New South Wales state election, 1991
Encyclopedia
Elections to the 50th Parliament
of New South Wales
were held on Saturday 25 May 1991. All seats in the Legislative Assembly
and half the seats in the Legislative Council
were up for election. The Liberal
-National
Coalition
government of Premier Nick Greiner
, which enjoyed a considerable majority following their landslide win at the 1988 election
, was seeking a second term in office against new Labor
Opposition Leader
Bob Carr
.
The government had reduced the number of lower house seats from 109 to 99 for the 1991 election, reversing an increase approved by the Unsworth
Labor government.
which immediately began introducing wide ranging reforms to the New South Wales public sector.
The finance and administration of all government trading enterprises was put on a more commercial basis, with standard rates of return on capital set and separate community service obligations for specific public funding identified. There were major expenditure cuts and dramatic price increases in education, public transport and electricity. The Government spoke of New South Wales living beyond its means, introduced new user-pay charges, proposed the sale of underused public assets to help pay State debt and flagged the use of private capital to build public infrastructure. It was a radical agenda at the time, but a package of reforms that would become standard across Australia over the next decade.
The Government implemented “truth in sentencing” laws which required judges to set minimum terms for convicted criminals and abolished time off for good behaviour in gaol. Responding to the corruption allegations that had regularly swirled around New South Wales politics, the Government also created a standing royal commission, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), as an independent body to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration.
The Government attracted most controversy over changes to education and the confrontational style of Education Minister Terry Metherell. There were major cutbacks in teaching and ancillary staff, closures of schools and an increase in class sizes and the number of composite classes. The Government dezoned State schools, allowing parents to enrol their children outside of the local district, and allowed the creation of new selective and specialist high schools.
The Labor Opposition initially struggled in the face of the Government’s rapidly moving agenda. Ten Ministers had either retired or been defeated at the 1988 election
and the former Environment and Planning Minister Bob Carr
had reluctantly accepted the Party Leadership. The Opposition had some encouraging results at by-elections as the Government’s new taxes and charges began to bite. Labor made important gains at the March 1990 Federal election, but the electoral position had been reversed by the end of the year.
The economic recession of the early-1990s hit the State’s finances, but New South Wales was substantially better off than interstate Labor administrations that had accumulated debt and gambled on failed commercial ventures. The hard medicine introduced by the Greiner Government was unpopular, but it was becoming apparent that New South Wales was in a better position as a result of the financial changes. The surprise resignation of Metherell over tax charges in July 1990 provided a boost for the Government by removing its most controversial Minister. Opinion polls showed the Government trailing by seven points in March 1990 but 15 points ahead in December. The Government was now well placed for an early election and keen to avoid the opprobrium of another tough budget.
The opportunity came with the finalisation of a redistribution in March 1991. The Coalition had promised to cut the size of the Legislative Assembly from 109 to 99 seats, reversing the previous Government’s increase and automatically triggering a redistribution. Without control of the Legislative Council, the Coalition was unable to alter Labor’s projected enrolment quotas, but did insert a new provision in the Constitution Act so that a redistribution could take place after one term if more than one-quarter of districts differed from the average enrolment by more than 5% for two consecutive months.
The Coalition’s promise to cut the number of MPs was an attempt to overturn what it considered a Labor Party gerrymander. Despite winning 56.0% of the two-party preferred vote in 1988, the Coalition could have lost its majority with a swing of just 1.3%. The redistribution gamble worked in part, as the swing needed for the Government to lose its majority increased to 2.9% on the new boundaries. With the boundaries finalised, an early election was called for 25 May 1991.
The Government campaigned on its record, arguing good financial management had prevented New South Wales suffering the sort of financial collapse caused by interstate Labor Governments. The Labor Party campaigned on those same Government reforms, but concentrated on how the Government’s new taxes and charges had hurt lower to middle income families.
The result was a stalemate. The Coalition recorded 52.7% of the two-party preferred vote, but won only 49 of the 99 seats. Four seats that would normally have been held by the Coalition were won by Independents. Both John Hatton in South Coast and Clover Moore in Bligh were re-elected. They were joined by former National Party member Tony Windsor in Tamworth and local councillor Dr Peter Macdonald in Manly. The Coalition also lost control of the Legislative Council at the election.
