2009 Willagee state by-election


The 2009 Willagee state by-election was held for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Willagee on 28 November 2009. It was triggered as a result of the resignation of former Premier of Western Australia Alan Carpenter. The election was won by Labor candidate Peter Tinley.

Candidates

Four candidates stood at the by-election. They were as follows in ballot paper order:
Christian Democratic Party – Henri Chew. Chew stood previously as the Christian Democrats candidate for the district of Carine at the 2008 state election.
Labor Party – Peter Tinley. Tinley is a former SAS major who stood unsuccessfully as the endorsed Labor candidate for the marginal seat of Stirling at the 2007 federal election.
Greens – Hsien Harper. Harper is a union organiser who stood twice previously as a Greens candidate: most recently for the seat of Maylands at the 2008 state election and before that at the 2008 Murdoch by-election.
Independent – Gerry Georgatos. Georgatos was originally preselected as the Greens candidate in anticipation of a potential by-election in Willagee earlier in the year. However, when the by-election materialised, preselection was re-opened and Georgatos lost to Harper. He subsequently ran as an independent.
The Liberal Party did not field a candidate.

Results

The Liberal Party, who received 30.93 percent of the vote at the previous election in Willagee, did not contest the election. All candidates received a lift in their respective primary vote.