Lowan state by-election, 1944

A by-election for the seat of Lowan in the Victorian Legislative Assembly was held on Saturday 4 November 1944. The election was triggered by the notification of the death of Country Party member Hamilton Lamb on 7 December 1943. Lamb was a prisoner of war on the Burma Railway at the time of the June 1943 state election, and he had been re-elected as MLA for Lowan unopposed in his absence. He died on 7 December, but official notification of his death in Thailand was not received in Australia until 1 September 1944, nearly nine months later.

Candidates

There were three candidates for the Lowan by-election following the close of nominations on 18 October 1944.^[1] They were:

• John Matthew Tripovich (Labor), an assistant station master from Nhill
• Wilfred John Mibus (United Country), a farmer and grazier from Horsham
• William Percy Armstrong (unendorsed Country), a farmer from Kewell North.

Results

Lowan state by-election, 1944[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Tripovich	4,201	42.07	n/a
	Country	Wilfred Mibus	4,000	40.06	n/a
	Unendorsed Country	William Armstrong	1,785	17.88	n/a
Total formal votes			9,986	n/a	n/a
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Wilfred Mibus	5,223	52.30	n/a
	Labor	John Tripovich	4,763	47.70	n/a
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

References

1. "THREE LOWAN CANDIDATES.". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) (Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia). 19 October 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
2. "FINAL LOWAN FIGURES.". The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 - 1954) (Vic.: National Library of Australia). 14 November 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 30 April 2012.