Queensland state election, 1977
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the Australia
n state
of Queensland
on 12 November 1977 to elect the 82 members of the state's Legislative Assembly
.
The election resulted in a fourth consecutive victory for the National
-Liberal
Coalition under Joh Bjelke-Petersen
. It was the eighth victory of the National Party in Queensland since it first came to office in 1957.
, while the ALP claimed that it was a curtailment of civil liberties
. Joh Bjelke-Petersen also no longer had the Whitlam Labor Government
(which was unpopular in Queensland) to use as a campaigning tool.
gained twelve seats from the Coalition and Independents, making something of a recovery from its disastrous 1974 performance. Even so, the Coalition retained a commanding majority in the Legislative Assembly.
For the first time, the National Party won more votes than the Liberal party (an electoral malaportionment
had allowed the Nationals to win more seats than the Liberals previously). The Liberal Party had begun to decline.
The Democratic Labor Party
had ceased to exist. The Australian Democrats
contested their first election in Queensland.
New parties in this election were the Australian Democrats
, who stood 12 candidates, and the Progress Party
, who stood 27 candidates.
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 12 November 1977 to elect the 82 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 resulted in a fourth consecutive victory for the National
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...
-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...
Coalition under Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
. It was the eighth victory of the National Party in Queensland since it first came to office in 1957.
Issues
The major issue in the election was law and order. In 1977, the Government had passed a law making it illegal to march in the street without a permit, which were rarely given. The Coalition argued that this prevented traffic disruption and other inconveniences to the people of BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, while the ALP claimed that it was a curtailment of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
. Joh Bjelke-Petersen also no longer had the Whitlam Labor Government
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...
(which was unpopular in Queensland) to use as a campaigning tool.
Result
The Labor PartyAustralian 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...
gained twelve seats from the Coalition and Independents, making something of a recovery from its disastrous 1974 performance. Even so, the Coalition retained a commanding majority in the Legislative Assembly.
For the first time, the National Party won more votes than the Liberal party (an electoral malaportionment
Bjelkemander
The Bjelkemander was the term given to a system of malapportionment in the Australian State of Queensland in the 1970s and 1980s. Under the system, electorates were allocated to zones such as rural or metropolitan and electoral boundaries drawn so that rural electorates had about half as many...
had allowed the Nationals to win more seats than the Liberals previously). The Liberal Party had begun to decline.
The Democratic Labor Party
Democratic 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...
had ceased to exist. The Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
contested their first election in Queensland.
Results
|}New parties in this election were the Australian Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
, who stood 12 candidates, and the Progress Party
Progress Party (Australia)
The Progress Party was a minor Australian political party in the mid-to-late 1970s. Initially known as the Workers' Party, it was formed on Australia Day 1975 as a free market libertarian and anti-socialist party by businessmen John Singleton and Sinclair Hill, in reaction to the economic policies...
, who stood 27 candidates.
See also
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1974–1977
- Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1977–1980