Tasmanian state election, 1928
Encyclopedia
A general election for the House of Assembly
was held in the Australia
n state
of Tasmania
on 30 May 1928 (a Wednesday).
had seen Labor win in a landslide, and the Nationalist Party lose five seats in the House of Assembly. In 1928, leading up to the election, the Nationalists reverted to "hard politics", criticising Labor Premier Joseph Lyons
for an increasing unemployment
problem and economic stagnation
. This shift was much to the chagrin of Lyons, who had encouraged cordial relations with the Nationalists, and referred to their leader John McPhee
as a "colleague and mate
".
), Nationalist leader John McPhee
was made Premier of Tasmania, and he praised Lyons for his statesmanship.
Lyons, who had been considering a career in Federal politics, stood for the federal seat of Wilmot
in 1929, and would go on to become Prime Minister of Australia
in 1932.
Tasmanian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
was held in the 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...
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 Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
on 30 May 1928 (a Wednesday).
Background
The 1925 electionTasmanian state election, 1925
A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 3 June 1925 .-Background:The ambiguous result of the 1922 election had seen a coalition form between the Nationalist and Country parties, and John Hayes was appointed Premier of Tasmania...
had seen Labor win in a landslide, and the Nationalist Party lose five seats in the House of Assembly. In 1928, leading up to the election, the Nationalists reverted to "hard politics", criticising Labor Premier Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
for an increasing unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
problem and economic stagnation
Economic stagnation
Economic stagnation or economic immobilism, often called simply stagnation or immobilism, is a prolonged period of slow economic growth , usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as estimated by experts in macroeconomics...
. This shift was much to the chagrin of Lyons, who had encouraged cordial relations with the Nationalists, and referred to their leader John McPhee
John McPhee (Australian politician)
Sir John Cameron McPhee, KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 June 1928 to 15 March 1934.-Early life:...
as a "colleague and mate
Mate (colloquialism)
Mate is a colloquialism used to refer to a friend and is commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is or has been used interchangeably with many equivalent terms, such as buddy , pal or bro . It is sometimes abbreviated to M8..-Origin:Mate is a colloquialism...
".
Results
|}- Prior to the 1925 election, the Nationalist Party had split with a number of candidates, including former Premier Walter LeeWalter Lee (Australian politician)Sir Walter Henry Lee KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania on three occasions: from 15 April 1916 to 12 August 1922; from 14 August 1923 to 25 October 1923; and from 15 March 1934 to 22 June 1934.Lee was born in Longford in...
, contesting the election under a "Liberal" banner. The grouping subsequently reunited with the Nationalists.
Distribution of Seats
EWLINE
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Aftermath
The Labor Party won a slim majority of the vote in the 1928 election, but only fourteen seats. As the Nationalist Party held half the seats in the House of Assembly (one more than Labor, and with one independent in FranklinDivision of Franklin (state)
The Electoral Division of Franklin is one of the five electorates in the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The division is named after Sir John Franklin, the arctic explorer who was Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1837-43...
), Nationalist leader John McPhee
John McPhee (Australian politician)
Sir John Cameron McPhee, KCMG was an Australian politician and member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. He was Premier of Tasmania from 15 June 1928 to 15 March 1934.-Early life:...
was made Premier of Tasmania, and he praised Lyons for his statesmanship.
Lyons, who had been considering a career in Federal politics, stood for the federal seat of Wilmot
Division of Wilmot
The Division of Wilmot was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Tasmania. It was located in central Tasmania, and was named after Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, the sixth Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania...
in 1929, and would go on to become Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
in 1932.
External links
- Assembly Election Results, 1928, Parliament of TasmaniaParliament of TasmaniaThe Parliament of Tasmania consists of the Tasmanian Legislative Council, Tasmanian House of Assembly and the Monarch represented by the Governor of Tasmania....
. - Report on General Election, 1928, Tasmanian Electoral Commission, 24 September 1928.