Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Darebin was won by Frank Courtnay (Labor) at the 1966 federal election, with a margin of 7,358 votes over Noel Stubbs after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Darebin from 1949 to 1966.
Australia uses instant-runoff (preferential) voting: voters rank candidates in order of preference, and if no one has a majority of first-preference votes, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed to voters' next preference, repeating until one candidate has a majority. The "Winner" and "Margin" below reflect the final result after preferences (equivalent to the AEC's own two-candidate-preferred figure) — not simply whoever led on first preferences, which can occasionally be a different candidate.
Full Election History (After Preferences), 1949–1966
Election
Winner
Party
Final Votes
Final Share
Runner-up
Margin
1949
Thomas Andrews
Labor
24,719
62.7%
Jack Mccoll (Liberal)
10,031 (25.5 pts)
1951
Thomas Andrews
Labor
26,412
64.4%
Gordon Savage (Liberal)
11,840 (28.9 pts)
1954
Thomas Andrews
Labor
28,810
65.0%
Charles White (Liberal)
13,276 (29.9 pts)
1955
Robert Holt
Labor
24,948
58.8%
Charles White (Liberal)
7,432 (17.5 pts)
1958
Frank Courtnay
Labor
25,213
67.0%
Gordon Duncan (Liberal)
12,813 (34.1 pts)
1961
Frank Courtnay
Labor
28,285
70.6%
Thomas Andrews (Democratic Labor Party)
16,518 (41.2 pts)
1963
Frank Courtnay
Labor
28,610
67.6%
Peter Coupe (Liberal)
14,922 (35.3 pts)
1966
Frank Courtnay
Labor
29,258
57.2%
Noel Stubbs (Liberal)
7,358 (14.4 pts)
First-Preference Result by Election
Every candidate's first-preference votes, before any preference redistribution.
1949
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Thomas Andrews
Labor
24,719
62.7%
Jack Mccoll
Liberal
14,688
37.3%
1951
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Thomas Andrews
Labor
26,412
64.4%
Gordon Savage
Liberal
14,572
35.6%
1954
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Thomas Andrews
Labor
28,810
65.0%
Charles White
Liberal
15,534
35.0%
1955
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Robert Holt
Labor
20,323
47.9%
Charles White
Liberal
11,481
27.0%
Thomas Andrews
Labor (Anti-Communist)
10,660
25.1%
1958
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Frank Courtnay
Labor
25,213
51.1%
Gordon Duncan
Liberal
12,400
25.1%
Thomas Andrews
Democratic Labor Party
11,710
23.7%
1961
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Frank Courtnay
Labor
28,285
55.2%
Thomas Andrews
Democratic Labor Party
11,767
22.9%
John Wyss
Liberal
11,228
21.9%
1963
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Frank Courtnay
Labor
28,610
55.4%
Peter Coupe
Liberal
13,688
26.5%
Thomas Andrews
Democratic Labor Party
9,388
18.2%
1966
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Frank Courtnay
Labor
25,325
49.5%
Noel Stubbs
Liberal
15,601
30.5%
Thomas Andrews
Democratic Labor Party
10,232
20.0%
Margin Over Time
Final (after-preferences) winning margin, percentage points, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Darebin has been contested at 8 federal elections on record since 1949. Winning party over that span: Labor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Darebin in the 1966 federal election?
Frank Courtnay (Labor) won Darebin in 1966 after preferences, with 29,258 votes (57.2%) to Noel Stubbs's 21,900.
Which parties have won Darebin since 1949?
Since 1949, Darebin has been won by: Labor.
What was the closest result in Darebin?
The closest result on record for Darebin was 1966, when Frank Courtnay (Labor) beat Noel Stubbs by 7,358 votes (14.4 percentage points) after preferences.