraserMalcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser AC, CH, GCL, PC is a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was the 22nd Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in the 1975 election following the dismissal of the Whitlam Labor government, in which he played a key role...
and Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
governments. When a Cabinet
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
reshuffle saw him lose the Defence portfolio
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
, Moore resigned immediately. His retirement was announced in the wake of Liberal defeats in the Western Australia
Western Australian state election, 2001
Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 10 February 2001 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council...
and Queensland state elections, and the public reaction to the GST
Goods and Services Tax (Australia)
The GST is a broad sales tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia. It is a value added tax, not a sales tax, in that it is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer....
introduced eight months earlier was still worrying the Liberals.
Comparisons were drawn with the 1975 by-election
Bass by-election, 1975
A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Bass on 28 June 1975. This was triggered by the resignation of Labor Party MP Lance Barnard.The by-election was won by Liberal Party candidate Kevin Newman.-Results:...
in the Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n electorate of Bass
Division of Bass
The Division of Bass is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the explorer George Bass. It has always been based on the city of Launceston and surrounding rural areas, and its boundaries have changed very little in the century since its...
: both had resulted from the resignation of a Defence Minister (Labor's Lance Barnard
Lance Barnard
Lance Herbert Barnard AO , Australian politician, was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia for most of the Labor government of Gough Whitlam....
in 1975), and Labor's landslide loss in Bass was linked to the defeat of the Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
government several months later.
The Liberals were expected to preselect
Preselection
Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties...
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-born lawyer Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (politician)
Michael Andrew Johnson , an Australian federal politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Ryan, Queensland, from 2001 to 2010, representing the Liberal Party from November 2001 to May 2010 and then as an independent from May 2010 until he was defeated at the...
as their candidate for the by-election, although Johnson's Chinese heritage led to accusations of branch stacking
Branch stacking
Branch stacking is the act of recruiting members for a branch of a political party for the principal purpose of influencing the outcome of internal preselections of candidates for public office...
by signing up ethnic Chinese as members of the Liberal Party. Eventually it emerged that Johnson had not properly renounced his British citizenship
British nationality law
British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom that concerns citizenship and other categories of British nationality. The law is complex because of the United Kingdom's former status as an imperial power.-History:...
, and was ineligible to run as an electoral candidate in Australia.
Results
Aftermath
Leonie Short won the seat for Labor in a close contest on preferences, with only 255 votes separating her from Liberal candidate Bob Tucker on a two-party basis. The loss was a huge worry for the Liberals, although Labor's electoral momentum was halted by their loss in the Aston by-electionAston by-election, 2001
The 2001 Aston by-election was held in the Australian electorate of Aston in Victoria on 14 July 2001. The by-election was triggered by the death of the sitting member, the Liberal Party of Australia's Peter Nugent, on 24 April 2001. The writ for the by-election was issued on 1 June...
four months later.
Short contested the 2001 federal election, but was defeated by her Liberal opponent Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (politician)
Michael Andrew Johnson , an Australian federal politician, was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the seat of Ryan, Queensland, from 2001 to 2010, representing the Liberal Party from November 2001 to May 2010 and then as an independent from May 2010 until he was defeated at the...
, who had by then renounced his British citizenship.
External links
- Ryan (QLD) By-Election (17 March 2001) Results, Australian Electoral CommissionAustralian Electoral CommissionThe Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...