A by-election was held in the state electoral district of Gosford on 8 April 2017. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Kathy Smith (Labor) due to ill health.[1] It was held on the same day as the North Shore and Manly state by-elections.
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Dates
edit| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 17 March 2017 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker and close of electoral rolls |
| Noon, 22 March 2017 | Close of nominations for party-endorsed candidates |
| Noon, 23 March 2017 | Close of nominations for other candidates |
| 8 April 2017 | Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm |
Candidates
editThe candidates in ballot paper order were as follows:[2]
| Candidate nominations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Notes (not on ballot paper) | |
| Greens | Abigail Boyd | Financial lawyer | |
| Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) | Andrew Church | Gosford City Citizen of the Year 2016 and businessman[3] | |
| Animal Justice Party | Skyla Wagstaff | ||
| Labor Party | Liesl Tesch | Paralympian and local teacher. Former federal MP Belinda Neal had expressed interest in running as a candidate; however, a preselection ballot was not held.[4] | |
| Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party | Larry Freeman | Council worker | |
| Liberal Party | Jilly Pilon | Businesswoman. She attracted criticism for residing in the adjoining electorate of Terrigal instead of Gosford.[5] | |
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Liesl Tesch | 22,931 | 49.5 | +10.9 | |
| Liberal | Jilly Pilon | 14,208 | 30.7 | −11.9 | |
| Greens | Abigail Boyd | 3,454 | 7.5 | −1.5 | |
| Shooters, Fishers, Farmers | Larry Freeman | 2,378 | 5.1 | +5.1 | |
| Animal Justice | Skyla Wagstaff | 1,841 | 4.0 | +4.0 | |
| Christian Democrats | Andrew Church | 1,475 | 3.2 | +0.9 | |
| Total formal votes | 46,287 | 97.3 | +0.5 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,285 | 2.7 | −0.5 | ||
| Turnout | 47,572 | 85.0 | −5.6 | ||
| Two-party-preferred result | |||||
| Labor | Liesl Tesch | 26,440 | 62.5 | +12.3 | |
| Liberal | Jilly Pilon | 15,853 | 37.5 | −12.3 | |
| Labor hold | Swing | +12.3 | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Gosford Labor MP Kathy Smith resigns triggering by-election". ABC News. 14 February 2017.
- ^ "List of Nominated Candidates". Electoral Commission NSW. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "TV News Reports on CDP Candidate for Gosford ⋆ Christian Democratic Party". 16 March 2017.
- ^ "Claims ALP candidate Liesl Tesch 'parachuted' into Central Coast seat". ABC News. 23 February 2017.
- ^ Taylor, Matt; Noone, Richard (13 March 2017). "Liberal candidate Jilly Pilon plays down concerns over living outside Gosford electorate". The Daily Telegraph. Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ First Preference Votes Report Parliamentary Election: Gosford, Electoral Commission NSW, 13 April 2017.
- ^ State Electoral District of Gosford Distribution of Preferences, Electoral Commission NSW, 13 April 2017.