New South Wales state election, 1973
Encyclopedia
Elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
were held in the state of New South Wales
, Australia
, on Saturday 17 November 1973. The result was a win for the Liberal
-Country Party
coalition under Sir Robert Askin
, which had been in office since 1965.
, Penrith
and Ku-ring-gai
.
The election was held just eleven months after the Liberal/Country coalition lost the federal election after 23 years in power. Askin called an early election to take advantage of the increasing economic issues which had been attributed to the Whitlam
Labor government.
Leader of the Legislative Council Neville Wran
, who would become Premier at the next election moved from the unelected Legislative Council to the Legislative Assembly after the late retirement of Clarrie Earl
in the seat of Bass Hill
.
won its only lower house seat at the 1973 election following the Liberal Party's incumbent for the northern Sydney seat of Gordon — Harry Jago
failed to nominate in time. Conservative voters were urged to vote for the DLP candidate, Kevin Harrold
.
|}
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...
were held in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
, on Saturday 17 November 1973. The result was a win for 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 Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
coalition under Sir Robert Askin
Robert Askin
Sir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
, which had been in office since 1965.
Issues
The Legislative Assembly had been enlarged by three members to 99 adding the seats of WoronoraElectoral district of Woronora
Woronora was a former electoral district for the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, named after Woronora. It was created in 1894 and abolished in 1904. It was recreated in 1973 and abolished in 1988.-Members for Woronora:...
, Penrith
Electoral district of Penrith
Penrith is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It has been represented by Stuart Ayres of the Liberal Party of Australia since the 2010 by-election...
and Ku-ring-gai
Electoral district of Ku-ring-gai
Ku-ring-gai is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by the current Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell of the Liberal Party of Australia, since 1999.-Electorate History:...
.
The election was held just eleven months after the Liberal/Country coalition lost the federal election after 23 years in power. Askin called an early election to take advantage of the increasing economic issues which had been attributed to the Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
Labor government.
Leader of the Legislative Council Neville Wran
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
, who would become Premier at the next election moved from the unelected Legislative Council to the Legislative Assembly after the late retirement of Clarrie Earl
Clarrie Earl
Clarence Joseph Earl was an Australian politician and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1973. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party ....
in the seat of Bass Hill
Electoral district of Bass Hill
Bass Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian State of New South Wales from 1962 to 1991, including the Sydney suburb of Bass Hill.-Members for Bass Hill:...
.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 19 October 1973 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 25 October 1973 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. |
| 17 November 1973 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 3 December 1973 | The Sixth Askin-Cutler Ministry was constituted. |
| 4 December 1973 | Parliament resumed for business. |
| 7 December 1973 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
Results
The Democratic Labor PartyDemocratic Labor Party
The Democratic Labor Party is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan was elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal...
won its only lower house seat at the 1973 election following the Liberal Party's incumbent for the northern Sydney seat of Gordon — Harry Jago
Harry Jago
Arnold Henry Jago , known as Harry Jago, was a former Liberal member of the New South Wales parliament representing the seat Gordon and a Minister of the Crown.-Early life:...
failed to nominate in time. Conservative voters were urged to vote for the DLP candidate, Kevin Harrold
Kevin Harrold
Kevin Joseph Harrold is a former Australian politician. He was the member for Gordon in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1973 to 1976 as the Democratic Labor Party's only member of the New South Wales Parliament....
.
|}
- There were 2,788,733 enrolled voters but 20,857 were enrolled in Broken HillElectoral district of Broken HillBroken Hill was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. From 1894 to 1913, the Broken Hill district was covered by the electoral districts of Broken Hill, Willyama and Sturt. In the 1912 redistribution, the electoral district of Broken Hill...
(Labor) which was uncontested at the election.