A by-election was held in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland seat of Rockhampton on 16 February 1985.
[1] Wright resigned from state parliament on 5 November 1984 to contest the 1984 federal election.
The Nationals made a determined effort to win the seat, as it would extend their base in the provincial cities zone.
Normally a safe seat for the Labor Party, it was retained by new candidate Paul Braddy.
The result was nonetheless a boost for new Labor leader Nev Warburton and a blow to the governing Nationals, who might have hoped that the ongoing industrial dispute between the government and the state's power industry workers would hurt the Labor Party.