1988 Barambah state by-election

The 1988 Barambah state by-election was held on 16 April 1988 to elect the member for Barambah in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of resignation of National MP and former premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen. Until the by-election, the seat had been considered the Nationals' safest seat in Queensland.

1988 Barambah state by-election

← 1986 16 April 1988 1989 →
Electoral district of Barambah in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Turnout	84.90% ( 8.63)
First party Second party Third party   CEC Candidate Warren Truss Trevor Perrett John Lang Party National CEC Labor Primary vote 4,754 3,639 2,033 Percentage 41.27% 31.59% 17.65% Swing 36.20 31.59 4.88 2CP 45.89% 54.11% 2CP swing 31.58 54.11
MP before election Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen National Elected MP Trevor Perrett Citizens Electoral Council

Candidates

The candidates were:^[1]

• Warren Truss of the National Party, the chairman of the Shire of Kingaroy;
• Trevor Perrett, a Kingaroy grazier and former National Party member^[2] who represented the Citizens Electoral Council, a conservative party;
• John Lang of the Labor Party; and
• Kevin Polzin, a Wondai peanut farmer who used the title "New Country Party" (not related to the New Country Party which was formed by former One Nation members in 2003).

Results

The result was a shock to most observers, and came about largely because 89% of Labor voters' preferences went to the CEC. It was seen by contemporary observers as a clear setback to new party leader Mike Ahern in his efforts to stabilise the party ahead of the 1989 election.

Barambah state by-election, 1988^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Warren Truss	4,754	41.27	−36.20
	Citizens Electoral Council	Trevor Perrett	3,639	31.59	+31.59
	Labor	John Lang	2,033	17.65	−4.88
	New Country Party	Kevin Polzin	1,092	9.48	+9.48
Total formal votes			11,518	98.15	+0.88
Informal votes			216	1.85	−0.88
Turnout			11,734	84.90	−8.63
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Citizens Electoral Council	Trevor Perrett	6,232	54.11	+54.11
	National	Warren Truss	5,286	45.89	−31.58
	Citizens Electoral Council gain from National		Swing	N/A

Aftermath

Though elected as a Citizens Electoral Council candidate, Trevor Perrett defected to the National Party in December 1988, and was re-elected as a National candidate at the 1989 state election. Perrett became a minister in the Coalition government of Rob Borbidge and held the seat of Barambah until his defeat at the 1998 state election.

Defeated National Party candidate Warren Truss was elected as the member for the division of Wide Bay at the 1990 Australian federal election. He served as a minister in the government of John Howard and became federal leader of the National Party in 2007 and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia in 2013 and served as a minister in the governments of Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

See also

• List of Queensland state by-elections