Western Australian state election, 1950
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the state
of Western Australia
on 25 March 1950 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly
. The Liberal
-Country
coalition government, led by Premier
Ross McLarty
, won a second term in office against the Labor Party
, led by Opposition Leader
Frank Wise
.
The election took place after a major redistribution.
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 25 March 1950 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 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
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...
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...
, won a second term in office against 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...
Frank Wise
Frank Wise
Frank Joseph Scott Wise AO was an Australian Labor Party politician and the 16th Premier of Western Australia. He took office on 31 July 1945 in the closing stages of the Second World War, following the resignation of his predecessor due to ill health...
.
The election took place after a major redistribution.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 8 February 1950 | 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. |
| 17 February 1950 | Close of nominations in the North West North West Australia The terms North West Australia, The North West and North Western Australia have been used as a regular label for the region of the North of Western Australia and the West of the Northern Territory.- Early 20th century gold rush:... area. |
| 3 March 1950 | Close of nominations in all other areas. |
| 25 March 1950 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 6 April 1950 | 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... was reconstituted. |
| 14 April 1950 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
Results
|}- 306,099 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 12 seats (24% of the total) were uncontested—6 Labor seats (9 less than 1947) representing 26,694 enrolled voters, 2 Liberal seats (the same as 1947) representing 13,278 enrolled voters, and 4 Country seats (two more than 1947) representing 18,538 enrolled voters. This change in distribution means that comparisons in vote percentages between 1947 and 1950 are largely meaningless; they have hence been omitted from the table.
See also
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1947–1950Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1947–1950This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1947 election and the 1950 election, together known as the 19th Parliament.-Notes:...
- 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:...