Electoral results for the district of Sunshine

This is a list of electoral results for the Electoral district of Sunshine in Victorian state elections.

Sunshine was very safe Labor territory as the ALP has always won the seat with a primary vote.

In fact only on three occasions in 1967, 1992 and 1999 did the Labor primary vote fell below 60%.

Despite 1992 seeing the sitting Labor Government being swept away in a landslide, sitting member Ian Baker only suffered a minor swing against him on the two-party preferred basis.

In 1999, Baker was disendorsed by the ALP and ran unsuccessfully as an independent against the successful Labor candidate Telmo Languiller.

Baker as an independent won 14.2% of the vote and with Languiller winning 58.8% which equalled to more than 70% of the vote.

Members for Sunshine

First incarnation (1945-1955)
Member		Party	Term
	Ernie Shepherd	Labor Party	1945–1955
Second incarnation (1967-2002)
	Denis Lovegrove	Labor Party	1967–1973
	Bill Fogarty	Labor Party	1973–1988
	Ian Baker	Labor Party	1988–1999
	Telmo Languiller	Labor Party	1999–2002

Election results

Elections in the 1990s

1999 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Telmo Languiller	19,826	58.8	−8.8
	Liberal	Simon Morgan	9,100	27.0	−2.7
	Independent	Ian Baker	4,780	14.2	+14.2
Total formal votes			33,706	94.4	−0.8
Informal votes			1,987	5.6	+0.8
Turnout			35,693	92.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Telmo Languiller	23,643	70.1	+1.0
	Liberal	Simon Morgan	10,062	29.9	−1.0
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.0

1996 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ian Baker	22,038	67.6	+9.0
	Liberal	Mark Forytarz	9,665	29.7	+0.9
	Natural Law	Paul Treacy	876	2.7	+2.7
Total formal votes			32,579	95.2	+3.0
Informal votes			1,637	4.8	−3.0
Turnout			34,216	92.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Ian Baker	22,499	69.1	+5.8
	Liberal	Mark Forytarz	10,064	30.9	−5.8
	Labor hold		Swing	+5.8

1992 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ian Baker	17,918	58.7	−2.3
	Liberal	Bernard Reilly	8,795	28.8	+0.9
	Independent	Marion Martin	1,628	5.3	+5.3
	Independent	Charles Skidmore	1,507	4.9	+4.9
	Independent	Z. A. Derwinski	684	2.2	+2.2
Total formal votes			30,532	92.2	+1.7
Informal votes			2,583	7.8	−1.7
Turnout			33,115	94.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Ian Baker	19,296	63.3	−1.7
	Liberal	Bernard Reilly	11,172	36.7	+1.7
	Labor hold		Swing	−1.7

Elections in the 1980s

1988 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ian Baker	16,285	66.40	−4.67
	Liberal	Julie Reid	6,423	26.19	−2.74
	Independent	Alan Finch	1,817	7.41	+7.41
Total formal votes			24,525	92.39	−3.15
Informal votes			2,020	7.61	+3.15
Turnout			26,545	90.71	−1.65
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Ian Baker	17,513	71.49	+0.42
	Liberal	Julie Reid	6,984	28.51	−0.42
	Labor hold		Swing	+0.42

1985 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	19,032	71.1	−3.2
	Liberal	Aldous Hicks	7,748	28.9	+6.8
Total formal votes			26,780	95.5
Informal votes			1,251	4.5
Turnout			28,031	92.4
	Labor hold		Swing	−5.1

1982 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	19,848	72.7	+0.6
	Liberal	Mario De Bono	6,113	22.4	−0.9
	Democrats	Algimantas Kacinskas	1,351	5.0	+0.4
Total formal votes			27,312	94.9	+0.6
Informal votes			1,474	5.1	−0.6
Turnout			28,786	94.8	0.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	20,625	75.5	+1.0
	Liberal	Mario De Bono	6,687	24.5	−1.0
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.0

Elections in the 1970s

1979 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	19,188	72.1	+7.9
	Liberal	Andreas Zafiropoulos	6,198	23.3	−1.9
	Democrats	Algimantas Kacinskas	1,232	4.6	+4.6
Total formal votes			26,618	94.3	−1.0
Informal votes			1,620	5.7	+1.0
Turnout			28,238	94.8	+2.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	19,832	74.5	+2.9
	Liberal	Andreas Zafiropoulos	6,786	25.5	−2.9
	Labor hold		Swing	+2.9

1976 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	16,715	64.2	−0.2
	Liberal	David More	6,563	25.2	+0.6
	Independent	Charles Skidmore	2,771	10.6	+10.6
Total formal votes			26,049	95.3
Informal votes			1,282	4.7
Turnout			27,331	91.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	18,651	71.6	+5.9
	Liberal	David More	7,398	28.4	−5.9
	Labor hold		Swing	+5.9

1973 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	15,362	62.1	+1.3
	Liberal	Ian Ryan	6,311	25.5	+2.9
	Democratic Labor	Mary Barnes	3,065	12.4	−4.2
Total formal votes			24,738	95.5	+0.6
Informal votes			1,177	4.5	−0.6
Turnout			25,915	93.7	−2.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Bill Fogarty	15,821	64.0	+0.7
	Liberal	Ian Ryan	8,917	36.0	−0.7
	Labor hold		Swing	+0.7

1970 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Denis Lovegrove	13,976	60.8	+2.5
	Liberal	Vaclav Ubl	5,202	22.6	+1.2
	Democratic Labor	Robert Charles	3,808	16.6	+0.1
Total formal votes			22,986	94.9	−0.1
Informal votes			1,241	5.1	+0.1
Turnout			24,227	94.8	+1.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Denis Lovegrove	14,548	63.3	+0.6
	Liberal	Vaclav Ubl	8,438	36.7	−0.6
	Labor hold		Swing	+0.6

Elections in the 1960s

1967 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Denis Lovegrove	13,223	58.3	−6.3
	Liberal	Peter Ross	4,863	21.4	+2.5
	Democratic Labor	Robert Charles	3,728	16.4	−0.2
	Independent	Roy Hartley	854	3.8	+3.8
Total formal votes			22,668	95.0
Informal votes			1,199	5.0
Turnout			23,867	93.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Denis Lovegrove	14,209	62.7	−4.2
	Liberal	Peter Ross	8,459	37.3	+4.2
	Labor hold		Swing	−4.2

Elections in the 1950s

1952 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernie Shepherd	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

1950 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernie Shepherd	20,369	77.8	+8.8
	Liberal and Country	Marguerite James	5,823	22.2	−8.8
Total formal votes			26,192	99.0	0.0
Informal votes			258	1.0	0.0
Turnout			26,450	95.1	+0.8
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.8

Elections in the 1940s

1947 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernie Shepherd	16,474	69.0	−31.0
	Liberal	Lindsay Smith	7,416	31.0	+31.0
Total formal votes			23,890	99.0
Informal votes			238	1.0
Turnout			24,128	94.3
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

1945 Victorian state election: Sunshine

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernie Shepherd	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing