Groom by-election, 1988

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Groom on 9 April 1988. This was triggered by the resignation of National Party MP Tom McVeigh.

The election was won by Liberal Party candidate Bill Taylor.

Candidates

Australian Democrats – Mark Carew, the party's 1987 candidate.
Australian Labor Party – Linda Dwyer, the party's 1987 candidate.
Liberal Party of Australia – Bill Taylor, an officer in the Royal Australian Navy.
National Party of Australia – David Russell.
Independent – Peter Consandine, republican campaigner who later founded the Republican Party of Australia.
Independent – Vincent Burke. Burke later contested the Australian Senate as an ungrouped independent in 1990.

Groom by-election, 1988^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Bill Taylor	20,651	33.3	+19.9
	National	David Russell	17,814	28.8	-20.1
	Labor	Linda Dwyer	14,973	24.2	-8.2
	Independent	Vincent Burke	4,661	7.5	+7.5
	Democrats	Mark Carew	3,474	5.6	+0.2
	Independent	Peter Consandine	369	0.6	+0.6
Total formal votes			61,942	98.6
Informal votes			889	1.4
Turnout			62,831	88.0
Two-candidate preferred result
	Liberal	Bill Taylor	38,651	62.4	+62.4
	National	David Russell	23,271	37.6	-25.2
	Liberal gain from National		Swing	+25.2

By-elections of the 35th Australian parliament (1987–1990)

1988	Adelaide · Port Adelaide · Groom · Oxley

1989	Gwydir