1985 Nunawading Province state by-election
by-election for the Victorian Legislative Council
The 1985 Nunawading Province by-election was held on 17 August 1985 to elect the member for Nunawading Province in the Victorian Legislative Council. It was ordered by the Court of Disputed Returns after the 1985 Victorian state election had resulted in a tie between the top two candidates, and the Chief Electoral Officer drew a name at random. The Chief Electoral Officer drew the name of the ALP candidate Bob Ives. After the Court ordered a new election, the outcome was that the Liberal candidate Rosemary Varty was returned.
Background
In 1985, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members. They were elected for 8-year terms from 22 two-member provinces. Half of the Council retired every four years, so each election elected one member in each province. The Nunawading Province consisted of the Victorian Legislative Assembly seats of Box Hill, Mitcham, Ringwood and Warrandyte. Lawrence Alexander McArthur was the continuing member for Nunawading Province.
In the 1985 general election held on 2 March 1985, the vote ended with a dead heat after distribution of preferences from the Australian Democrats candidate.
“1985 Nunawading Province state by-election” enters the record as by-election for the Victorian Legislative Council. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Nunawading, Province and state can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q28225138. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1985.
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