A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Adelaide on 6 February 1988. This was triggered by the resignation of Labor Party MP Chris Hurford to become Australia's Consul-General in New York City.

Quick Facts First party, Second party ...

1988 Adelaide by-election

6 February 1988

First party Second party Third party   DEM Candidate Mike Pratt Don Farrell Ian McLeish Party Liberal Labor Democrats Popular vote 26,777 22,897 7,097 Percentage 44.4% 38.0% 11.8% Swing 8.9 10.9 2.7 TPP 51.9% 48.2% TPP swing 8.4 8.4

MP before election Chris Hurford Labor Elected MP Mike Pratt Liberal

Close

The election was won by Liberal candidate Mike Pratt with an 8.4 percent two-party swing on a 1.9 percent margin, defeating Labor candidate Don Farrell.

The 1988 Port Adelaide by-election occurred seven weeks later.

• Independent – Bronwyn Mewett.
• Independent – Peter Consandine, republican campaigner who later founded the Republican Party of Australia.
• Independent – Michael Brander.
• Independent – John Litten.
• Australian Democrats – Ian McLeish.
• Unite Australia Party – Dorothy McGregor-Dey, who contested Mayo for the party in 1987.
• National Party of Australia – Bryan Stokes, the party's 1987 candidate.
• Australian Labor Party – Don Farrell, assistant secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). Farrell was later influential in the South Australian Labor Party, and serves in the Senate (2016–present), having served previously from 2008 to 2014.
• Liberal Party of Australia – Mike Pratt, a local farmer.

• List of Australian federal by-elections