Tasmanian state election, 1931
Encyclopedia
A general election for the House of Assembly
was held in the Australia
n state
of Tasmania
on 9 May 1931.
had defeated Labor
by one seat at the 1928 election
, and John McPhee
had been Premier of Tasmania since then. Joseph Lyons
had retired from state politics after his 1928 defeat and had entered federal politics, and the Labor Party was now led by Albert Ogilvie
.
, and was attributed to public endorsement of McPhee's expenditure cuts over Ogilvie's expansionist policies.
The high turnout of voting in the election was due to the implementation of compulsory voting
clauses of the Electoral Act for the first time.
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
was held in the Australia
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 Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
on 9 May 1931.
Background
The Nationalist PartyNationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
had defeated 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...
by one seat at the 1928 election
Tasmanian state election, 1928
A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 30 May 1928 .-Background:The 1925 election had seen Labor win in a landslide, and the Nationalist Party lose five seats in the House of Assembly...
, and John McPhee
John McPhee (Australian politician)
Sir John Cameron McPhee, KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 June 1928 to 15 March 1934.-Early life:...
had been Premier of Tasmania since then. Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
had retired from state politics after his 1928 defeat and had entered federal politics, and the Labor Party was now led by Albert Ogilvie
Albert Ogilvie
Albert George Ogilvie was an Australian politician and Premier of Tasmania from 22 June 1934 until his death on 10 June 1939....
.
Results
|}Distribution of Seats
EWLINE
|
|
Aftermath
The Nationalist Party won the 1931 election in a landslide, with an over 22 per cent margin over Labor, and taking a nineteen seats in the House of Assembly. This was the largest victory over Labor in Tasmania since Hare-Clark elections began in 1909Tasmanian state election, 1909
A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 30 April 1909...
, and was attributed to public endorsement of McPhee's expenditure cuts over Ogilvie's expansionist policies.
The high turnout of voting in the election was due to the implementation of compulsory voting
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
clauses of the Electoral Act for the first time.
External links
- Assembly Election Results, 1931, Parliament of TasmaniaParliament of TasmaniaThe Parliament of Tasmania consists of the Tasmanian Legislative Council, Tasmanian House of Assembly and the Monarch represented by the Governor of Tasmania....
. - Report on General Election, 1931, Tasmanian Electoral Commission.