1879 Mudgee colonial by-election

A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Mudgee on 6 January 1879 because of the resignation of Sir John Robertson who was then appointed to the Legislative Council,[1] to facilitate the coalition of his supporters and those of Sir Henry Parkes to form an effective government.[2]

Dates

Date	Event
14 December 1878	Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and close of electoral rolls.[3]
30 December 1878	Nominations
6 January 1879	Polling day
21 January 1879	Return of writ

Candidates

• Richard Rouse was a former member for Mudgee,[4] winning the 1876 by-election,[5] before being defeated by Robertson at the 1877 election.[6]
• David Buchanan was a former member for Goldfields West,[7] who had been defeated at the 1877 election.[8]

Results

1879 Mudgee by-election [9]

Candidate		Votes	%
Richard Rouse		895	50.03
David Buchanan		894	49.97
Informal votes		0	0.00
Turnout		1,789	43.57

Petition

Buchannan's supporters petitioned the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly against the return of Rouse, alleging that

1. The returning officer illegally voted in the election and voted for Rouse;
2. That a voter had left his vote for Rouse on the table and not placed it in the ballot box;
3. The Poll Clerk at one booth did not appear until 10:00 am despite voting commencing at 9:00 am; and
4. The electoral roll included two men under 21 years old who had voted for Rouse.

The Committee of Elections and Qualifications overturned the election of Rouse and declared that Buchanan was elected as the member for Mudgee. No reasons were published however The Sydney Morning Herald stated that it appeared that the majority of Mr Rouse was created by illegal voting.[10]

See also

• Electoral results for the district of Mudgee
• List of New South Wales state by-elections

References

1. "The Honourable Sir John Robertson summoned to the Legislative Council". New South Wales Government Gazette (406). 21 December 1878. p. 5113. Retrieved 10 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
2. Nairn, Bede. "Robertson, Sir John (1816–1891)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 10 October 2019 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
3. "Writ of election: Mudgee". New South Wales Government Gazette (391). New South Wales, Australia. 14 December 1878. p. 4987. Retrieved 10 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Mr Richard Rouse (1842-1903)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
5. Green, Antony. "1876 results Mudgee". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
6. Green, Antony. "1877 results Mudgee". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
7. "Mr David Buchanan (1823-1890)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
8. Green, Antony. "1877 results Goldfields West". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
9. Green, Antony. "1879 results Mudgee". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
10. "The Committee of Elections and Qualifications". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 March 1879. p. 5. Retrieved 10 October 2019 – via National Library of Australia.