Elections for 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...

 were held on 11 December 1976. The incumbent 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 Bill Neilson

Bill Neilson

William Arthur "Bill" Neilson AC was Premier of Tasmania from 1975 to 1977.Born in Hobart, Tasmania, and educated at Ogilvie High School, Neilson became a postman. He married Jill Benjamin, daughter of Phyllis Benjamin, in Melbourne in 1948...

, won a second term against the opposition Liberal Party

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...

, led by Max Bingham.

Background

Labor had won the 1972 election

Tasmanian state election, 1972

Elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on 22 April 1972. The one-term Liberal government of Premier Angus Bethune had collapsed following the withdrawal of support by Kevin Lyons...

, by a landslide margin of 7 seats, with Labor leader Eric Reece

Eric Reece

Eric Elliott Reece, AC was Premier of Tasmania on two occasions: from 26 August 1958 to 26 May 1969, and from 3 May 1972 to 31 March 1975.-Biography:...

 elected as Premier of Tasmania for the second time. Reece retired from Parliament on 31 March 1975, after the ALP introduced a mandatory retirement age of 65. Liberal Party leader Angus Bethune retired three months later, and was replaced by Max Bingham.

Results

Labor won the election, although their majority was reduced to one seat.

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Distribution of Seats

EWLINE Electorate Seats won Bass Division of Bass (state) The Electoral Division of Bass is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly, or lower house; it takes its name from the British Naval Surgeon and Explorer of Australia: George Bass. The division shares its name and boundaries with the federal division of Bass...               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...               Denison Division of Denison (state) The Electoral Division of Denison is one of the 5 electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir William Denison, who was Lieutenant Governor of Van_Diemen's Land 1847-55, and Governor of New South Wales 1855-61. The division shares its name and boundaries with the...               Franklin Division of Franklin (state) The Electoral Division of Franklin is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir John Franklin, the arctic explorer who was Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1837-43...               Wilmot Division of Wilmot The Division of Wilmot was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Tasmania. It was located in central Tasmania, and was named after Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, the sixth Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania...

Labor   Liberal