hiː hɐdbɪn fˈeɪsɪŋ ɐ sˈɪɹiəs pɹɪsᵻlˈɛkʃən tʃˈælɪndʒ fɹʌm ˌɛmˌɛlsˈiː dʒˈɑːn ɪɹˈɛn, hˌuːz sˈiːt ʌv dʒˈiːlɔŋ pɹˈɑːvɪns hɐdbɪn ɐbˈɑːlɪʃt baɪ pˌɑːɹləmˈɛntɚɹi ɹᵻfˈɔːɹmz; ɪɹˈɛn sˈʌbsᵻkwəntli səksˈiːdᵻd hˌɪm ɪnðə sˈiːt.
He had been facing a serious preselection challenge from MLC John Eren, whose seat of Geelong Province had been abolished by parliamentary reforms; Eren subsequently succeeded him in the seat.