2025 Prahran state by-election
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| country = Victoria
| type = by-election
| ongoing = no
| vote_type = Primary
| previous_election = 2022 Victorian state election
| previous_year = 2022
| next_election = 2026 Victorian state election
| next_year = 2026
| election_date = 8 February 2025
| seats_for_election = Electoral district of Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
| turnout = 68.28%
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image = Liberal Placeholder.png|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| candidate1 = Rachel Westaway
| party1 = Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)
| popular_vote1 = 11,443
| percentage1 = 36.19%
| swing1 = {{increase}} 5.1
| image2 = {{CSS image crop |Image = Angelica Di Camillo.png|bSize = 150|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 14|Location = center}}
| candidate2 = Angelica Di Camillo
| party2 = Australian Greens Victoria
| popular_vote2 = 11,442
| percentage2 = 36.19%
| swing2 = {{decrease}} 0.2
| image3 = {{CSS image crop | Image = Tony Lupton pictured in 2024.jpg|bSize = 140|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 3|oLeft = 15|Location = center}}
| candidate3 = Tony Lupton
| party3 = Independent
| popular_vote3 = 4,021
| percentage3 = 12.72%
| swing3 = {{increase}} 12.7
| 1blank = 2CP
| 2blank = 2CP swing
| 1data1 = 51.35%
| 2data1 = {{increase}} 13.4
| 1data2 = 48.65%
| 2data2 = {{decrease}} 13.4
| map_image = File:Electoral district of Prahran (Victoria) 2022.svg
| map_size =
| map_caption = Location of the electoral district of Prahran
| title = MP
| before_election = Sam Hibbins
| before_party = Independent
| after_election = Rachel Westaway
| after_party = Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division)
}}
The 2025 Prahran state by-election was held on 8 February 2025 to elect the member for Prahran in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, following the resignation of incumbent MP Sam Hibbins, who had held the seat for the Victorian Greens since the 2014 election. The poll took place on the same day as a by-election for Werribee.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-23/prahran-mp-sam-hibbins-resigns-from-parliament/104639568|title=Prahran MP Sam Hibbins announces he is quitting parliament|work=ABC News|date=23 November 2024|first=Andy |last=Yu}}{{cite Hansard|url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/parliamentary-activity/hansard/hansard-details/HANSARD-2145855009-28764|speaker=The Speaker|access-date=28 November 2024|title=Members: Member for Prahran: Resignation|house=Legislative Assembly|jurisdiction=Parliament of Victoria|date=26 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241128001141/https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/parliamentary-activity/hansard/hansard-details/HANSARD-2145855009-28764|archive-date=28 November 2024 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
Hibbins resigned from the Greens on 1 November 2024, after it emerged that he had engaged in an extramarital affair with a staff member from his office, which he described as a "human mistake".{{Cite web |first1=Annika |last1=Smethurst |first2=Broede |last2=Carmody |date=2024-11-01 |title='I am angry': Greens leader says co-deputy never welcome back after staffer affair revelation |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/greens-co-deputy-quits-over-affair-with-staffer-20241101-p5kn4n.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=The Age |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2024-11-01 |title=Victorian Greens leader condemns behaviour of MP who resigned over relationship with staffer |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-01/victoria-greens-mp-prahran-sam-hibbins-steps-down-relationship/104548724 |access-date=2024-11-01 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} He moved to the crossbench and sat as an independent until delivering his resignation as a member of parliament on 23 November 2024.
