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Victoria Park state by-election, 2006


The Victoria Park state by-election, 2006 was a by-election held on 11 March 2006 for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Victoria Park in the inner southeastern suburbs of Perth.

The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labor member Dr. Geoff Gallop on 16 January 2006. Dr Gallop had represented the area since a by-election on 7 June 1986, and had served as a minister, shadow minister, Opposition Leader (1996–2001) and, finally, as Premier of Western Australia since 2001. Gallop announced his resignation as Premier and from State Parliament effective immediately in order to aid his recovery from depression, and that "in the interests of my health and my family, I've decided to rethink my career."

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly advised Parliament on 7 March 2006 that he had received a letter from Gallop on 25 January announcing his resignation as the member for Victoria Park, and announced that under section 67(2) of the Electoral Act 1907, he had on 2 February 2006 directed the Acting Electoral Commissioner to proceed with an election in the district. The battle for Labor party preselection was hard fought, with 31-year-old DPP lawyer Ben Wyatt defeating former national president of the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers' Union, Helen Creed, at a vote on 1 February 2006 of the 14-member Administrative Committee. The by-election, called for 11 March 2006, attracted a total of eleven candidates, one of the largest in Western Australian electoral history.


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