Sturt was reconstituted, with the former district being absorbed by Cobar. The new district comprised part of Cobar, including the towns of South Broken Hill and Menindee, part of Murray, and the western part of the abolished district of Lachlan.
Jabez Wright died on 10 September 1922.[24]Ted Horsington was the only unsuccessful Labor candidate at the 1922 election and took his seat on 20 September 1922.[25]
On 22 March 1921 Percy Brookfield was murdered while trying to disarm a deranged man at Riverton.[27] Between 1920 and 1927 the Legislative Assembly was elected using a form of proportional representation with multi-member seats and a single transferable vote (modified Hare-Clark). The Parliamentary Elections (Casual Vacancies) Act,[28] provided that casual vacancies were filled by the next unsuccessful candidate "who represents the same party interest as the late member". Which party interest Brookfield represented was not straightforward. He had been the Labor member for Sturt since the 1917 by-election, however he resigned from the Labor Party in August 1919,[29] and joined the Industrial Socialist Labor Party, which in January 1920 merged with the Socialist Labor Party, retaining the later name. Under this banner Brookfield was the first candidate elected at the 1920 election for Sturt.[30] He was however dissatisfied with the manner in which the affairs of that party have been carried on" and formed a new Industrial Labor Party in February 1921, shortly before his death.[31] There was debate concerning who should be appointed. The Industrial Labor Party said that John O'Reilly should be appointed, while The Sydney Morning Herald stated that Thomas Hynes had the greater number of primary votes and thus he should be appointed.[32] The nomination had to come from the recognised party leader according to votes on any censure motion and Labor leader John Storey nominated Jabez Wright.[33][34]
William Ferguson had been elected in 1898 as a Labour representative, however he was denied endorsement due to his independent behaviour in the Assembly.
Sturt and Wilcannia were new seats split off from Wentworth which previously returned two members.
Notes
^ a b cThe New South Wales Election Results database,[35] lists Brookfield as the only socialist with Hynes and O'Reilly listed as independents. Contemporary accounts show Brookfield, Hynes and O'Reilly as all being supported by the Amalgamated Miners Association political league, then under the banner of the Socialist Labor Party,[37] which subsequently split to become the Industrial Labor Party.[36]
^"Part 5B alphabetical list of all electorates and Members since 1856" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
^"Mr Brookfield: resigns from Labor Party, will consult supporters". The Australian Worker. 14 August 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 5 November 2019 – via Trove.
^ a b"Sturt vacancy: Mr Jabez Wright selected". The Daily Telegraph. 17 August 1921. p. 8. Retrieved 5 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
^"State elections: AMA political league opens its campaign". Barrier Miner. 6 March 1920. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
^""Goading Griffith" Sydney "Truth" on the gaging the member for Sturt". Barrier Daily Truth. 25 November 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 5 November 2019 – via Trove.