2012 Sydney state by-election

{{Short description|Election result for Sydney, New South Wales, Australia}} {{Use Australian English|date=March 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox election | country = New South Wales | type = parliamentary | ongoing = no | election_date = 27 October 2012

| image1 = 150x150px | candidate1 = Alex Greenwich | party1 = Independent politician | popular_vote1 = '''17,687''' | percentage1 = '''47.3%''' | swing1 = {{increase}} 47.3

| image2 = 150x150px | candidate2 = Shayne Mallard | party2 = Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division) | popular_vote2 = 11,543 | percentage2 = 30.9% | swing2 = {{decrease}} 5.3

| image3 = 150x150px | candidate3 = Chris Harris | party3 = The Greens NSW | popular_vote3 = 6,616 | percentage3 = 17.7% | swing3 = {{increase}} 4.9

| 1blank = TPP | 2blank = TPP swing | 1data1 = '''63.7%''' | 2data1 = {{increase}} 63.7 | 1data2 = 36.3% | 2data2 = {{decrease}} 10.6

| map_image = Sydney NSW State Electoral District.png | map_caption = Electoral district of Sydney in central metropolitan Sydney | map_size = 250px

| title = MP | before_election = Clover Moore | before_party = Independent politician | after_election = Alex Greenwich | after_party = Independent politician }}

A by-election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Sydney was held on Saturday 27 October 2012. The by-election was triggered by the resignation of independent MP Clover Moore due to the legislation preventing dual membership of state parliament and local council.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|NSW|repealed_act|lgaopa2012448 | An Act to amend the Local Government Act 1993 to prevent a member of Parliament from also holding office as a councillor or mayor.}}</ref>

Following the 2012 local government elections in which Moore was re-elected for a third term as Lord Mayor of Sydney, Moore resigned from NSW Parliament. Laws passed through NSW Parliament in 2012 ceased dual state parliament and local council representation.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Law passed to prohibit 'dual roles' in NSW |date=3 April 2012|access-date=15 September 2012 |author=Page, Don |author-link=Don Page (politician) |url=http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Information/Media%20Release%20-%20Laws%20passed%20to%20prohibit%20dual%20roles%20in%20NSW.pdf |publisher=Government of New South Wales |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823161419/http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/documents/Information/Media%20Release%20-%20Laws%20passed%20to%20prohibit%20dual%20roles%20in%20NSW.pdf |archive-date=23 August 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Raue, Ben |url=https://www.tallyroom.com.au/sydb2012 |title=2012 Sydney by-election |publisher=Tally Room |year=2012 |access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/2012/08/heffron-by-election-background-posted.html |title=Heffron By-election Background |work=Election Blog |author=Green, Antony |author-link=Antony Green |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |year=2012 |access-date=10 August 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/seven-try-to-roll-clover-moore/story-fndo317g-1226446218536 |title=Seven try to roll Clover Moore |work=Herald Sun |date=9 August 2012 |access-date=10 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.afr.com/p/national/moore_victory_triggers_nsw_byelection_M0PzT3UWRL2XG59rITyGLM |title=Moore victory triggers NSW byelection |work=Australian Financial Review |date=9 September 2012 |access-date=10 August 2012 }}</ref>

Alex Greenwich, an independent candidate backed by Moore easily won the seat.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/nsw/moores-successor-through-in-byelection-20121027-28cbg.html |title=Moore's successor through in byelection |work=The Sun Herald |author=Aston, Heath |date=28 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/clover-moores-successor-alex-greenwich-to-take-her-seat/story-fndo317g-1226504563319 |title=Clover Moore's successor Alex Greenwich to take her seat |work=The Sunday Telegraph |location=Australia |date=28 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012 |author=Crawford, Barclay }}</ref><ref name=res1/><ref name=res3/>

==Dates== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Date ! Event{{hsp}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/elections/sydney_state_by-election_27_october_2012 |title=Kay dates |work=Election of Legislative Assembly Member for Sydney |publisher=Electoral Commission of New South Wales |date=3 October 2012 |access-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref> |- | 8 October 2012 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202012_2012-106.pdf |title=Writ of election: Sydney |newspaper=Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales |issue=106 |page=4319 |date=8 October 2012 |access-date=12 October 2019}}</ref> |- | 10 October 2012 | Close of party nominations |- | 11 October 2012 | Close of independent nominations, ballot paper order draw conducted |- | 15 October 2012 | Early voting began |- | 27 October 2012 | Polling day, between the hours of 8 am and 6 pm |}

==Background== Moore was first elected to the marginal seat of Bligh at the 1988 election. Her largest primary vote was 43.7 percent in 1991, while her largest two-candidate preferred vote was 64.7 percent in 2003. The seat was replaced by Sydney at the 2007 election, where Moore retained the seat with a primary vote of 39.6 percent (+7.2) and a two-candidate preferred vote of 66.6 percent (+1.6) against {{Australian politics/name|Labor NSW}}. At the 2011 election, Moore retained the seat with a primary vote of 36.3 percent and a two-candidate vote of 53.1 percent against the {{Australian politics/name|Liberal NSW}}s with a primary vote of 36.2 percent (+14.6), the {{Australian politics/name|Greens NSW}} on 12.8 percent (−2.8), and Labor on 11.3 percent (−8.7). In two-party preferred terms, the seat had a Liberal vote of 65.5 percent (+22.4) against Labor.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2011/guide/sydn.htm |title=Sydney 2011 election results |first=Antony |last=Green |authorlink=Antony Green |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |date=4 April 2011 |work=NSW Votes 2011 }}</ref><ref name=abc1 >{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2012/sydney/ |title=Sydney 2012 by-election background |first=Antony |last=Green |authorlink=Antony Green |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |work=ABC Elections }}</ref>

