NSW Elections - 1973 Results

Coogee - By-election (Roll: 33,646)
Candidate	Party	Votes	%	Final	%
Labor Party gain from Liberal Party
Nominations: Thursday, 27 June 1974, Polling: Saturday, 20 July 1974
Preferences required, Preferences counted to completion, Preferences changed primary result
Cleary, Michael Arthur (Elected)	Labor Party	12,521	46.87	13,385	50.10
Forshaw, Bernard Francis	Independents	89	0.33
Freeman, Ross Buchanan (Defeated)	Liberal Party	12,823	48.00	13,331	49.90
Keep, F C J(NO GENDER)	Independents	161	0.60
May, Ross	National Socialist	11	0.04
Sutherland, Ann	Australia Party	1,111	4.16
Formal Votes		26,716
Informal Votes		596	2.18
Total Votes / Turnout		27,312	81.17
Cause Category: Court Decision
Notes: The Liberal Party won Coogee by just 8 votes after several recounts, but that narrow majority was not enough to withstand a Court of Disputed Returns challenge. Labor's Mike Cleary won the seat for Labor at the by-election after a vigorous campaign by new Labor Leader Neville Wran. Ironically, had Cleary won Coogee at the state election, his support for Pat Hills would have prevented Wran winning the leadership.