Windsor quickly came to an accommodation with the Government, but the three non-aligned Independents used their position to negotiate a comprehensive memorandum of understanding. Signed in October 1991, it was a document that concentrated more on issues of accountability and process rather than specific policies. Most importantly, the agreement introduced fixed four-year Parliamentary terms, a provision entrenched in the Constitution with 76% support at a referendum called in conjunction with the 1995 election.
Coming so close to victory was a shock for the Labor Party, having entered the 1991 election merely hoping to hold what it had and regain traditional Labor seats lost to Independents in 1988. The Coalition was over-confident that perceptions of good economic management would see it re-elected. It ran a presidential campaign that won the overall vote but resulted in the loss of key seats. The Coalition’s best results were in safe Liberal Party seats on Sydney’s North Shore while Labor won the battle in marginal seats.
Labor defeated the four Independents elected to safe Labor seats in 1988, and in addition re-gained Broken Hill
, Drummoyne
and Port Stephens
, seats that on the new boundaries were notionally Coalition held. Former Labor MPs were returned to Parliament in both Cessnock
and Bathurst, while the issue of user-pay charges played an important part in Labor gaining both Parramatta
and Penrith
.
Parliament of New South Wales
The Parliament of New South Wales, located in Parliament House on Macquarie Street, Sydney, is the main legislative body in the Australian state of New South Wales . It is a bicameral parliament elected by the people of the state in general elections. The parliament shares law making powers with...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
were held on Saturday 25 May 1991. All seats in the Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
and half the seats in the Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
were up for election. The Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
-National
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
government of Premier Nick Greiner
Nick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
, which enjoyed a considerable majority following their landslide win at the 1988 election
New South Wales state election, 1988
Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
, was seeking a second term in office against new Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (New South Wales)
The role of the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition in New South Wales is a title held by the leader of the largest minority party in the state lower house, the New South Wales Legislative Assembly...
Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
.
The government had reduced the number of lower house seats from 109 to 99 for the 1991 election, reversing an increase approved by the Unsworth
Barrie Unsworth
Barrie John Unsworth was an Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1978 to 1991. He served as the 36th Premier from July 1986 to March 1988.-Early years:...
Labor government.
Background
The 1988 election generated a two-party preferred swing to the Coalition of 8.4% and saw the Labor Party record its lowest primary vote in half a century. This was a clear rejection of the Unsworth Government, although it was less clear whether the electorate was endorsing the full range of Coalition policies. Qualms about the meaning of its mandate were clearly of little concern to the new Government under Nick GreinerNick Greiner
Nicholas "Nick" Frank Hugo Greiner AC, is an Australian businessman and former politician. He was the 37th Premier New South Wales from 1988 to 1992. He was Leader of the New South Wales Division of the Liberal Party from 1983 to 1992 and Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1988. He is married...
which immediately began introducing wide ranging reforms to the New South Wales public sector.
The finance and administration of all government trading enterprises was put on a more commercial basis, with standard rates of return on capital set and separate community service obligations for specific public funding identified. There were major expenditure cuts and dramatic price increases in education, public transport and electricity. The Government spoke of New South Wales living beyond its means, introduced new user-pay charges, proposed the sale of underused public assets to help pay State debt and flagged the use of private capital to build public infrastructure. It was a radical agenda at the time, but a package of reforms that would become standard across Australia over the next decade.
The Government implemented “truth in sentencing” laws which required judges to set minimum terms for convicted criminals and abolished time off for good behaviour in gaol. Responding to the corruption allegations that had regularly swirled around New South Wales politics, the Government also created a standing royal commission, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), as an independent body to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration.
The Government attracted most controversy over changes to education and the confrontational style of Education Minister Terry Metherell. There were major cutbacks in teaching and ancillary staff, closures of schools and an increase in class sizes and the number of composite classes. The Government dezoned State schools, allowing parents to enrol their children outside of the local district, and allowed the creation of new selective and specialist high schools.
The Labor Opposition initially struggled in the face of the Government’s rapidly moving agenda. Ten Ministers had either retired or been defeated at the 1988 election
New South Wales state election, 1988
Elections to the 49th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 19 March 1988. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election...
and the former Environment and Planning Minister Bob Carr
Bob Carr
Robert John "Bob" Carr , Australian statesman, was Premier of New South Wales from 4 April 1995 to 3 August 2005. He holds the record for the longest continuous service as premier of NSW...
had reluctantly accepted the Party Leadership. The Opposition had some encouraging results at by-elections as the Government’s new taxes and charges began to bite. Labor made important gains at the March 1990 Federal election, but the electoral position had been reversed by the end of the year.
