The 88th & final seat: Narracan votes in rare supplementary election after candidate's death

The supplementary election was triggered due to the death of Nationals candidate Shaun Gilchrist.

To watch live coverage of the Narracan supplementary election, click here.

Electors will be voting in the Narracan supplementary electon on 28 January 2023 after Nationals candidate Shaun Gilchrist died following the start of early voting for the Victorian Election in November.

As of 2018, the seat had 52,203 electors over a span of 4,503 square kilometres. The region includes the towns of Drouin and Warragul, both in the Shire of Baw Baw.

Federally, the seat is located primarily in the Divisions of Monash (held by the Liberals on 53%) and La Trobe (held by the Liberals on 59%).

---

Candidates

AJP Austin Cram (Animal Justice)

DLP Sophia Camille De Wit (Democratic Labour)

FFP Brendan Clarke (Family First)

FP Leonie Blackwell (Freedom)

IND Ian Honey (Independent)

IND Annemarie McCabe (Independent)

IND Tony Wolfe (Independent) LDP Michael Abelman (Liberal Democrats)

LIB Wayne Farnham (Liberal) PHON Casey Murphy (One Nation)

GRN Alyssa Weaver (Greens)

Original candidates

AJP Laura Rees (Animal Justice)

ALP Justin Seddon (Labor)

FP Leonie Blackwell (Freedom)

IND Tony Wolfe (Independent)

LIB Wayne Farnham (Liberal)

NAT Shaun Gilchrist (Nationals)

PHON Casey Murphy (One Nation)

GRN Alyssa Weaver (Greens)

PULLED OUT

IND Benny Lucas (Independent)

---

History

Narracan, created in the year of 1967, was first won by Jim Balfour of the Liberals on a safe margin of 16%. The Liberals held the seat up until 1999, in which the seats slow shift to Labor eventuated in a gain for Labor Party member Ian Maxfield.

Maxfield retained the seat after an 8% swing in his favour at the 2002 election, before losing it at the 2006 election, when a 10% swing knocked him out in a surprise defeat. The seat has been held by Liberal member Gary Blackwood safely ever since, with the most recent election bringing Blackwood to 52% of the primary vote, and 57% of the TPP against Christine Maxfield, wife of former MP Ian Maxfield.

---

For all our reports on the Narracan supplementary election, click here.

Sign up to our new free newsletter to catch up on all our original reporting you may have missed & to read the latest from the editor - click here.

Help support unbiased journalism & keep us independent: donate just $4 a month on Patreon & receive exclusive benefits.

Want to inform others? Share the link to this story on social media & with your family & friends using the buttons below.