Western Australian state election, 1953
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the state
of Western Australia
on 14 February 1953 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly
. The two-term Liberal
-Country Party
coalition government, led by Premier
Sir Ross McLarty
, was defeated by the Labor Party
, led by Opposition Leader
Bert Hawke.
The election was notable in that 22 of the 50 seats were not contested at the election. Only two other elections—those held in 1890 and 1894—had a greater percentage or number of uncontested seats.
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 Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
on 14 February 1953 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
. The two-term 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...
-Country Party
National Party of Western Australia
The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity....
coalition government, led by Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
Sir Ross McLarty
Ross McLarty
Sir Duncan Ross McLarty KBE MM was the 17th Premier of Western Australia.-Early life:McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty, a farmer and grazier and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and his wife Mary Jane, née Campbell...
, was defeated by the Labor Party
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...
, led by Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
Bert Hawke.
The election was notable in that 22 of the 50 seats were not contested at the election. Only two other elections—those held in 1890 and 1894—had a greater percentage or number of uncontested seats.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 7 January 1953 | The Legislative Council was prorogued and the Legislative Assembly was dissolved. |
| 23 January 1953 | Writs were issued by the Governor Governor of Western Australia The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;... to proceed with an election. |
| 30 January 1953 | Close of nominations. |
| 14 February 1953 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 23 February 1953 | The McLarty-Watts Ministry McLarty-Watts Ministry The McLarty-Watts Ministry was the 21st Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Liberal Premier Sir Ross McLarty and his deputy, Country Party leader Arthur Watts. It succeeded the Wise Ministry on 1 April 1947, following the defeat of the Labor government at the 1947 election two... resigned and the Hawke Ministry Hawke Ministry (Western Australia) The Hawke Ministry was the 22nd Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Labor Premier Albert Hawke and deputy John Tonkin. It commenced on 23 February 1953, nine days after the McLarty-Watts Ministry, led by Premier Ross McLarty of the Liberal Party, was defeated at the 1953 election... was sworn in. |
| 27 February 1953 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
| 6 August 1953 | Parliament was summoned for business. |
Results
|}- 319,941 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 22 seats (44% of the total) were uncontested—12 Labor seats (six more than 1950) representing 65,993 enrolled voters, 3 Liberal seats (one more than 1950) representing 14,297 enrolled voters, and 7 Country seats (three more than 1950) representing 34,007 enrolled voters.
See also
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1950–1953Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1950–1953This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1950 election and the 1953 election, together known as the 20th Parliament.-Notes:...
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1953–1956Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1953–1956This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1953 election and the 1956 election, together known as the 21st Parliament.-Notes:...