Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30
Dunkley was won by Peta Murphy (Labor) at the 2019 federal election, with a margin of 5,304 votes over Chris Crewther after preferences. This page covers every federal election in Dunkley from 1984 to 2019.
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), 1984–2019
Election
Winner
Party
Final Votes
Final Share
Runner-up
Margin
1984
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
29,296
51.1%
Leonie Clark (Liberal)
1,293 (2.3 pts)
1987
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
31,837
51.7%
Tom Warwick (Liberal)
2,114 (3.4 pts)
1990
Frank Ford
Liberal
33,582
51.2%
Robert Chynoweth (Labor)
1,570 (2.4 pts)
1993
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
34,813
50.6%
Frank Ford (Liberal)
844 (1.2 pts)
1996
Bruce Billson
Liberal
39,885
53.4%
Robert Chynoweth (Labor)
5,020 (6.7 pts)
1998
Bruce Billson
Liberal
39,721
52.0%
Michael Quayle (Labor)
3,108 (4.1 pts)
2001
Bruce Billson
Liberal
43,537
55.4%
Mark Conroy (Labor)
8,514 (10.8 pts)
2004
Bruce Billson
Liberal
49,253
59.4%
Helen Constas (Labor)
15,558 (18.8 pts)
2007
Bruce Billson
Liberal
46,693
54.0%
Graham Mcbride (Labor)
6,982 (8.1 pts)
2013
Bruce Billson
Liberal
48,861
55.6%
Sonya Kilkenny (Labor)
9,788 (11.1 pts)
2016
Chris Crewther
Liberal
45,925
51.4%
Peta Murphy (Labor)
2,557 (2.9 pts)
2019
Peta Murphy
Labor
51,066
52.7%
Chris Crewther (Liberal)
5,304 (5.5 pts)
First-Preference Result by Election
Every candidate's first-preference votes, before any preference redistribution.
1984
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
26,605
46.4%
Leonie Clark
Liberal
25,070
43.7%
Grenville Charles
Australian Democrats
3,519
6.1%
Judy Hale
National
1,494
2.6%
John Cass
Democratic Labor Party
621
1.1%
1987
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
28,740
46.7%
Tom Warwick
Liberal
26,267
42.6%
Robyn Kirby
Australian Democrats
3,881
6.3%
Chris Van Lieshout
Independent
1,898
3.1%
Andrew Murray
Independent
615
1.0%
Les Johnson
Independent
193
0.3%
1990
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Frank Ford
Liberal
28,759
43.8%
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
24,724
37.6%
Peter Lindemann
Australian Democrats
8,695
13.2%
Peter Seitanidis
Independent
1,458
2.2%
Keith Edwards
Independent
910
1.4%
Arthur Comer
Communist Party
554
0.8%
Mike Toldy
Independent
297
0.5%
Len Cosmavich
Independent
294
0.4%
1993
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
32,461
47.2%
Frank Ford
Liberal
31,621
45.9%
Barrie Rowland-Hornblow
Australian Democrats
2,696
3.9%
Bev Nelson
Independent
2,056
3.0%
1996
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
36,330
48.4%
Robert Chynoweth
Labor
30,084
40.1%
Reba Jacobs
Australian Democrats
5,257
7.0%
Paul Higgins
Greens
1,817
2.4%
Travis Peak
AAFI
1,144
1.5%
Bev Nelson
Independent
399
0.5%
1998
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
35,297
46.2%
Michael Quayle
Labor
29,755
39.0%
Tony Seals
Australian Democrats
4,392
5.8%
Robyn Brown
One Nation
3,399
4.5%
Henry Kelsall
Greens
2,971
3.9%
Jan Chapman Davis
Unity
335
0.4%
Ben Mason
Independent
185
0.2%
2001
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
39,203
49.9%
Mark Conroy
Labor
28,088
35.8%
Henry Kelsall
Greens
4,486
5.7%
Ian Woodhouse
Australian Democrats
4,350
5.5%
Michael Cartwright
One Nation
1,438
1.8%
Fletcher Davis
Independent
995
1.3%
2004
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
46,067
55.5%
Helen Constas
Labor
27,845
33.6%
Paula Johnson
Greens
5,179
6.2%
Cameron Eastman
FFP
1,949
2.3%
Karen Bailey
Australian Democrats
1,009
1.2%
Fletcher Davis
Independent
722
0.9%
Gabrielle Peut
CEC
178
0.2%
2007
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
43,024
49.8%
Graham Mcbride
Labor
33,055
38.3%
Neale Adams
Greens
6,695
7.7%
Steven Ashdown
Family First
2,235
2.6%
Karen Bailey
Australian Democrats
1,395
1.6%
2013
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Bruce Billson
Liberal
42,869
48.8%
Sonya Kilkenny
Labor
27,155
30.9%
Simon Tiller
Greens
8,199
9.3%
Kate Ryder
Palmer United Party
3,707
4.2%
Eloise Palmi
ASP
2,589
2.9%
Cameron Eastman
Family First
1,682
1.9%
Rod Burt
Independent
740
0.8%
Roy Broff
Independent
516
0.6%
Yvonne Gentle
Independent
477
0.5%
2016
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Chris Crewther
Liberal
38,158
42.7%
Peta Murphy
Labor
29,620
33.2%
Jeanette Swain
Greens
8,616
9.6%
Ruth Stanfield
DHJP
5,510
6.2%
Tyson Jack
AJP
1,926
2.2%
Michael Rathbone
Family First
1,393
1.6%
Joseph Toscano
Independent
1,132
1.3%
Tim Wilms
Liberal Democrats
1,037
1.2%
Lin Tregenza
RUA
682
0.8%
Jeff Reaney
AC
677
0.8%
Sally Baillieu
Independent
542
0.6%
2019
Candidate
Party
First-Pref. Votes
Share
Chris Crewther
Liberal
36,616
39.4%
Peta Murphy
Labor
35,301
38.0%
Emily Green
Greens
8,125
8.8%
Lachlan O'connell
DHJP
5,027
5.4%
Elizabeth Johnston
AJP
2,961
3.2%
Ron Jean
United Australia Party
2,513
2.7%
Christopher James
FACNP
1,337
1.4%
Yvonne Gentle
RUA
948
1.0%
Margin Over Time
Final (after-preferences) winning margin, percentage points, coloured by the winning party.
Trend
Dunkley has been contested at 12 federal elections on record since 1984. Winning parties over that span: Labor, Liberal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Dunkley in the 2019 federal election?
Peta Murphy (Labor) won Dunkley in 2019 after preferences, with 51,066 votes (52.7%) to Chris Crewther's 45,762.
Which parties have won Dunkley since 1984?
Since 1984, Dunkley has been won by: Labor, Liberal.
What was the closest result in Dunkley?
The closest result on record for Dunkley was 1993, when Robert Chynoweth (Labor) beat Frank Ford by 844 votes (1.2 percentage points) after preferences.