The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Rachel Westaway with a two-candidate-preferred vote swing of 13.6% against the Greens.{{cite web |title=State opposition gains Prahran seat from Greens in tight by-election race |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-08/victoria-werribee-and-prahran-byelection-results/104914390 |publisher=ABC News |access-date=8 February 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250208131942/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-08/victoria-werribee-and-prahran-byelection-results/104914390 |archive-date=8 February 2025 |date=8 February 2025}} Greens leader Ellen Sandell conceded defeat the day after the by-election, blaming the loss on preference flows and the by-election's timing.{{cite web |last1=Hales |first1=Holly |last2=Ward |first2=Rachael |last3=Bannister |first3=Maeve |title=Greens concede Prahran as Werribee hangs in the balance |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/vote-counting-continues-dual-victorian-163000505.html |agency=AAP |publisher=Yahoo! News |access-date=9 February 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209055419/https://au.news.yahoo.com/vote-counting-continues-dual-victorian-163000505.html |archive-date=9 February 2025 |date=9 February 2025}}
Background
=Seat details=
Prahran is an electoral district in the inner-southern suburbs of Melbourne, encompassing the suburbs of South Yarra, Windsor, parts of St Kilda and St Kilda East. The seat has existed since 1889 and has experienced notable political shifts over the years. In 1951, the seat saw a by-election which was won by the Victorian Labor Party. Historically, the electorate has alternated between the Labor and Liberal parties. However, in 2014, the Greens made a significant breakthrough when Sam Hibbins won the seat, despite finishing third in the primary vote, by securing preferences from the two major parties. Before his resignation, Hibbins would go on to retain the seat for the Greens at the time, narrowly in 2018 and increasing the party's margin in 2022.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-23 |title=Prahran by-election, 2025 |url=https://www.tallyroom.com.au/prahranby2025#geography |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=The Tally Room |language=en-US}}
Demographically, Prahran is one of Victoria's more affluent electorates. At the time of the 2021 Australian census, the seat had a median weekly personal income of $1,330, significantly higher than the state ($803) and national ($805) averages. More than half of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (53.5%), and the median age of residents (35) is slightly younger than both the state and national rates (38).{{Census 2021 AUS |name=Prahran (Southern Metropolitan) |id=SED26806 |quick=on |access-date=2024-11-24}}
= Electoral history =
| class="wikitable"
|+Two-candidate preferred vote in Prahran, 1992–2022 ! colspan="2" |Election !1992 !1996 !1999 !2002 !2006 !2010 !2014 !2018 !2022 |
| align="right"
| width="1pt" {{Australian party style|Liberal}} | | {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |57.80% | {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |54.60% | {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |54.00% | 45.60% | 46.40% | {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |54.80% | 49.63% | 42.55% | 38.00% |
| align="right" style="border-bottom: 2px solid darkgray;"
| width="1pt" {{Australian party style|Labor}} | | 42.20% | 45.40% | 46.00% | {{Australian party shading/Labor}}|54.40% | {{Australian party shading/Labor}}|53.60% | 45.20% | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} |
| align="right"
| width="1pt" {{Australian party style|Greens}} | | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{Australian party shading/Greens}}|50.37% | {{Australian party shading/Greens}}|57.45% | {{Australian party shading/Greens}}|62.00% |
| align="right"
! colspan="2" |Government ! {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |L/NP ! {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |L/NP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP ! {{Australian party shading/Liberal}} |L/NP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP ! {{Australian party shading/Labor}} |ALP |
=2022 election results=
{{excerpt|Results of the 2022 Victorian state election (Legislative Assembly)|section=Prahran}}
Key events
- 23 November 2024 − Sam Hibbins resigns
- 27 December 2024 − Close of electoral roll
- 29 January 2025 − Early voting begins
- 8 February 2025 − Polling day
Candidates
Candidates are listed in the order they appeared on the ballot.{{cite web |title=Find Prahran District by-election candidates |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/prahran-district-by-election/prahran-district-nominations |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission |access-date=17 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250117034238/https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/prahran-district-by-election/prahran-district-nominations |archive-date=17 January 2025 |date=17 January 2025}}
=Greens=
On 2 December 2024, the Victorian Greens announced their candidate {{Cite web |date=2024-12-11 |title=Angelica Di Camillo for Prahran |url=https://angelicadicamillo.com/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=Angelica Di Camillo for Prahran |language=en-GB}}as environmental engineer Angelica Di Camillo. Di Camillo was the Greens candidate at the 2023 Aston by-election, and was also preselected by the party to contest the electorate of Higgins at the 2025 federal election prior to the seat's abolition.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-02/angelica-di-camillo-announced-greens-sam-hibbins/104671834|title=New Greens candidate Angelica Di Camillo set to square off against Liberals in upcoming Prahran by-election|work=ABC News|date=2 December 2024}}
=Liberal=
Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto announced on 25 November 2024 that the party would contest Prahran, having last held the seat with Clem Newton-Brown from 2010 to 2014. Rachel Westaway, a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and previously an unsuccessful Liberal candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Council at the 2003 state election, was preselected as the party's candidate{{Cite web |title=Rachel Westaway |url=https://vic.liberal.org.au/team/rachel-westaway |access-date=2025-01-09 |website=vic.liberal.org.au}} on 15 December 2024.
