View source for 1995 Canberra by-election

{{Use Australian English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Australia
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| election_date = 25 March 1995
| previous_year = [[1993 Australian federal election|1993]]
| next_year = [[1996 Australian federal election|1996]]
| opinion_polls = #Opinion polling

| image1 = [[File:Brendan Smyth Wanniassa head.jpg|150x150px]]
| candidate1 = [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]]
| party1 = Liberal Party of Australia
| popular_vote1 = '''39,021'''
| percentage1 = '''46.29%'''
| swing1 = {{increase}} 10.07

| image2 = [[File:Labor Placeholder.png|150x150px]]
| candidate2 = Sue Robinson
| party2 = Australian Labor Party
| popular_vote2 = 25,689
| percentage2 = 30.48%
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 21.78

| image3 = [[File:Greens placeholder-01.png|150x150px]]
| candidate3 = James Warden
| party3 = Australian Greens
| popular_vote3 = 10,835
| percentage3 = 12.85%
| swing3 = {{increase}} 12.85

| 1blank = [[Two-party-preferred|TPP]]
| 2blank = TPP swing
| 1data1 = '''56.58%'''
| 2data1 = {{increase}} 16.12
| 1data2 = 43.42%
| 2data2 = {{decrease}} 16.12

| title = [[Member of parliament|MP]]
| before_election = [[Ros Kelly]]
| before_party = Australian Labor Party
| after_election = [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]]
| after_party = Liberal Party of Australia
}}
The '''1995 Canberra by-election''' was held in the [[Australia]]n electorate of [[Division of Canberra|Canberra]] in [[Australian Capital Territory]] on 25 March 1995. The [[by-election]] was triggered by the resignation of the sitting member, the [[Australian Labor Party]]'s [[Ros Kelly]] on 30 January 1995. The writ for the by-election was issued on 17 February 1995.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bachelard |first1=Michael |title=Former Alliance MP eves federal seat |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/132460003 |publisher=The Canberra Times |access-date=31 October 2024 |page=1 |date=19 January 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lynga |first1=Gosta |title=ACT Greens in federal by-election |url=https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/act-greens-federal-election |publisher=Green Left |access-date=11 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926214049/https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/act-greens-federal-election |archive-date=26 September 2020 |date=22 March 1995}}</ref>

The by-election was won by [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] candidate [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]], making it the first (and currently the only) by-election in the ACT to have been won by the Liberal Party.

The by-election took place in the shadow of the [[Sports rorts affair|"sports rorts" affair]] which resulted in Kelly's resignation as a minister.

Smyth would later contest the new seat of Namadgi at the 1996 election but was defeated. Subsequent to his career in Federal Parliament, Smyth became leader of the [[Liberal Party of Australia (Australian Capital Territory Division)|ACT Liberal Party]] from 2002 to 2006.

This was the last by election that the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] took a seat off of another party.

==Results==
{{Election box begin |
|title=1995 Canberra by-election<ref>[http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/supplementary_by_elections/Canberra.htm Canberra (ACT) By-Election (25 March 1995)]</ref><ref>[http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1993/1993repsact.txt 1993 ACT election results: Adam Carr electoral archive]</ref>
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]]
|party = Liberal
|votes = 39,021
|percentage = 46.29
|change = +10.07
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = Sue Robinson
|party = Labor
|votes = 25,689
|percentage = 30.48
|change =−21.78
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = James Warden
|party = Greens
|votes = 10,835
|percentage = 12.85
|change =+12.85
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = Robyn Spencer
|party = AAFI
|votes = 3,515
|percentage = 4.17
|change =+4.17
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = Joanne Clarke
|party = Independent
|votes = 2,274
|percentage = 2.70
|change =+2.70
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = Jerzy Gray-Grzeszkiewicz
|party = Independent
|votes = 1,956
|percentage = 2.32
|change =+2.32
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|candidate = Joseph Cotta
|party = Republican
|votes = 1,003
|percentage = 1.19
|change =+1.19
}}

{{Election box formal|
|votes = 84,293
|percentage = 96.46
|change = −0.68
}}

{{Election box informal|
|votes = 3,095
|percentage = 3.54
|change = +0.68
}}

{{Election box turnout|
  |votes      = 87,388
  |percentage = 88.57
  |change     = −8.39
}}

{{Election box 2pp}}
{{Election box candidate AU party|
|party = Liberal
|candidate = [[Brendan Smyth (politician)|Brendan Smyth]]
|votes = 47,672
|percentage = 56.58
|change =+16.12
}}

{{Election box candidate AU party|
|party = Labor
|candidate = Sue Robinson
|votes = 36,577
|percentage = 43.42
|change =−16.12
}}

