1945 Prahran state by-election

Registered32,442^[1][2]

Turnout74.6% ( 8.7)

1945 Prahran state by-election

← 1943 18 August 1945 Nov. 1945 →
Electoral district of Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Registered	32,442[1][2]
Turnout	74.6% ( 8.7)
First party Second party Third party   Candidate Bill Quirk Frank Collins Leslie Sampson Party Labor Liberal Communist Primary vote 11,143 9,078 1,896 Percentage 47.3% 38.5% 8.0% Swing 9.2 10.6[a] 4.6 After preferences 50.1% 41.3% 8.7%
MP before election John Ellis Liberal Elected MP Bill Quirk Labor

The 1945 Prahran state by-election was held on 18 August 1945 to elect the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the death of Liberal Party MP John Ellis.^[3] It was held on the same day as a New South Wales state by-election in Blacktown and a federal by-election in Fremantle.^[4][5]

Labor candidate Bill Quirk gained the seat after a swing of more than 10% away from the Liberals.^[a] Quirk retained the seat three months later at the state election in November 1945 and held it again in 1947, serving until his death in 1948.^[6]

This was the first of three by-elections in Prahran held in a timeframe of six years, with by-elections also held in 1949 (to replace Quirk) and 1951.^[7][8]