=Labor=
On 27 November 2024, state premier and Labor leader Jacinta Allan announced that the party would not field a candidate at the by-election.{{cite news|url=https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/labor-opts-against-running-a-candidate-in-prahran-byelection-triggered-by-former-greens-mp-sam-hibbins-resignation/news-story/85f5c5e2f95efa6ef7f1e081bb042395|title=Labor opts against running a candidate in Prahran by-election triggered by resignation of former Greens MP Sam Hibbins |publisher=Sky News Australia|date=27 November 2024|access-date=27 November 2024}} The party last held Prahran from 2002 to 2010 with Tony Lupton and was narrowly defeated by Hibbins at the 2014 Victorian state election.{{Cite news |last1=Kolovos |first1=Benita |date=2024-11-24 |title=Victorian Labor considering push to retake Prahran after surprise resignation of former Greens MP |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/24/victorian-labor-considering-push-to-retake-prahran-after-surprise-resignation-of-former-greens-mp |access-date=2024-11-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |date=2024-11-24 |title=Following a shock resignation, a three-way political battle has begun in this affluent Melbourne electorate |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-25/prahran-byelection-sam-hibbins-litmus-test-labor-liberal-greens/104641366 |access-date=2024-11-24 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}} This was the first election in Prahran history, not to have a Labor candidate running. However, Lupton himself recontested the seat as an independent, citing community support for his candidacy.{{cite news|url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/ex-labor-mp-brands-his-old-party-cowardly-as-he-seeks-re-election-20241208-p5kwq2.html|title=Ex-Labor MP brands his old party 'cowardly' as he seeks re-election|publisher=The Age|date=8 December 2024|access-date=10 December 2024}}
How-to-vote cards
Candidates can provide how-to-vote cards with recommendations for voters on how to preference other parties.{{cite web |title=How-to-vote card guidelines |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/become-a-state-election-candidate/how-to-vote-cards |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission |access-date=1 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119181251/https://vec.vic.gov.au/candidates-and-parties/become-a-state-election-candidate/how-to-vote-cards |archive-date=19 January 2025}} Nathan Chisholm, Alan Menadue and the Sustainable Australia Party did not recommend any preferences.{{cite web |title=Prahran District by-election how-to-vote cards |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/prahran-district-by-election/how-to-vote-cards |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission |access-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250202090500/https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/prahran-district-by-election/how-to-vote-cards |archive-date=2 February 2025}} Additionally, conservative lobby group Advance registered a how-to-vote card, calling for Greens candidate Angelica Di Camillo to be preferenced last.{{cite web |title=THE GREENS ARE NOT WHO THEY USED TO BE |url=https://itsitecoreblobvecprd01.blob.core.windows.net/public-files/State/HTVC/5bbfea9c-8fb2-401f-90e2-be7e263b4f3a/advance%20australia%20final.pdf |publisher=Victorian Electoral Commission |access-date=2 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250202094446/https://itsitecoreblobvecprd01.blob.core.windows.net/public-files/State/HTVC/5bbfea9c-8fb2-401f-90e2-be7e263b4f3a/advance%20australia%20final.pdf |archive-date=2 February 2025}}
Results
{{Election box begin
|title =
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = liberal vic
|candidate = Rachel Westaway
|votes = 11,443
|percentage = 36.19
|change = +5.1
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = greens vic
|candidate = Angelica Di Camillo
|votes = 11,442
|percentage = 36.19
|change = −0.2
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = independent
|candidate = Tony Lupton
|votes = 4,021
|percentage = 12.72
|change = +12.7
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = independent
|candidate = Nathan Chisholm
|votes = 1,672
|percentage = 5.29
|change = +5.3
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = animal justice
|candidate = Faith Fuhrer
|votes = 879
|percentage = 2.78
|change = −0.4
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = independent
|candidate = Janine Hendry
|votes = 505
|percentage = 1.60
|change = +1.6
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = independent
|candidate = Buzz Billman
|votes = 465
|percentage = 1.47
|change = +1.5
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = sustainable australia
|candidate = Dennis Bilic
|votes = 430
|percentage = 1.36
|change = +1.4
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = family first 2021
|candidate = Geneviève Gilbert
|votes = 340
|percentage = 1.08
|change = −0.5
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = libertarian
|candidate = Mark Dessau
|votes = 292
|percentage = 0.92
|change = +0.9
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = independent
|candidate = Alan Menadue
|votes = 126
|percentage = 0.40
|change = −0.7
}}
{{Election box formal
|votes = 31,615
|percentage = 96.1
|change = −0.8
}}
{{Election box informal
|votes = 1,271
|percentage = 3.86
|change = +0.8
}}
{{Election box turnout
|votes = 32,886
|percentage = 68.28
|change = −14.4
}}
{{Election box 2cp}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = liberal vic
|candidate = Rachel Westaway
|votes = 16,234
|percentage = 51.35
|change = +13.4
}}
{{Election box candidate AU party
|party = greens vic
|candidate = Angelica Di Camillo
|votes = 15,381
|percentage = 48.65
|change = −13.4
}}
{{Election box gain AU party|
|winner = liberal vic
|loser = greens vic
|swing = +13.4
}}
{{election box end}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/voting/current-elections/prahran-district-by-election Prahran District by-election] at Victorian Electoral Commission
- [https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/prahran-by-election-2025 Prahran by-election 2025] at ABC News
{{Victorian state by-elections 60th parl}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prahran by-election, 2025}}