1951 Prahran state by-election
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9.5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electoral district of Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 24,715 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 84.7% ( 9.5) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1951 Prahran state by-election was held on 16 June 1951 to elect the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of Labor Party MP Frank Crean.[1][2] Crean resigned to contest the federal election on 28 April 1951, where he was elected as the member for Melbourne Ports.[3][4]
Robert Pettiona retained the seat for Labor despite a swing of 2.9% towards the Liberal and Country Party (LCP).[5][6] He retained the seat at the 1952 state election but narrowly lost it to the LCP in 1955.[7][8]
This was the final of three by-elections in Prahran held in a timeframe of six years, with by-elections also held in 1945 and 1949 (where Crean was elected).[9][10]
- 17 March 1951 – Frank Crean resigns[11]
- 11 April 1951 – Desmond McGinnes endorsed as LCP candidate
- 12 May 1951 – Robert Pettiona endorsed as Labor candidate[12]
- 28 May 1951 – Candidate nominations close[13]
- 16 June 1951 – Polling day
Candidates
Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on the ballot.[14]
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal and Country | Desmond McGinnes | Candidate for Melbourne at the 1949 federal election | |
| Labor | Robert Pettiona | President of the Federated Rubber and Allied Workers' Union of Australia | |
Labor
Robert Pettiona, the president of the Federated Rubber and Allied Workers' Union of Australia and the president of the Labor's Windsor branch, won the party's preselection.[15] He had unsuccessfully ran for Labor preselection at the 1949 Prahran by-election.[16] Pettiona three other candidates – H.E. Clarke (secretary of the Melbourne branch of the Waterside Workers' Federation), N. O'Donnell (public servant and Clerks' Union steward) and L.J. Stewart (Boot Trades Union organiser) – to win preselection.[17]
Liberal and Country
The LCP chose Desmond McGinnes, a returned soldier, as its candidate.[18] McGinnes had previously sought preselection at the 1949 Prahran by-election while serving as the president of the Prahran branch of the now-defunct Liberal Party.[19] He also contested the 1949 federal election in the seat of Melbourne against Labor's Arthur Calwell.[20]