Queensland state election, 1908
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the Australia
n state
of Queensland
on 5 February 1908 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
.
The election, held less than 9 months after the previous election
, was made necessary by a series of events which had seen former Premier William Kidston
, who commanded a majority on the floor of the Assembly, resign following an attempt to convince the Governor of Queensland to appoint sympathetic members to the Queensland Legislative Council
, which had blocked key legislative measures. Following Kidston's resignation, Opposition leader Robert Philp
was sent for and formed a ministry
, but the ministry almost immediately lost a vote of no confidence in the Assembly, and as such, a new election had to be called.
|}
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...
n state
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 Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on 5 February 1908 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
.
The election, held less than 9 months after the previous election
Queensland state election, 1907
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 18 May 1907 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.The election was the first held since Premier William Kidston, formerly of the Labour Party, had founded a new movement with his own supporters as well as the...
, was made necessary by a series of events which had seen former Premier William Kidston
William Kidston
William Kidston was an Australian politician and Premier of Queensland, from January 1906 to November 1907 and again from February 1908 to February 1911.-Early life:...
, who commanded a majority on the floor of the Assembly, resign following an attempt to convince the Governor of Queensland to appoint sympathetic members to the Queensland Legislative Council
Queensland Legislative Council
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
, which had blocked key legislative measures. Following Kidston's resignation, Opposition leader Robert Philp
Robert Philp
Sir Robert Philp, KCMG was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908.-Early life:...
was sent for and formed a ministry
Second Philp Ministry
The Second Philp Ministry was the 24th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Robert Philp, who led the Conservative party. It succeeded the Second Kidston Ministry on 19 November 1907 following Kidston's resignation on 12 November 1907...
, but the ministry almost immediately lost a vote of no confidence in the Assembly, and as such, a new election had to be called.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 12 November 1907 | Premier William Kidston William Kidston William Kidston was an Australian politician and Premier of Queensland, from January 1906 to November 1907 and again from February 1908 to February 1911.-Early life:... resigned, and Robert Philp Robert Philp Sir Robert Philp, KCMG was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908.-Early life:... was sent for to form a ministry. |
| 19 November 1907 | The First Kidston Ministry First Kidston Ministry The First Kidston Ministry was the 23rd ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier William Kidston, who led a Labour–Liberal coalition. It succeeded the Morgan Ministry on 19 January 1906 upon the appointment of Arthur Morgan as president of the Queensland Legislative Council... resigned, and the Second Philp Ministry Second Philp Ministry The Second Philp Ministry was the 24th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Robert Philp, who led the Conservative party. It succeeded the Second Kidston Ministry on 19 November 1907 following Kidston's resignation on 12 November 1907... was sworn in. |
| 31 December 1907 | The Parliament was dissolved. |
| 3 January 1908 | Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 15 January 1908 | Close of nominations. |
| 5 February 1908 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 18 February 1908 | The Second Philp Ministry Second Philp Ministry The Second Philp Ministry was the 24th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Robert Philp, who led the Conservative party. It succeeded the Second Kidston Ministry on 19 November 1907 following Kidston's resignation on 12 November 1907... resigned and the Second Kidston Ministry Second Kidston Ministry The Second Kidston Ministry was the 25th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier William Kidston. It succeeded the Second Philp Ministry on 18 February 1908, 13 days after the 1908 state election... was sworn in. |
| 26 February 1908 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
| 3 March 1908 | Parliament resumed for business. |
Results
The Kidston party contested only 32 of the 72 seats, compared to 55 at the previous election.|}
- 205,892 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 12 seats (16.7% of the total) representing 30,069 voters were uncontested—six Labor seats, five Conservatives and one Kidston.
- In 11 electorates, voters had two votes each, so the total number of votes exceeds the total number of voters.
See also
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1907–1908Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1907–1908This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from May 1907 to February 1908, as elected at the 1907 state election.The Kidston Party, led by Premier William Kidston in the days before organised political parties and consisting of former Labour and Liberal MPs, won the election;...
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1908–1909Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1908–1909This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from February 1908 to October 1909, as elected at the 1908 state election.The Philp Ministry did not command a majority on the floor of the Assembly during its short term of government, and the Assembly was dissolved, resulting in...
- Second Philp MinistrySecond Philp MinistryThe Second Philp Ministry was the 24th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Robert Philp, who led the Conservative party. It succeeded the Second Kidston Ministry on 19 November 1907 following Kidston's resignation on 12 November 1907...
- Second Kidston MinistrySecond Kidston MinistryThe Second Kidston Ministry was the 25th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier William Kidston. It succeeded the Second Philp Ministry on 18 February 1908, 13 days after the 1908 state election...