A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Balmain South on 6 December 1902 because of the resignation of Sydney Law from and the parliament.[1] Following the 1901 election, the Progressive Party had formed a government with the support of Labour. In 1902 a man named Moss Friedman had been found guilty by a jury, however the judge disagreed with the guilty verdict. The Attorney General, Bernhard Wise, remitted Friedman's sentence and Joseph Carruthers, the Leader of the Opposition, moved a motion in the Legislative Assembly to censure Wise. Law voted in support of the motion despite a Labour decision to oppose it.[2] Law chose to resign and recontest the seat as an candidate.
| Date | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 October 1902 | Vote on censure motion in Legislative Assembly/ | |
| 18 November 1902 | Sydney Law resigned. | |
| 19 November 1902 | Writ of election issued by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.[3] | |
| 28 November 1902 | Nominations | |
| 6 December 1902 | Polling day | |
| 15 December 1902 | Return of writ |