The by-election was triggered by the resignation of former Premier Denis Napthine on 3 September 2015.

Former Transport Minister Terry Mulder resigned his seat representing the adjacent district of Polwarth on the same day as Napthine.

The Labor government did not contest the by-elections in the safe Liberal seats of South-West Coast and Polwarth.

[15] How-to-vote cards are distributed to voters at polling stations to provide information with how the candidate suggests preferences be allocated.

Candidates and parties suggesting preferences are shown in each column of the table below.