South Australian state election, 1896
Encyclopedia
State elections were held in Australia
on 25 April 1896. All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly
were up for election. The incumbent liberal
government led by Premier
of South Australia Charles Kingston
in an informal coalition United Labor Party
led by John McPherson
defeated the conservative
opposition. Each district elected multiple members, with voters casting multiple votes. The election was held concurrently with Australia's first referendum
, was the first Australian parliamentary election in which women could vote, and was the first in the world where women were permitted to run for office.
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 25 April 1896. All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
were up for election. The incumbent liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
government led by Premier
Premiers of South Australia
Before the 1890s when there was no formal party system in South Australia, MPs tended to have historical liberal or conservative beliefs. The liberals dominated government from 1893 to 1905 with Labor support, with the conservatives mostly in opposition. Labor took government with the support of...
of South Australia Charles Kingston
Charles Kingston
Charles Cameron Kingston, Australian politician, was an early liberal Premier of South Australia serving from 1893 to 1899 with the support of Labor led by John McPherson from 1893 and Lee Batchelor from 1897 in the House of Assembly, winning the 1893, 1896, and 1899 state elections against the...
in an informal coalition United 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 John McPherson
John McPherson
John McPherson was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock and Rangers.-Early career:Born in Kilmarnock, McPherson started his career with his local side Kilmarnock F.C., moved to Cowlairs in 1888, then joined Rangers in 1890...
defeated the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
opposition. Each district elected multiple members, with voters casting multiple votes. The election was held concurrently with Australia's first referendum
South Australian referendum, 1896
A referendum was held in South Australia on 25 April 1896, and dealt with matters relating to secular and religious education. The referendum was held concurrently with a general election, the first in Australia in which women were eligible to vote, and was the first referendum to be held in...
, was the first Australian parliamentary election in which women could vote, and was the first in the world where women were permitted to run for office.
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
Conservatives Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
50,127 | 31.14 | +9.27 | 21 | 0 | |
United 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... |
39,107 | 24.29 | +5.53 | 12 | +2 | |
Liberals Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
33,002 | 20.50 | -10.24 | 15 | -8 | |
Independent Liberals Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
5,855 | 3.64 | * | 4 | * | |
Unidentified | 23,654 | 14.69 | -10.35 | 0 | 0 | |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
9,238 | 5.74 | +2.15 | 2 | +2 | |
Other | 0 | 0.00 | ||||
Total | 160,983 | 54 | ||||
Liberal Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... /Labor 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... coalition Coalition government A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament... |
WIN | 27 | -6 | |||
Conservatives Conservatism Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism... |
21 | 0 |