A by-election for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Braddon took place on Saturday 28 July 2018, following the resignation of incumbent Labor MP Justine Keay.
In early counting, within an hour of the close of polls, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's psephologist Antony Green's electoral computer had predicted Labor to retain the electorate.
The by-election occurred on the same day as four other by-elections for the House of Representatives, colloquially known as Super Saturday.
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Background Due to the High Court ruling against Senator Katy Gallagher on 9 May 2018 as part of the ongoing parliamentary eligibility crisis, Keay and three other MPs in the same situation announced their parliamentary resignations later that day, while the Perth incumbent resigned for family reasons. The Speaker announced on 24 May 2018 that he had scheduled the by-elections to occur on 28 July 2018. Popularly labelled "Super Saturday", the occurrence of five simultaneous federal by-elections is unprecedented in Australian political history. The others are: 2018 Fremantle by-election 2018 Longman by-election 2018 Mayo by-election 2018 Perth by-election
A redistribution of the Tasmanian federal electoral divisions was completed in 2017, however by-elections are conducted under existing boundaries, as redistributed boundaries do not come into effect until the subsequent federal election.
Key dates Key dates in relation to the by-election are: Thursday, 10 May 2018 – Speaker acceptance of resignation Friday, 15 June 2018 – Issue of writ Friday, 22 June 2018 – Close of electoral rolls (8pm) Thursday, 5 July 2018 – Close of nominations (12 noon) Friday, 6 July 2018 – Declaration of nominations (12 noon) Tuesday, 10 July 2018 – Start of early voting Saturday, 28 July 2018 – Polling day (8am to 6pm) Friday, 10 August 2018 – Last day for receipt of postal votes Sunday, 23 September 2018 – Last day for return of writs
Candidates
Candidates (8) in ballot paper order PartyCandidateBackground GreensJarrod EdwardsIndigenous land management supervisor. SFF Brett Neal Farmer. Independent Donna Gibbons Registered nurse and small business owner. Liberal Democrats Joshua Boag Sheetmetal fabricator. Contested Braddon at the 2016 federal election. LiberalBrett WhiteleyOne-term MP for Braddon elected at the 2013 federal election. Independent Craig Garland Fisherman. Contested Braddon at the 2018 state election. PeopleBruno StrangioHas managed numerous real estate and construction enterprises. LaborJustine KeayPrevious MP for Braddon elected at the 2016 federal election.
Polling +Braddon by-election pollingDateFirmCommissioned bySampleMoEPrimary voteTPP voteALPLIBGRNOTHALPLIB24−26 July 2018NewspollThe Australian1002±3.1% 40% 43% 5% 12% 51% 49%19 July 2018ReachTELAus. Forest Products Assoc.Super Saturday YouGov Galaxy and ReachTEL polls: Poll Bludger 23 July 2018810±3.4% 36.0% 42.7% 7.0% 14.3% 52% 48%2 June 2018ReachTELSky News>800±3.4% 33% 47% 6% 14% 46% 54% 2016 election 40.0% 41.5% 6.7% 11.7% 52.2% 47.8%
Results
See also July 2018 Australian federal by-elections List of Australian federal by-elections 2017–18 Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis
References
External links 2018 Braddon by-election website: Australian Electoral Commission 2018 Braddon by-election guide: Antony Green ABC 2018 Braddon by-election guide: The Poll Bludger 2018 Braddon by-election guide: The Tally Room By-elections aplenty: The Poll Bludger 10 May 2018 Super Saturday July 28: The Poll Bludger 24 May 2018