1918 Cobar state by-election
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The 1918 Cobar state by-election was scheduled to be held on 1 June 1918 to elect the member for Cobar in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, following the death of Labor Party MP Charles Fern.[1]
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1 June 1918
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Electoral district of Cobar in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 8,088[a] | |||||||||||||||
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The only candidate to contest was Labour's Mat Davidson, and he was declared elected at the close of candidate nominations on 11 May 1918.[2][3] The Nationalist Party chose not to contest based on the precedent set at the 1915 by-elections in Armidale and Willoughby, which were not contested by the major non-incumbent party in either seat after the sitting members were killed in action at Gallipoli.[4][5]
Key events
- 18 April 1918 â Charles Fern dies
- 1 May 1918 â Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly[6]
- 11 May 1918 â Candidate nominations[7]
- 1 June 1918 â Polling day (no poll held)
- 17 June 1918 â Return of writ (scheduled date)
Candidates
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Mat Davidson | Alderman on Cobar Municipal Council | |
Additionally, former MP Arthur Rae was reported to be contesting as Labor's candidate, but this did not eventuate.[8][9]
Result
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | Mat Davidson | unopposed | |||
| Registered electors | 8,088[a] | ||||
| Labor hold | |||||
See also
Notes
- Estimate based on a roll of 8,088 at the 1917 election.[11]