1988 Victorian state election

The 1988 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 1 October 1988, was for the 51st Parliament of Victoria. It was held in the Australian state of Victoria to elect all 88 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 22 members of the 44-member Legislative Council.

The incumbent Labor Party government led by Premier John Cain Jr. won a third term in office, despite a swing against it, and only lost the seat of Warrandyte in Melbourne's north-east. This was credited by commentators to a strong campaign targeting Liberal leader and future Premier Jeff Kennett whose aggressive leadership style was still seen as a liability, as well as continuing instability in the federal Coalition. Labor's narrow wins in middle class marginal seats saw it retain its majority despite the Liberals winning a bare majority of the two party preferred vote.

Future Premier Denis Napthine entered parliament at this election.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Seats changing hands

Seat Pre-1988 Swing Post-1988 Party Member Margin Margin Member PartyMildura NationalMilton Whiting 23.0 -24.0 1.0Craig BildstienLiberal Warrandyte LaborLou Hill 0.2 -1.7 1.5Phil HoneywoodLiberal 

Members listed in italics did not recontest their seats.

Key dates Date Event 29 August 1988 The Legislative Council was prorogued and the Legislative Assembly was dissolved. 29 August 1988 Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 2 September 1988 The Constitution Act Amendment (Electoral Procedures) Act 1988 (No.31) comes into operation. 5 September 1988 The electoral rolls were closed. 9 September 1988 Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. 1 October 1988 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 13 October 1988 The Cain Ministry was reconstituted, with two new ministers sworn in. 21 October 1988 The writ was returned and the results formally declared. 25 October 1988 Parliament resumed for business.

Post-election pendulum Labor seats (46)MarginalBallarat SouthFrank SheehanALP0.2%BellarineGraham ErnstALP0.7%Bendigo WestDavid KennedyALP0.9%BentleighAnn BarkerALP1.4%RingwoodKay SetchesALP1.7%Box HillMargaret RayALP2.1%MentonePeter SpykerALP2.4%GeelongHayden ShellALP2.5%MorwellKeith HamiltonALP2.8%WantirnaCarolyn HirshALP2.9%MitchamJohn HarrowfieldALP3.0%MonbulkNeil PopeALP3.5%Pascoe ValeKelvin ThomsonALP4.4%WhittleseaMax McDonaldALP4.7%St KildaAndrew McCutcheonALP5.6%Fairly safeKnoxSteve CrabbALP6.0%GreensboroughPauline TonerALP6.1%SpringvaleEddie MicallefALP6.4%EssendonBarry RoweALP6.7%OakleighRace MathewsALP7.3%CarrumMal SandonALP7.5%Dandenong NorthJan WilsonALP8.1%NiddrieBob SercombeALP8.1%DovetonRob JollyALP8.3%Frankston NorthJane HillALP8.8%Albert ParkBunna WalshALP8.9%ClaytonGerard VaughanALP8.9%BroadmeadowsJim KennanALP9.9%SafeBundooraJohn CainALP10.2%WerribeeKen CoghillALP10.5%KeilorGeorge SeitzALP11.4%DandenongTerry NorrisALP12.6%St AlbansAlex AndrianopoulosALP12.7%DerrimutDavid CunninghamALP13.3%Geelong NorthNeil TreziseALP14.0%CoburgPeter GavinALP15.3%ReservoirJim SimmondsALP16.4%BrunswickTom RoperALP16.7%RichmondDemetri DollisALP17.3%WilliamstownJoan KirnerALP17.7%MelbourneNeil ColeALP18.0%PrestonMichael LeightonALP21.1%SunshineIan BakerALP21.5%NorthcoteTony SheehanALP21.7%ThomastownBeth GleesonALP22.4%FootscrayRobert FordhamALP23.7% Liberal/National seats (42)MarginalSyndalGeoff ColemanLIB0.7%MilduraCraig BildstienLIB1.0% v NATBerwickRob MaclellanLIB1.4%WarrandytePhil HoneywoodLIB1.5%NarracanJohn DelzoppoLIB1.7%DromanaRon WellsLIB1.8%MorningtonRobin CooperLIB2.0%BennettswoodRoger PescottLIB2.2%IvanhoeVin HeffernanLIB2.4%Forest HillJohn RichardsonLIB2.9%Ballarat NorthSteve ElderLIB3.5%EvelynJim PlowmanLIB4.0%South BarwonHarley DickinsonLIB4.8%Frankston SouthGraeme WeidemanLIB4.9%CaulfieldTed TannerLIB5.1%BurwoodJeff KennettLIB5.6%Bendigo EastMichael JohnLIB5.7%Fairly safeGisborneTom ReynoldsLIB6.4%SandringhamDavid LeaLIB6.4%RiponTom AustinLIB6.9%DoncasterVictor PertonLIB7.4%PrahranDon HaywardLIB7.4%HawthornPhil GudeLIB8.0%Glen WaverleyRoss SmithLIB8.5%BulleenDavid PerrinLIB9.2%SafeKewJan WadeLIB11.0%PortlandDenis NapthineLIB11.2%MalvernGeoff LeighLIB11.9%Gippsland WestAlan BrownLIB12.6%BrightonAlan StockdaleLIB13.0%BalwynRobert ClarkLIB14.3%PolwarthIan SmithLIB16.1%BenallaPat McNamaraNAT17.9%Gippsland EastBruce EvansNAT19.4%Gippsland SouthTom WallaceNAT20.2%Murray ValleyKen JasperNAT21.4%SheppartonPeter Ross-EdwardsNAT21.5%BenambraLou LiebermanLIB21.6%WarrnamboolJohn McGrathNAT27.3%Swan HillBarry SteggallNAT28.0%RodneyEddie HannNAT28.6%LowanBill McGrathNAT32.0%

Aftermath On 23 May 1989, Jeff Kennett was voted out of the Liberal leadership in favour of Alan Brown; Brown led the party until 23 April 1991 when he was also forced out after a successful comeback by Kennett. During Brown's period as Opposition Leader, the Liberals negotiated the first coalition agreement with the Nationals in over forty years, in part due to a belief by some (in spite of what political scientist Brian Costar called a "lack of psephological evidence to support this assertion") that had the parties been in coalition at the election, they would have won.B. J. Costar, 'Coalition Government: An Unequal Partnership' in B. J. Costar & N. Economou (eds) The Kennett Revolution: Victorian Politics in the 1990s, UNSW Press, Sydney, 1998, p. 89

References

See also Candidates of the 1988 Victorian state election