A by-election for the seat of Kew was held on 17 April 1971 following the resignation of then Deputy Premier, Arthur Rylah. The by-election was won by Liberal candidate, Rupert Hamer, he won with a 64.8% primary vote and a swing of 23.1% in his primary vote.
Background
Since it was first created in 1927, the electoral district of Kew has typically been a safe seat for the Liberal Party.
The by-election was called after the sitting member and Deputy Premier at the time, Arthur Rylah, resigned from parliament. Rylah's resignation followed a failed attempt from members of the local East Kew branch to challenge his preselection. A month after Rylah's resignation announcement, he has collapsed at his desk and spent the following four months in hospital.[1]
↑Costar, B. J. (2002). "Rylah, Sir Arthur Gordon (1909–1974)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
Hughes, Colin A. (1987). Voting for the Australian state lower houses, 1975–1984. Canberra: Dept. of Political Science, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. ISBN0-909779-24-4.