1956 Barker by-election
# 1956 Barker by-election

A by-election was held for the Australian House of Representatives seat of Barker on 13 October 1956. This was triggered by the death of Liberal MP and Speaker Archie Cameron.

The by-election was won by Liberal candidate Jim Forbes. William McAnaney, a future state Liberal MP, who had been chairman of the District Council of Strathalbyn, unsuccessfully contested the by-election as an independent.

## Results

Barker by-election, 1956 :

| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Liberal | Jim Forbes | 18,471 | 48.7 | -19.0 |
| | Labor | Ralph Dettman | 14,454 | 38.1 | +5.8 |
| | Independent Liberal | William McAnaney | 2,819 | 7.4 | +7.4 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Brian Crowe | 2,207 | 5.8 | +5.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 37,951 | 98.0 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 771 | 2.0 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,722 | 92.6 | |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal | Jim Forbes | 21,935 | 57.8 | -9.9 |
| | Labor | Ralph Dettman | 16,016 | 42.2 | +9.9 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -9.9 | |
