Queensland state election, 1920
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the Australia
n state
of Queensland
on 9 October 1920 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
. The Labor
government was seeking its third term in office since the 1915 election
; it would be Premier Ted Theodore
's first election.
During the previous term, a new party, the Queensland Country Party
, had emerged out of the Nationalist bloc, taking half that party's parliamentary seats with it. A Labor member, Alfred James, switched to the party, and the Maranoa by-election in 1919 saw them gain a seat at the expense of Labor. An additional party, the Northern Country Party, also formed during this time to represent the interests of North Queensland
farmers and canegrowers. In order to avoid three-cornered contests with Labor, the three parties agreed upon a division of seats between them.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on 9 October 1920 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
. The 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...
government was seeking its third term in office since the 1915 election
Queensland state election, 1915
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 22 May 1915 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.The election was the second for the Ministerialist government of Digby Denham, who had been premier since 7 February 1911. The opposition Labor Party, led by T. J...
; it would be Premier Ted Theodore
Ted Theodore
Edward Granville Theodore was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Queensland 1919–25, a federal politician representing a New South Wales seat 1927–31, and Federal Treasurer 1929–30.-Early life:...
's first election.
During the previous term, a new party, the Queensland Country Party
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...
, had emerged out of the Nationalist bloc, taking half that party's parliamentary seats with it. A Labor member, Alfred James, switched to the party, and the Maranoa by-election in 1919 saw them gain a seat at the expense of Labor. An additional party, the Northern Country Party, also formed during this time to represent the interests of North Queensland
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
farmers and canegrowers. In order to avoid three-cornered contests with Labor, the three parties agreed upon a division of seats between them.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 September 1920 | The Parliament was dissolved. |
| 10 September 1920 | Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 18 September 1920 | Close of nominations. |
| 9 October 1920 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 12 November 1920 | The Theodore Ministry Theodore Ministry The Theodore Ministry was the 28th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Ted Theodore of the Australian Labor Party. It succeeded the Ryan Ministry on 22 October 1919 following T. J... was reconstituted. |
| 15 November 1920 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
Results
|}- 462,218 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 2 Country Party seats (Cooroora and CunninghamElectoral district of CunninghamCunningham was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1888 to 2009.Prior to its abolition, the district occupied an area of the Darling Downs, south and west of Toowoomba. Historically it was centred on the town of Clifton. The eastern portion...
), 1 United Party seat (AlbertElectoral district of AlbertThe electoral district of Albert is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Queensland. Albert is named for the Albert River, which runs through the electorate and separates Logan City from Gold Coast City...
) and 1 Labor seat (Mitchell) were unopposed.
See also
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1918–1920Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1918–1920This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1918 to 1920, as elected at the 1918 state election.During the term, several Nationalist members switched allegiance to the new Country Party....
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1920–1923Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1920–1923This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1920 to 1923, as elected at the 1920 state election. This was the first major showing of the Country Party in the Queensland parliament...
- Candidates of the Queensland state election, 1920Candidates of the Queensland state election, 1920This is a list of candidates who stood for the 1920 Queensland state election. The election was held on 9 October 1920.The main parties in the election were the Labor Party, led by Premier Ted Theodore, the Nationalist Party led by Charles Taylor, and the newly formed Country Party, led by William...
- Theodore MinistryTheodore MinistryThe Theodore Ministry was the 28th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Ted Theodore of the Australian Labor Party. It succeeded the Ryan Ministry on 22 October 1919 following T. J...