Western Australian state election, 1901
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the state
of Western Australia
on 24 April 1901 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
. It was the first election to take place since responsible government
without the towering presence of Premier
Sir John Forrest
, who had left state politics two months earlier to enter the first Federal parliament representing the Division of Swan
.
The Ministerial group, led by Forrest's nominated successor George Throssell
, ran a half-hearted campaign for government, with Throssell saying in a policy speech that while he would continue to serve as Premier if required, "it was not the class of political life he desired, as it interfered too much with his leisure." Meanwhile, the Opposition had no clear leader, with the Parliamentary leader Frederick Illingworth
and George Leake
, who was seeking to return to Parliament in the election, both apparently contenders. The groups were neither formal nor organised, with many members and candidates professing rather confused allegiances and running their own campaigns on local issues.
Following the introduction of payment of members in 1900, which effectively allowed men without independent means to sit in Parliament, the Labour Party
offered 22 candidates to the voters compared to three at the previous election, each of which was pledged to the party's platform. The Westralian Worker newspaper, launched six months earlier, was used to publicise the campaign. They ultimately won six seats, of which five were located in the Goldfields.
No clear winner emerged, and considerable instability resulted as three Ministries either resigned or were defeated on a want of confidence motion
. The situation was ultimately resolved when half of the Morgans Ministry
were defeated in ministerial by-elections in December 1901, which gave the Opposition a narrow majority with Independent or Labour support.
The election took place based on boundaries established in the Constitution Act Amendment Act 1899, which increased the number of members from 44 to 50 and reflected demographic changes—the Pilbara region lost two seats as did the Murchison region, whilst five seats were created in Kalgoorlie
and the Eastern Goldfields and four seats were created in the Perth
metropolitan area. The election was conducted under the first past the post
system, and electorates had a wide variety of numbers of enrolled voters, ranging from 108 at East Kimberley
to 7,024 at Hannans
—nine electorates had 500 or less, whilst the same number had 3,000 or more.
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 Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
on 24 April 1901 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
. It was the first election to take place since responsible government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
without the towering presence of Premier
Premier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
Sir John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
, who had left state politics two months earlier to enter the first Federal parliament representing the Division of Swan
Division of Swan
The Division of Swan is an Australian Electoral Division located in Western Australia. The division is named after the Swan River.For several decades, it has been a marginal seat, extending along the Swan and Canning Rivers from the affluent suburbs in the City of South Perth to the west, which...
.
The Ministerial group, led by Forrest's nominated successor George Throssell
George Throssell
George Lionel Throssell, CMG was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February 1901 until 27 May 1901 during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics....
, ran a half-hearted campaign for government, with Throssell saying in a policy speech that while he would continue to serve as Premier if required, "it was not the class of political life he desired, as it interfered too much with his leisure." Meanwhile, the Opposition had no clear leader, with the Parliamentary leader Frederick Illingworth
Frederick Illingworth
Frederick Illingworth , Australian politician, was a Member of Parliament in two Australian states, and a government minister in Western Australia...
and George Leake
George Leake
George Leake CMG QC was Premier of Western Australia from 27 May 1901 to 21 November 1901, and again from 23 December 1901 until his death on 24 June 1902.-Early life:...
, who was seeking to return to Parliament in the election, both apparently contenders. The groups were neither formal nor organised, with many members and candidates professing rather confused allegiances and running their own campaigns on local issues.
Following the introduction of payment of members in 1900, which effectively allowed men without independent means to sit in Parliament, the Labour 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...
offered 22 candidates to the voters compared to three at the previous election, each of which was pledged to the party's platform. The Westralian Worker newspaper, launched six months earlier, was used to publicise the campaign. They ultimately won six seats, of which five were located in the Goldfields.
No clear winner emerged, and considerable instability resulted as three Ministries either resigned or were defeated on a want of confidence motion
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
. The situation was ultimately resolved when half of the Morgans Ministry
Morgans ministry
The Morgans Ministry was the fourth ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Alf Morgans of the Ministerialist faction. It succeeded the First Leake Ministry on 21 November 1901, and was followed by the Second Leake Ministry on 23 December 1901....
were defeated in ministerial by-elections in December 1901, which gave the Opposition a narrow majority with Independent or Labour support.
The election took place based on boundaries established in the Constitution Act Amendment Act 1899, which increased the number of members from 44 to 50 and reflected demographic changes—the Pilbara region lost two seats as did the Murchison region, whilst five seats were created in Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
and the Eastern Goldfields and four seats were created in the Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
metropolitan area. The election was conducted under the first past the post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
system, and electorates had a wide variety of numbers of enrolled voters, ranging from 108 at East Kimberley
Electoral district of East Kimberley
East Kimberley was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1904.Based in the eastern part of the Kimberley region, the district was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election...
to 7,024 at Hannans
Electoral district of Hannans
Hannans was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1901 to 1956.The district was located in the Goldfields-Esperance region, and was based in the city of Kalgoorlie and surrounding mining districts, and was one of several districts...
—nine electorates had 500 or less, whilst the same number had 3,000 or more.
Results
|}See also
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1897–1901Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1897–1901The following is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1897 elections and the 1901 elections, together known as the Third Parliament.-Notes:...
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1901–1904Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1901–1904This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1901 election and the 1904 election, together known as the Fourth Parliament....