A by-election was held in the
Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of
Mulgrave on 5 December 1998. It was triggered by the resignation of sitting
One Nation member
Charles Rappolt
Charles Robert "Charlie" Rappolt (23 August 1939 – 2 August 1999) was an Australian politician. A member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party, Rappolt spent five turbulent months in the Parliament of Queensland in 1998.
A native of Cair ...
.
The by-election was won by
Labor candidate
Warren Pitt.
Background
Charles Rappolt came to parliament as one of 11
One Nation candidates elected at the
1998 state election. Rappolt won the seat of
Mulgrave with 54.2% of the
two party preferred
In Australian politics, the two-party-preferred vote (TPP or 2PP) is the result of an election or opinion poll after preferences have been distributed to the highest two candidates, who in some cases can be independents. For the purposes of TPP, ...
vote.
However, Rappolt found it difficult to cope with the pressures of public life and resigned his seat just four months into his term.
Candidates
The by-election pitted two former members for Mulgrave against each other. The
National Party endorsed
Naomi Wilson who had held the seat from 1995 to 1998 before her defeat to Rappolt at the 1998 state election. The
Labor Party preselected
Warren Pitt, member for Mulgrave from 1989 to 1995 before his defeat to Wilson at the
1995 state election. Pitt had also unsuccessfully stood for the seat at the 1998 state election, and would have won if not for
Coalition
A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces.
Formation
According to ''A Gui ...
preferences leaking to Rappolt.
One Nation chose Peter Boniface to defend the seat.
Result
With One Nation failing to repeat their strong state election performance, the contest reverted to a more typical Labor versus National contest. Labor's Warren Pitt prevailed narrowly.
Aftermath
Where previously the Labor government of
Peter Beattie had governed in the minority—they held 44 seats in an 89-seat parliament and depended upon the support of independent MP
Peter Wellington—their victory in Mulgrave gave the government an outright majority of 45 seats.
See also
*
List of Queensland state by-elections
The following is a list of state by-elections for the Queensland Legislative Assembly held in the Australian state of Queensland:
2020–2029
2010–2019
2000–2009
1990–1999
1980–1989
1970–1979
1960–1969
1950–1959
194 ...
References
{{Qld by-elections 49th parl
1998 elections in Australia
Queensland state by-elections
1990s in Queensland