There was a 16.3 percent two-party preferred swing away from the Coalition government at the 2011 Clarence by-election. The Coalition did not contest the 2012 Heffron by-election which Labor retained with an increased margin. Labor strategically chose not to contest the Sydney by-election.<ref name=ta >{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/labor-opts-out-of-clovers-seat-to-give-her-candidate-a-chance-over-lib/story-e6frgczx-1226477625750 |title= Labor opts out of Clover's seat to give her candidate a chance over Lib |work=The Australian |date=20 September 2012 |author=Salusinszky, Imre |authorlink=Imre Salusinszky |access-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref>

==Candidates== The five candidates in ballot paper order were as follows: {| class="wikitable" ! colspan=4 | Candidates{{hsp}}<ref name=abc1 /> |- | {{Australian party style|Christian Democrats}}|  | Christian Democratic Party | Robyn Peebles | Pastor of West Ryde Church of the Good Shepherd, state and federal serial candidate. |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|  | Independent | Alex Greenwich | LGBT rights campaigner, leader of Australian Marriage Equality. Endorsed by Clover Moore.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/sydney-mayor-slams-media-get-clover-laws/story-e6frf7kf-1226478142607 |title=Moore backs marriage-equality advocate |agency=AAP |work=Herald Sun |date=20 September 2012 |access-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref> |- | {{Australian party style|Greens}}|  | Greens | Chris Harris | Councillor for City of Sydney 2004–2012. Contested Sydney in 2007. |- | {{Australian party style|Liberal}}|  | Liberal Party | Shayne Mallard | Councillor for City of South Sydney 2000–2004 and City of Sydney 2004–2012. LGBT rights campaigner.<ref name="ABC">{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Ashley |url=https://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2231501.htm |title=Gay marriage campaign to continue |work=The World Today |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |format=transcript |date=30 April 2008 |access-date=31 October 2010}}</ref> Contested Bligh in 2003. |- | {{Australian party style|Independent}}|  | Independent | Glenn Wall | Long-term local activist, most recently involved with the Occupy Sydney movement. |- |}

==Polling== *On 26 September 2012, 422 voters (5% MoE) in the seat were robocall polled by ReachTel. Greenwich was on a primary vote of 31.4 percent, the Liberals were on 30.6 percent, the Greens were on 25.4 percent, with 'others' on 12.5 percent (respondents were told Labor was not fielding a candidate).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reachtel.com.au/blogs/sydney-by-election-neck-and-neck |title=Sydney by-election neck and neck |publisher=ReachTEL |date=2 October 2012 |access-date=2 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024062655/http://www.reachtel.com.au/blogs/sydney-by-election-neck-and-neck |archive-date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although no two-candidate preferred vote was given, the ABC's election analyst Antony Green said Greenwich would have been favoured to win on preferences given that Labor decided not to run a candidate.<ref>{{cite news |author=Toovey, Josephine |url=https://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tied-in-the-lead-for-moore-seat-20121001-26vgg.html |title=Tied in the lead for Moore seat |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2 October 2012 |access-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref>

==Results== {{Election box begin |title=<includeonly></includeonly>2012 Sydney by-election<includeonly></includeonly><br>Saturday 27 October{{hsp}}<ref name=res1>{{cite web |url=http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/results/by-elections/state/2012_sydney_by-election_results |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031031040/http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/results/by-elections/state/2012_sydney_by-election_results |archive-date=2012-10-31 |title=2012 Sydney By-election Results |publisher=Electoral Commission of New South Wales}}</ref><ref name=res3>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/elections/nsw/2012/sydney/result.htm |work=2012 Sydney by-election |title=Results |author=Green, Antony |authorlink=Antony Green |publisher=ABC News |location=Australia |date=30 October 2012 |access-date=30 October 2012 }}</ref> }} {{Election box candidate AU party |candidate = Alex Greenwich |party = Independent |votes = 17,687 |percentage = 47.3 |change = +47.3 }}

{{Election box candidate AU party |candidate = Shayne Mallard |party = Liberal NSW |votes = 11,543 |percentage = 30.9 |change = –5.3 }}

{{Election box candidate AU party |candidate = Chris Harris |party = Greens NSW |votes = 6,616 |percentage = 17.7 |change = +4.9 }}

{{Election box candidate AU party |candidate = Glenn Wall |party = Independent |votes = 825 |percentage = 2.2 |change = +2.2 }}

{{Election box candidate AU party |candidate = Robyn Peebles |party = Christian Democrats |votes = 724 |percentage = 1.9 |change = +0.8 }}

{{Election box formal |votes = 37,395 |percentage = 97.2 |change = –0.6 }}

{{Election box informal |votes = 1,062 |percentage = 2.8 |change = +0.6 }}

{{Election box turnout |votes = 38,457 |percentage = 62.6 |change = –21.3 }}

{{Election box 2cp}} {{Election box candidate AU party |party = Independent |candidate = Alex Greenwich |votes = 21,283 |percentage = 63.7 |change = +63.7 }}

{{Election box candidate AU party |party = Liberal NSW |candidate = Shayne Mallard |votes = 12,120 |percentage = 36.3 |change = –10.6 }}

{{Election box hold AU party |winner = Independent |swing = N/A }}

{{Election box end}}<includeonly> Clover Moore ({{Australian politics/name|Independent}}) resigned.</includeonly>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sydney 2012}} Category:2012 elections in Australia Category:New South Wales state by-elections Category:2012 in New South Wales