The economic recession of the early-1990s hit the State’s finances, but New South Wales was substantially better off than interstate Labor administrations that had accumulated debt and gambled on failed commercial ventures. The hard medicine introduced by the Greiner Government was unpopular, but it was becoming apparent that New South Wales was in a better position as a result of the financial changes. The surprise resignation of Metherell over tax charges in July 1990 provided a boost for the Government by removing its most controversial Minister. Opinion polls showed the Government trailing by seven points in March 1990 but 15 points ahead in December. The Government was now well placed for an early election and keen to avoid the opprobrium of another tough budget.
The opportunity came with the finalisation of a redistribution in March 1991. The Coalition had promised to cut the size of the Legislative Assembly from 109 to 99 seats, reversing the previous Government’s increase and automatically triggering a redistribution. Without control of the Legislative Council, the Coalition was unable to alter Labor’s projected enrolment quotas, but did insert a new provision in the Constitution Act so that a redistribution could take place after one term if more than one-quarter of districts differed from the average enrolment by more than 5% for two consecutive months.
The Coalition’s promise to cut the number of MPs was an attempt to overturn what it considered a Labor Party gerrymander. Despite winning 56.0% of the two-party preferred vote in 1988, the Coalition could have lost its majority with a swing of just 1.3%. The redistribution gamble worked in part, as the swing needed for the Government to lose its majority increased to 2.9% on the new boundaries. With the boundaries finalised, an early election was called for 25 May 1991.
The Government campaigned on its record, arguing good financial management had prevented New South Wales suffering the sort of financial collapse caused by interstate Labor Governments. The Labor Party campaigned on those same Government reforms, but concentrated on how the Government’s new taxes and charges had hurt lower to middle income families.
The result was a stalemate. The Coalition recorded 52.7% of the two-party preferred vote, but won only 49 of the 99 seats. Four seats that would normally have been held by the Coalition were won by Independents. Both John Hatton in South Coast and Clover Moore in Bligh were re-elected. They were joined by former National Party member Tony Windsor in Tamworth and local councillor Dr Peter Macdonald in Manly. The Coalition also lost control of the Legislative Council at the election.
Windsor quickly came to an accommodation with the Government, but the three non-aligned Independents used their position to negotiate a comprehensive memorandum of understanding. Signed in October 1991, it was a document that concentrated more on issues of accountability and process rather than specific policies. Most importantly, the agreement introduced fixed four-year Parliamentary terms, a provision entrenched in the Constitution with 76% support at a referendum called in conjunction with the 1995 election.
Coming so close to victory was a shock for the Labor Party, having entered the 1991 election merely hoping to hold what it had and regain traditional Labor seats lost to Independents in 1988. The Coalition was over-confident that perceptions of good economic management would see it re-elected. It ran a presidential campaign that won the overall vote but resulted in the loss of key seats. The Coalition’s best results were in safe Liberal Party seats on Sydney’s North Shore while Labor won the battle in marginal seats.
Labor defeated the four Independents elected to safe Labor seats in 1988, and in addition re-gained Broken Hill
Electoral district of Broken Hill
Broken Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. From 1894 to 1913, the Broken Hill district was covered by the electoral districts of Broken Hill, Willyama and Sturt. In the 1912 redistribution, the electoral district of Broken Hill...
, Drummoyne
Electoral district of Drummoyne
Drummoyne is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by John Sidoti of the Liberal Party of Australia.-History:...
and Port Stephens
Electoral district of Port Stephens
Port Stephens is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Craig Baumann of the Liberal Party who won 51.1% of the primary vote at the 2011 election....
, seats that on the new boundaries were notionally Coalition held. Former Labor MPs were returned to Parliament in both Cessnock
Electoral district of Cessnock
Cessnock is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in the rural fringe of the Hunter. It is represented by Clayton Barr of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
and Bathurst, while the issue of user-pay charges played an important part in Labor gaining both Parramatta
Electoral district of Parramatta
Parramatta is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently held by Geoff Lee of the Liberal Party of Australia....
and Penrith
Electoral district of Penrith
Penrith is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Stuart Ayres of the Liberal Party of Australia since the 2010 by-election...
.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 3 May 1991 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 8 May 1991 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. |
| 25 May 1991 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 6 June 1991 | The Greiner-Murray Ministry was reconstituted. |
| 28 June 1991 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
| 2 July 1991 | Parliament resumed for business. |