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Port Stephens - By-election (Roll: 34,870) Retained by Labor Party Nominations: Friday, 21 October 1988, Polling: Saturday, 5 November 1988 Preferences counted to completion Candidate Party Votes % Final % Creighton, Innes Independent 4,368 14.68 Martin, Bob (Re-elected) Labor Party 15,953 53.63 17,925 63.01 Dalton, Arthur George Independent 496 1.67 Scott, Walter Robert Liberal Party 8,930 30.02 10,521 36.99 Formal Votes 29,747 Informal / Exhausted Votes 581 1.92 1,301 4.37 Total Votes / Turnout 30,328 86.97 Cause Category: Court Decision Notes: A by-election was forced when the defeated Liberal candidate won a Court of Disputed Returns judgment that government cheques handed to community groups by Labor candidate Bob Martin during the campaign amounted to electoral bribery. The decision was met with general amazement by all sides of politics. Distribution of Preferences Exclusion 1 Dalton (IND) Exclusion 2 Creighton (IND) Preferences New Totals Preferences New Totals Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Creighton (IND) 206 55.83 4574 15.44 -4574 Martin (ALP) 86 23.31 16039 54.15 1886 55.47 17925 63.01 Dalton (IND) -496 Scott (LIB) 77 20.87 9007 30.41 1514 44.53 10521 36.99 Votes In Count 369 29620 3400 28446 Exhausted 127 25.60 127 0.43 1174 25.67 1301 4.37