# Electoral results for the district of Cobar

Cobar, an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales had two incarnations, from 1894 until 1920 and from 1930 until 1968.
First incarnation (1894–1920) :
| Election | Member | Member | Party |
| 1894 | | Thomas Waddell | Protectionist |
| 1895 | | Thomas Waddell | Protectionist |
| 1898 | | William Spence | Labour |
| 1901 | | Donald Macdonell | Labour |
| 1904 | | Donald Macdonell | Labour |
| 1907 | | Donald Macdonell | Labour |
| 1910 | | Donald Macdonell | Labour |
| Oct 1911 by | | Donald Macdonell | Labour |
| Dec 1911 by | | Charles Fern | Labour |
| 1913 | | Charles Fern | Labour |
| 1917 | | Charles Fern | Labour |
| 1918 by | | Mat Davidson | Labor |
| Second incarnation (1930–1968) ||||
| Election | Member | Member | Party |
| 1930 | | Mat Davidson | Labor |
| 1932 | | Mat Davidson | Labor (NSW) |
| 1935 | | Mat Davidson | Labor (NSW) |
| 1938 | | Mat Davidson | Labor / Industrial Labor |
| 1941 | | Mat Davidson | Labor |
| 1944 | | Mat Davidson | Labor |
| 1947 | | Mat Davidson | Labor |
| 1949 by | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1950 | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1953 | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1956 | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1959 | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1962 | | Ernest Wetherell | Labor |
| 1965 | | Lew Johnstone | Labor |

## Election results
### Elections in the 1960s
#### 1965

1965 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Lew Johnstone | 6,200 | 45.0 | −55.0 |
| | Liberal | Allan Connell | 5,174 | 37.5 | +37.5 |
| | Independent | Douglas McFarlane | 1,416 | 10.3 | +10.3 |
| | Independent | William Edwards | 997 | 7.2 | +7.2 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 13,787 | 97.8 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 315 | 2.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,102 | 89.6 | |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Labor | Lew Johnstone | 7,636 | 55.4 | −44.6 |
| | Liberal | Allan Connell | 6,151 | 44.6 | +44.6 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |

#### 1962

1962 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

### Elections in the 1950s
#### 1959

1959 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1956

1956 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1953

1953 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1950

1950 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | 8,717 | 66.4 |
| | Country | Frederick Harding | 4,419 | 33.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 13,136 | 98.5 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 203 | 1.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,339 | 87.0 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1940s
#### 1949 by-election

1949 Cobar by-election Saturday 12 March :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labor | Ernest Wetherell | 6,107 | 65.3 |
| | Liberal | Harold Campbell | 2,235 | 23.9 |
| | Communist | Hadley McMeekin | 1,007 | 10.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 9,349 | 98.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 177 | 1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,526 | 73.9 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A |

#### 1947

1947 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1944

1944 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | 8,352 | 78.3 | -6.1 |
| | Lang Labor | William Burgess | 2,313 | 21.7 | +21.7 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 10,665 | 97.0 | 0.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 330 | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,995 | 81.1 | −3.3 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |

#### 1941

1941 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | 10,003 | 84.4 |
| | State Labor | David Wight | 1,843 | 15.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 11,846 | 97.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 366 | 3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,212 | 84.4 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | |

### Elections in the 1930s
#### 1938

1938 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1935

1935 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor (NSW) | Mat Davidson | 7,978 | 70.3 | +10.1 |
| | Federal Labor | Joseph Bowe | 3,370 | 29.7 | +18.0 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 11,348 | 96.5 | −1.8 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 408 | 3.5 | +1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,756 | 91.9 | −1.0 |
| | Labor (NSW) hold | Labor (NSW) hold | Swing | N/A | |

#### 1932

1932 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor (NSW) | Mat Davidson | 6,729 | 60.2 | -12.2 |
| | Country | Eric Killen | 3,137 | 28.1 | +28.1 |
| | Federal Labor | Samuel Bailey | 1,306 | 11.7 | +11.7 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 11,172 | 98.3 | +1.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 197 | 1.7 | −1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,369 | 92.9 | +2.0 |
| | Labor (NSW) hold | Labor (NSW) hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Preferences were not distributed.

#### 1930

1930 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | 7,645 | 72.4 | |
| | Nationalist | John Lawson | 2,750 | 26.0 | |
| | Communist | Edmund Rees | 172 | 1.6 | |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 10,567 | 97.3 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 288 | 2.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,855 | 90.9 | |
| | Labor win | Labor win | (new seat) | (new seat) | (new seat) |
District recreated

#### 1920 - 1930

District abolished

### Elections in the 1910s
#### 1918 by-election

1918 Cobar by-election Saturday 11 May :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Mat Davidson | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1917

1917 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Charles Fern | unopposed | | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | | |

#### 1913

1913 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labor | Charles Fern | 3,529 | 76.0 |
| | Liberal Reform | Maxwell Pahlow | 1,114 | 24.0 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 4,643 | 97.2 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 134 | 2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,777 | 47.4 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | | |

#### December 1911 by-election

1911 Cobar by-election Saturday 2 December :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Charles Fern | unopposed | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | | |

#### October 1911 by-election

1911 Cobar by-election 1 Saturday 23 September :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donald Macdonell (re-elected) | unopposed | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | | |

#### 1910

1910 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donald Macdonell | unopposed | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | | |

### Elections in the 1900s
#### 1907

1907 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donald Macdonell | Unopposed | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | | |

#### 1904

1904 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Donald Macdonell | 1,982 | 68.8 |
| | Liberal Reform | Richard McNeice | 899 | 31.2 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 2,881 | 99.3 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 19 | 0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,900 | 44.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | |

#### 1901

1901 New South Wales state election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donald Macdonell | unopposed | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | | | |

### Elections in the 1890s
#### 1898

1898 New South Wales colonial election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | William Spence | 777 | 50.1 |
| | National Federal | Michael O'Halloran | 396 | 25.5 |
| | Independent Federalist | Richard Machattie | 339 | 21.9 |
| | Independent | Samuel Wood | 39 | 2.5 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 1,551 | 98.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 31 | 2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,582 | 52.0 |
| | Labour gain from National Federal | Labour gain from National Federal | | |

#### 1895

1895 New South Wales colonial election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Protectionist | Thomas Waddell | 538 | 59.5 |
| | Labour | Michael O'Halloran | 357 | 39.5 |
| | Ind. Free Trade | McA Lamrock | 9 | 1.0 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 904 | 99.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 8 | 0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 912 | 55.3 |
| | Protectionist hold | Protectionist hold | | |

#### 1894

1894 New South Wales colonial election: Cobar :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Protectionist | Thomas Waddell | 615 | 50.1 | |
| | Labour | A Murphy | 514 | 41.9 | |
| | Free Trade | Neil Morrison | 98 | 8.0 | |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 1,227 | 99.0 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 13 | 1.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,240 | 75.3 | |
| | Protectionist win | Protectionist win | (new seat) | (new seat) | (new seat) |