Dundas — Australian Federal Election Results
Dundas was won by Philip Ruddock (Liberal) at the 1990 federal election, with a margin of 11,631 votes over Richard Talbot after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Dundas from 1977 to 1990.
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), 1977–1990
| Election | Winner | Party | Final Votes | Final Share | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 36,427 | 61.3% | Russell Rollason (Labor) | 13,447 (22.6 pts) |
| 1980 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 35,836 | 58.5% | Margery Hourihan (Labor) | 10,429 (17.0 pts) |
| 1983 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 33,509 | 53.0% | Margaret Blaxell (Labor) | 3,782 (6.0 pts) |
| 1984 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 36,099 | 58.9% | Margaret Blaxell (Labor) | 10,876 (17.7 pts) |
| 1987 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 38,010 | 61.0% | Veronica Husted (Labor) | 13,749 (22.1 pts) |
| 1990 | Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 36,945 | 59.3% | Richard Talbot (Labor) | 11,631 (18.7 pts) |
First-Preference Result by Election
Every candidate's first-preference votes, before any preference redistribution.
1977
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 36,427 | 53.8% |
| Russell Rollason | Labor | 22,980 | 33.9% |
| Brendan Mohide | Australian Democrats | 6,484 | 9.6% |
| Malcolm Mckinnon | Independent | 1,824 | 2.7% |
1980
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 35,836 | 53.2% |
| Margery Hourihan | Labor | 25,407 | 37.7% |
| Stephen Bastian | Australian Democrats | 4,922 | 7.3% |
| Archibald Brown | Independent | 1,243 | 1.8% |
1983
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 33,509 | 50.1% |
| Margaret Blaxell | Labor | 29,727 | 44.4% |
| John Tumminello | Australian Democrats | 3,712 | 5.5% |
1984
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 33,846 | 55.2% |
| Margaret Blaxell | Labor | 22,076 | 36.0% |
| John Tuminello | Australian Democrats | 5,400 | 8.8% |
1987
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 35,747 | 57.4% |
| Veronica Husted | Labor | 20,786 | 33.4% |
| Robert Springett | Australian Democrats | 5,738 | 9.2% |
1990
| Candidate | Party | First-Pref. Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ruddock | Liberal | 30,887 | 49.4% |
| Richard Talbot | Labor | 19,191 | 30.7% |
| Peter Reddy | Australian Democrats | 7,447 | 11.9% |
| Bruce Coleman | Communist Party | 1,559 | 2.5% |
| Alec Preda | Independent | 1,499 | 2.4% |
| Barry Liggins | Independent | 1,376 | 2.2% |
| John Wilson | Independent | 513 | 0.8% |
Margin Over Time
Final (after-preferences) winning margin, percentage points, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Dundas has been contested at 6 federal elections on record since 1977. Winning party over that span: Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Dundas in the 1990 federal election?
Philip Ruddock (Liberal) won Dundas in 1990 after preferences, with 36,945 votes (59.3%) to Richard Talbot's 25,314.
Which parties have won Dundas since 1977?
Since 1977, Dundas has been won by: Liberal.
What was the closest result in Dundas?
The closest result on record for Dundas was 1983, when Philip Ruddock (Liberal) beat Margaret Blaxell by 3,782 votes (6.0 percentage points) after preferences.