{{Election box gain AU party|
  |winner     = Liberal
  |loser      = Labor
  |swing      = +16.12
}}

{{Election box end}}

==Opinion polling==
===Voting intention===
<div class="overflowbugx" style="overflow:auto; width:auto">
{| class="nowrap wikitable sortable tpl-blanktable" style=text-align:center;font-size:100%
|-
! rowspan=2|Date
! rowspan=2|Firm
! rowspan=2 class=unsortable|Interview<br/>mode
! rowspan=2 class=unsortable | Sample<br/>size
! colspan="6" |Primary vote
! colspan="2" |[[Two-party-preferred|2PP]]
|- style=background:#b0e9db
! class="unsortable" style=background:{{Australian politics/party colours|liberal act}} | {{coloured link|white|Liberal Party of Australia|LIB}}
! class="unsortable" style="background:#F00011" |  {{coloured link|white|Australian Labor Party|ALP}}
! class="unsortable" style=background:{{Australian politics/party colours|greens}} | {{coloured link|white|Australian Greens|GRN}}
! class="unsortable" style=background:{{Australian politics/party colours|aafi}} | {{coloured link|white|Australians Against Further Immigration|AAFI}}
! class=unsortable style=background:lightgray | {{tooltip|OTH|Other}}
! class=unsortable style=background:darkgrey | {{tooltip|UND|Undecided}}
! class="unsortable" style=background:{{Australian politics/party colours|liberal act}} | {{coloured link|white|Liberal Party of Australia|LIB}}
! class="unsortable" style="background:#F00011" |  {{coloured link|white|Australian Labor Party|ALP}}
|- style=background:#b0e9db
| style=text-align:left| '''25 March 1995'''
| style=text-align:left| [[#Results|1995 by-election]]
| —
| 84,293
| 46.29%
| 30.48%
| 12.85%
| 4.17%
| 6.21%
| —
| style=background:#bbeafa | 56.58%
| 43.42%
|- 
! style=text-align:left| 27 February−2 March 1995
| style=text-align:left| Internal [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] polling<ref name="laborinternal">{{cite web |last1=Henderson |first1=Ian |title=Labor poll shows Liberal win |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127519359 |publisher=The Canberra Times |access-date=27 October 2024 |page=1 |date=22 March 1995}}</ref>
| 
| 505
| 40.2%
| 30.7%
| 9.0%
| —
| 11%{{efn|[[Independent politician|Independents]] had 11%.<ref name="laborinternal"/>}}
| 5%
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
|- style=background:#DADADA;font-weight:bold
| style=text-align:left data-sort-value=13-April-2024 | 18 February 1995
| colspan=12 | [[Canberra Liberals|Liberal Party]] wins [[1995 Australian Capital Territory election|ACT election]] with 7 seats
|- 
! style=text-align:left| 28 January−7 February 1995
| style=text-align:left| ''[[The Canberra Times|Canberra Times]]''/Datacol<ref name="laborahead">{{cite web |title=Labor ahead in Ros Kelly's former seat |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/133334639 |publisher=The Canberra Times |page=3 |date=11 February 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ABOUT THE POLL |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/133334627 |publisher=The Canberra Times |page=3 |date=11 February 1995}}</ref>
| Telephone
| 916
| 29%
| 38%
| 3%
| —
| 4%{{efn|The [[Australian Democrats|Democrats]] had 3% and [[Independent politician|independents]] had 2%.<ref name="laborahead"/>}}
| 26%
| {{N/A}}
| {{N/A}}
|- style=background:#b0e9db
| style=text-align:left| '''13 March 1993'''
| style=text-align:left| [[Results of the 1993 Australian federal election in territories#Canberra|1993 election]]<ref name="carrcanb1993">{{cite web |title=CANBERRA, ACT |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1993/1993repsact.txt |publisher=Psephos: Adam Carr's Electoral Archive |access-date=27 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204234119/http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1993/1993repsact.txt |archive-date=4 December 2023 |date=13 March 1993}}</ref>
| —
| 92,382
| 36.22%
| 52.26%
| 3.46%
| —
| 8.05%{{efn|The [[Australian Democrats]] had 5.34%, the [[Abolish Self Government Coalition]] had 1.85% and the [[Natural Law Party]] had 0.86%.<ref name="carrcanb1993"/>}}
| —
| 40.44%
| {{Australian party shading/Labor}} | 59.56%
|}</div>

==See also==
* [[List of Australian federal by-elections]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Aus by-elections 37th parl}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canberra By-Election, 1995}}
[[Category:1995 elections in Australia]]
[[Category:Australian Capital Territory federal by-elections]]
[[Category:1990s in the Australian Capital Territory]]
[[Category:March 1995 in Australia]]