Tasmanian state election, 1956
Encyclopedia
Elections for the House of Assembly
were held in the Australia
n state
of Tasmania
on 13 October 1956.
had resulted in a parliamentary deadlock between the Labor
and Liberal
parties, although Robert Cosgrove
remained Premier of Tasmania. On 11 September 1956, Cosgrove's minister for housing, Carrol Bramich
, resigned from the ALP following an internal row, party switching
and giving the Liberal opposition a majority. Cosgrove obtained a dissolution of parliament
from the Governor of Tasmania, and an election was called for 13 October.
The electorate of Darwin
had been renamed in 1955 to Braddon
, after former Premier Sir Edward Braddon
.
|}
saw the number of seats in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
increased to 35, which would prevent the kind of deadlock which resulted from having an even number of seats in the house.
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...
were 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 13 October 1956.
Background
The 1955 electionTasmanian state election, 1955
Elections for the House of Assembly were held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 19 February 1955.The incumbent Labor government, led by Robert Cosgrove, had been in office continuously since 1934, although had not held a majority since 1946...
had resulted in a parliamentary deadlock between 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...
and 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...
parties, although Robert Cosgrove
Robert Cosgrove
Sir Robert Cosgrove KCMG was an Australian politician, trade unionist, and twice Premier of Tasmania from 18 December 1939 to 18 December 1947 and 25 February 1948 to 26 August 1958....
remained Premier of Tasmania. On 11 September 1956, Cosgrove's minister for housing, Carrol Bramich
Carrol Bramich
Carrol Athelstone Bramich was an Australian politician. He was born in Penguin, Tasmania. In 1946 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as one of the Labor members for Darwin; he served as a minister from 1948...
, resigned from the ALP following an internal row, party switching
Party switching
Party-switching is any change in political party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one currently holding elected office.In many countries, party-switching takes the form of politicians refusing to support their political parties in coalition governments...
and giving the Liberal opposition a majority. Cosgrove obtained a dissolution of parliament
Dissolution of parliament
In parliamentary systems, a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a legislature at the call of an election.Usually there is a maximum length of a legislature, and a dissolution must happen before the maximum time...
from the Governor of Tasmania, and an election was called for 13 October.
The electorate of Darwin
Division of Darwin
The Division of Darwin was an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and abolished in 1955, when it was replaced by the Division of Braddon. It was named after Charles Darwin, who visited Australia in 1836. It was located in north-western Tasmania, including the...
had been renamed in 1955 to Braddon
Division of Braddon (state)
The Electoral Division of Braddon, Tasmania is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The constituency takes its name from the former Premier of Tasmania, Sir Edward Braddon. Prior to 1955, the electorate was known as Darwin. The boundaries and name of the electorate are...
, after former Premier Sir Edward Braddon
Edward Braddon
Sir Edward Nicholas Coventry Braddon, KCMG , Australian politician, was the Premier of Tasmania from 1894 to 1899, and was a Member of the First Australian Parliament in the House of Representatives...
.
Results
Following the 1956 election, the ALP and Liberals remained in a 15-seat deadlock. Despite Bramich's defection to the Liberals, Labor picked up a seat in Bramich's electorate of Braddon, maintaining the status quo with Cosgrove and the ALP still in power.|}
Distribution of Seats
EWLINE
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aftermath
The subsequent election in 1959Tasmanian state election, 1959
A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 2 May 1959.The two previous elections had resulted in a parliamentary deadlock due to an even number of seats in the House of Assembly...
saw the number of seats in the Tasmanian House of Assembly
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...
increased to 35, which would prevent the kind of deadlock which resulted from having an even number of seats in the house.
External links
- Assembly Election Results, 1956, 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 Parliamentary Elections, 1956, Tasmanian Electoral Commission.