2016 Orange state by-election

A by-election for the seat of Orange in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held on 12 November 2016. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Nationals MP Andrew Gee on 6 May to contest the division of Calare at the 2016 federal election. The by-election was won by Philip Donato of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party—the first seat won by the party in a state lower house.

2016 Orange state by-election
12 November 2016
The electoral district of Orange in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Registered56,242
Turnout88.3% 3.2
  First party Second party
 
Candidate Philip Donato Scott Barrett
Party Shooters, Fishers, Farmers National
Percentage 23.8% 31.6%
Swing 23.8 34.0
2CP 50.1% 49.9%
2CP change 50.1 21.8
The electoral district of Orange is located in regional New South Wales.
MP before election

Andrew Gee
National

 Elected MP

Philip Donato
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers

By-elections for the seats of Canterbury and Wollongong were held on the same day.

Background

The federal seat of Calare was vacated at the 2016 federal election by the retirement of John Cobb, who had held the seat for the National Party since 2007, and the seat of Parkes before that. On 30 April 2016, state member for Orange Andrew Gee contested and won a Nationals preselection ballot against three other candidates.[1]

Although Orange was considered a safe Nationals seat with Gee holding the seat on a margin of 21.7 and the party having held the seat since 1947, a backlash against the Nationals was expected due in part to the Baird government's previous proposal to ban greyhound racing and the merger of a number of local councils.[2]

Dates
Date Event
30 May 2016 Andrew Gee ceased to be a member of parliament.[3]
23 September 2016 Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls.[4]
27 October 2016 Close of nominations for candidates
12 November 2016 Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm
25 November 2016 Return of writ

Candidates

The eight candidates in ballot paper order are as follows:[5]

Candidate nominations
Party Candidate Notes (not on ballot paper)
  The Greens Janelle Bicknell Registered nurse specialising in mental health for older people. Greens candidate for Orange at the 2015 state election.[6]
  The Nationals Scott Barrett Campaign manager, co-ordinator and policy advisor for the National Party.[6]
  Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Philip Donato Police prosecutor.[6]
  Independent Kevin Duffy Local councillor on Cabonne and Orange City Councils. Labor candidate for Orange in 2007 and 2011, and Calare in 2010.[6]
  Independent Scott Munro Orange City councillor, grazier and butcher. Unsuccessfully contested Nationals preselection for Orange and Calare.[6]
  Country Labor Bernard Fitzsimon Public Service Association and union delegate. Labor candidate for Orange in 2015.[6]
  Christian Democratic Party Dianne Decker Disability services sector worker and former Forbes councillor.[6]
  Independent Ian Donald Geologist and business consultant.[6]

Results
2016 Orange by-election
Saturday 12 November [7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
National Scott Barrett 15,267 31.6 −34.0
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Philip Donato 11,487 23.8 +23.8
Country Labor Bernard Fitzsimon 8,865 18.3 −5.0
Independent Scott Munro 4,527 9.4 +9.4
Independent Kevin Duffy 3,182 6.6 +6.6
Greens Janelle Bicknell 2,739 5.7 −1.1
Christian Democrats Dianne Decker 1,633 3.4 +2.6
Independent Ian Donald 644 1.3 +1.3
Total formal votes 48,344 97.3 +0.2
Informal votes 1,343 2.7 −0.2
Turnout 49,687 88.3 −3.2
Two-candidate-preferred result[8]
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers Philip Donato 18,593 50.1 +50.1
National Scott Barrett 18,543 49.9 −21.8
Shooters, Fishers, Farmers gain from National SwingN/A

On election night, a notional two-party-preferred count was conducted between the Nationals and Labor, which was abandoned when it became apparent that the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party would be in second place. A two-candidate-preferred check count completed on 16 November showed the SFFP ahead by 84 votes. When the official distribution of preferences took place on 17 November, the count ended with the Nationals in front by 66 votes.[9] The Shooters Party contested the result, claiming an error in the count of about 100 votes.[10] A review of the ballots found a bundle of votes had been wrongly applied in the distribution, and the result was a win for Philip Donato by 55 votes.[9] The National Party requested a recount, which was granted and was conducted Monday 21 November.[11] The recount confirmed the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party's win by a margin of 50 votes.[12]

See also

References
  1. "Andrew Gee wins prized pre selection for Federal seat of Calare". Wellington Times. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. "NSW by-elections: Nationals face greyhound backlash in Orange and ALP risking Wollongong". ABC News. 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. "Mr Andrew Robert Gee (1968 - )". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  4. "Writ of election: Orange" (PDF). Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (76). 23 September 2016. p. 2697. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  5. "List of Nominated Candidates". Electoral Commission NSW. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  6. Green, Antony. "2016 Orange by-election". ABC Elections. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  7. "First Preference Votes Report Parliamentary Election: Orange". Electoral Commission New South Wales. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  8. "Distribution of Preferences Report Parliamentary Election: Orange". November State By-Elections 12-NOV-2016. Electoral Commission NSW. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  9. Green, Antony. "Orange By-election Commentary". ABC Elections. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  10. "Shooters cast doubt as Barrett takes byelection lead from Donato". The Central West Advocate. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  11. Nicholls, Sean (18 November 2016). "Shooters finish first in Orange byelection but recount requested by Nationals". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  12. Woodburn, Joanna (21 November 2016). "Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party claim first seat in NSW Lower House after Orange re-count". ABC News. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
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