Queensland state election, 1915
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the Australia
n state
of Queensland
on 22 May 1915 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
.
The election was the second for the Ministerialist government of Digby Denham
, who had been premier since 7 February 1911. The opposition Labor Party
, led by T. J. Ryan
, had two previous Premiers — Anderson Dawson
in 1899 and William Kidston
in 1906 — but the former did not command a majority of parliamentary support, while the latter maintained it by splitting the Labor Party. Labor had never before held majority government.
The election resulted in the defeat of the government, and Queensland's first majority Labor government. All except two members of the Ministry up for election, including Denham himself, lost their seats.
|}
of the 1929–1932 period.
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 22 May 1915 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 was the second for the Ministerialist government of Digby Denham
Digby Denham
Digby Frank Denham was an Australian politician, businessman and leading Queensland Orangeman. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1902 until 1915 representing the seat of Oxley, and was Premier of Queensland from 7 February 1911 to 1 June 1915...
, who had been premier since 7 February 1911. The opposition 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 T. J. Ryan
T. J. Ryan
Thomas Joseph "T.J." Ryan was Premier of Queensland, Australia from May 1915 until October 1919 when he resigned to enter Federal politics.-Early life:Thomas Joseph Ryan was born at Port Fairy, Victoria...
, had two previous Premiers — Anderson Dawson
Anderson Dawson
Andrew Dawson , usually known as Anderson Dawson, was an Australian politician, the Premier of Queensland for one week in 1899...
in 1899 and 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:...
in 1906 — but the former did not command a majority of parliamentary support, while the latter maintained it by splitting the Labor Party. Labor had never before held majority government.
The election resulted in the defeat of the government, and Queensland's first majority Labor government. All except two members of the Ministry up for election, including Denham himself, lost their seats.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 April 1915 | The Parliament was dissolved. |
| 15 April 1915 | Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 28 April 1915 | Close of nominations. |
| 22 May 1915 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 1 June 1915 | The Denham Ministry Denham Ministry The Denham Ministry was the 26th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Digby Denham, who led the Ministerialist party consisting of a mixture of liberals and conservatives. It succeeded the Kidston Ministry on 7 February 1911... resigned and the Ryan Ministry Ryan Ministry The Ryan Ministry was the 27th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier T. J. Ryan of the Australian Labor Party. It was the first majority Labor government in Queensland's history. It succeeded the Denham Ministry on 1 June 1915, following the latter's defeat at the 1915... was sworn in. |
| 21 June 1915 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
| 13 July 1915 | Parliament resumed for business. |
Results
The election saw a landslide to Labor from the 1912 election.|}
- 335,195 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 8 seats (11.1% of the total) were uncontested—6 Labor seats representing 24,564 enrolled voters, one Ministerialist seat representing 3,999 voters, and one Farmers' Union seat representing 4,571 voters.
Aftermath
This was the start of a period of Labor hegemony over the Assembly which lasted until 1957; the only breach was the Moore ministryMoore Ministry (Queensland)
The Moore Ministry was a ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Country and Progressive National Party Premier Arthur Edward Moore. It succeeded the McCormack Ministry on 21 May 1929, ten days after William McCormack's Labor government was defeated at the 1929 state election...
of the 1929–1932 period.
See also
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1912–1915Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1912–1915This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1912 to 1915, as elected at the 1912 state election. Apart from the 1904–1907 term, when Labor had held two seats short of a majority, the parliament had been dominated by non-Labor forces since the separation of Queensland from...
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1915–1918Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1915–1918This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1915 to 1918, as elected at the 1915 state election. The election was a landslide for the Labor Party, with the previous premier Digby Denham and many of the Denham Ministry losing their parliamentary seats.Unlike in most other...
- Denham MinistryDenham MinistryThe Denham Ministry was the 26th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier Digby Denham, who led the Ministerialist party consisting of a mixture of liberals and conservatives. It succeeded the Kidston Ministry on 7 February 1911...
- Ryan MinistryRyan MinistryThe Ryan Ministry was the 27th ministry of the Government of Queensland and was led by Premier T. J. Ryan of the Australian Labor Party. It was the first majority Labor government in Queensland's history. It succeeded the Denham Ministry on 1 June 1915, following the latter's defeat at the 1915...