The by-election resulted in the baton passing from one independent to another when Chris Foley was elected as the new member.
All eleven members would eventually break with their party, with Kingston doing so in early 1999 to sit as an independent.
Kingston's retirement presented the Labor Party with an opportunity to win back the seat they had held prior to his 1998 victory.
[1] The contest for National Party preselection—which had last held the seat from 1983 to 1989—saw Peter Andrews win endorsement over four other candidates.
[2] Ominously, one of those candidates, church pastor and financial advisor Chris Foley, chose to stand for the by-election in an independent capacity.