Neutral Bay state by-election, 1945
Encyclopedia
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
seat of Neutral Bay
on Saturday, 15 December 1945.
It was triggered by the death of the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
and Leader of the Opposition
, The Hon. Reginald Weaver
, who died a week after suffering a mild heart attack in the Legislative Assembly chamber.
The seat was subsequently won by barrister Ivan Black
of the Liberal Party of Australia
. Neutral Bay being a safe Liberal seat, the Labor Party chose not to field a candidate.
, serving until the United Australia Party
under Alexander Mair
lost the election.
The UAP disintegrated in 1943. A large number of former UAP members then formed the Democratic Party in New South Wales, led by Mair, who became Opposition Leader, while others moved into the Commonwealth Party
and the Liberal Democratic Party. The Democratic Party then merged with the Commonwealth Party in January 1944. With the conservative vote split in half, Mair had little chance, and resigned as Democratic Party Leader on 10 February 1944, to be replaced by Weaver, who then became Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition
.
Weaver's efforts to merge the Democratic Party with the Liberal Democratic Party were deadlocked over questions of party organisation and by acrimony between himself and the Party leader, Ernest K White. However, in December 1944 both parties agreed to enter the new Liberal Party of Australia
formed by Robert Menzies
and Weaver was elected as the first Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
on 20 April 1945. His term as Liberal Leader was to prove short-lived, however. After suffering a mild heart attack in the Legislative Assembly chamber on the evening of 7 November 1945, he drove himself home and died a week later on 12 November 1945 at Hornsby Hospital.
Only two candidates nominated for the by-election. They were: Ivan Black
, a barrister and war veteran, for the Liberal Party and
Kenneth McLeod Bolton, a merchant, standing as an Independent. A. E. Newland, the candidate of the small Services and Consumers Party of Australia, who had previously expressed interest in contesting, did not nominate because his name was not on the state electoral roll.
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...
seat of Neutral Bay
Electoral district of Neutral Bay
Neutral Bay was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, created in 1927, replacing part of the multi-member electorate of North Shore, and named after and including the Sydney suburb of Neutral Bay. It was abolished in 1962 and partly replaced...
on Saturday, 15 December 1945.
It was triggered by the death of the Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
The position of leader of the Liberal Party of Australia's New South Wales division is a formal role held by a Liberal member of the Parliament of New South Wales...
and Leader of the Opposition
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...
, The Hon. Reginald Weaver
Reginald Weaver
Reginald Walter Darcy Weaver was an Australian conservative parliamentarian who served in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 28 years. Serving from 1917 in the backbenches, he entered the cabinet of Thomas Bavin in 1929 as Secretary for Mines and Minister for Forests until he returned to...
, who died a week after suffering a mild heart attack in the Legislative Assembly chamber.
The seat was subsequently won by barrister Ivan Black
Ivan Black
Ivan Black was an Australian politician and part of the Liberal Party. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1945 until 1962....
of the Liberal Party of Australia
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...
. Neutral Bay being a safe Liberal seat, the Labor Party chose not to field a candidate.
Background
The seat of Vaucluse, a safe Liberal seat, was held since 1927 by Reginald Weaver, who served as a Minister of the Crown in the Bavin and Stevens Governments. In 1937, Weaver was elected as the Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative AssemblySpeaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly, New South Wales's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is Shelley Hancock, who was elected on 3 May 2011...
, serving until the United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
under Alexander Mair
Alexander Mair
Alexander Mair was an Australian politician and served as the Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, working in various businesses, Mair moved to Albury, New South Wales and went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen...
lost the election.
The UAP disintegrated in 1943. A large number of former UAP members then formed the Democratic Party in New South Wales, led by Mair, who became Opposition Leader, while others moved into the Commonwealth Party
Commonwealth Party (New South Wales)
The Commonwealth Party was a short-lived, urban, conservative political party which was active in New South Wales, Australia in 1943-4.Following the defection of Joseph Lyons from the Australian Labor Party to the conservative side of politics in 1931, the opposition Nationalist Party and the five...
and the Liberal Democratic Party. The Democratic Party then merged with the Commonwealth Party in January 1944. With the conservative vote split in half, Mair had little chance, and resigned as Democratic Party Leader on 10 February 1944, to be replaced by Weaver, who then became Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition
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...
.
Weaver's efforts to merge the Democratic Party with the Liberal Democratic Party were deadlocked over questions of party organisation and by acrimony between himself and the Party leader, Ernest K White. However, in December 1944 both parties agreed to enter the new Liberal Party of Australia
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...
formed by Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
and Weaver was elected as the first Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party
The position of leader of the Liberal Party of Australia's New South Wales division is a formal role held by a Liberal member of the Parliament of New South Wales...
on 20 April 1945. His term as Liberal Leader was to prove short-lived, however. After suffering a mild heart attack in the Legislative Assembly chamber on the evening of 7 November 1945, he drove himself home and died a week later on 12 November 1945 at Hornsby Hospital.
Only two candidates nominated for the by-election. They were: Ivan Black
Ivan Black
Ivan Black was an Australian politician and part of the Liberal Party. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1945 until 1962....
, a barrister and war veteran, for the Liberal Party and
Kenneth McLeod Bolton, a merchant, standing as an Independent. A. E. Newland, the candidate of the small Services and Consumers Party of Australia, who had previously expressed interest in contesting, did not nominate because his name was not on the state electoral roll.