COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA SEVENTH PARLIAMENT ==================================================================== HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ==================================================================== BY-ELECTIONS ==================================================================== SWAN, WA ==================================================================== Country Western Australia: Albany, Forrest, Nelson, Williams -------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 October 1918, following the death of Rt Hon Sir John Forrest -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1917 majority: none (Nationalist unopposed) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Enrolled voters: 29,892 -05.8 Votes cast: 19,213 64.3 Informal votes: 179 00.9 Formal votes: 19,034 99.1 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Candidate Party Votes % Swing -------------------------------------------------------------------- Edwin CORBOY ALP 6,540 34.4 William Hedges + Nat 5,635 29.6 Basil Murray CP 5,975 31.4 William Watson 884 04.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 19,034 01.5 -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Hedges was Member for Fremantle 1906-13. 2. For Watson, see Fremantle 1922. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Edwin Wilkie Corboy (1897-1950): Elected 1918 By Born: 24 August 1897, Victoria. Career: Educated Perth Boys School. Military Service 1915-17. Clerk. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. This by-election, at which the ALP won a safe Nationalist seat following the intervention of the Country Party, led directly to the introduction of preferential voting. 2. Corboy, at 21, was the youngest member elected to the Commonwealth Parliament to this time, and remained so until 2010. --------------------------------------------------------------------