Western Australian state election, 1914
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the state
of Western Australia
on 21 October 1914 to elect 50 members to the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
. The Labor
party, led by Premier
John Scaddan
, retained government against the opposition conservative
Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader
Frank Wilson, though with only the barest of majorities. The election also saw the emergence of the Western Australian Country Party
, which had been formed at a conference of the Farmers and Settlers Association the previous year to fight for rural interests, and won eight seats at the election.
The fragility of the Labor Party's majority was demonstrated when, a year later, Labor member Joseph Gardiner
's seat was declared vacant on account of his non-attendance and a Liberal was elected in his stead, and Labor became a minority government when on 18 December 1915, Edward Johnston resigned from the Labor Party and became an independent. On 27 July 1916, the Scaddan Ministry
was defeated and Wilson became the new Premier.
Notes:
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 21 October 1914 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....
. The 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...
party, led by 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...
John Scaddan
John Scaddan
John Scaddan, CMG , popularly known as "Happy Jack", was Premier of Western Australia from 7 October 1911 until 27 July 1916.- Biography :...
, retained government against the opposition conservative
Conservatism in Australia
Conservativism in Australia covers similar political issues as found in other Western democracies.In Australia political conservatism is primarily represented by the Liberal Party of Australia, and its rural-based coalition partner, the National Party...
Liberal Party led by Opposition Leader
Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)
The Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia is the leader of the largest minority political party or coalition of parties in the Legislative Assembly of the Parliament of Western Australia. By convention, he or she is generally a member of the Legislative Assembly...
Frank Wilson, though with only the barest of majorities. The election also saw the emergence of the Western Australian Country Party
National Party of Western Australia
The National Party of Western Australia is a political party in Western Australia. It is affiliated with the National Party of Australia but maintains a separate structure and identity....
, which had been formed at a conference of the Farmers and Settlers Association the previous year to fight for rural interests, and won eight seats at the election.
The fragility of the Labor Party's majority was demonstrated when, a year later, Labor member Joseph Gardiner
Joseph Gardiner
Joseph Peter Gardiner was the Australian Labor Party member for the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of Roebourne from 1911 to 1915...
's seat was declared vacant on account of his non-attendance and a Liberal was elected in his stead, and Labor became a minority government when on 18 December 1915, Edward Johnston resigned from the Labor Party and became an independent. On 27 July 1916, the Scaddan Ministry
Scaddan Ministry
The Scaddan Ministry was the 11th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia and was led by Labor Premier John Scaddan. It succeeded the First Wilson Ministry led by Ministerialist Frank Wilson on 7 October 1911 after the decisive result of the state election held four days earlier, which had...
was defeated and Wilson became the new Premier.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 29 September 1914 | The Parliament was dissolved. |
| 30 September 1914 | Writs were issued by the Governor Governor of Western Australia The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;... to proceed with an election. |
| 21 October 1914 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 4 November 1914 | Polling day in the seats of Pilbara and Gascoyne Electoral district of Gascoyne Gascoyne was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1989.The district was located in the Western Australian outback, in the north-west of the state... . |
| 11 November 1914 | Polling day in the seats of Roebourne Electoral district of Roebourne The Electoral district of Roebourne was a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. It was named for the town of Roebourne and was created in 1890, being one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election.... and Kimberley Electoral district of Kimberley -External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:... . |
| 23 November 1914 | The Scaddan Ministry Scaddan Ministry The Scaddan Ministry was the 11th Ministry of the Government of Western Australia and was led by Labor Premier John Scaddan. It succeeded the First Wilson Ministry led by Ministerialist Frank Wilson on 7 October 1911 after the decisive result of the state election held four days earlier, which had... was reconstituted. |
| 3 December 1914 | The new session of Parliament was convened. |
Results
|}Notes:
- The Labor Party's total of 26 seats includes 12 which were uncontested, representing 39,731 of the 214,741 enrolled voters. The Liberal and Country parties won one seat each uncontested—the Liberal member (Arthur Male, KimberleyElectoral district of Kimberley-External links:* ABC Election Profiles: * WAEC District Maps:...
) representing 1,663 enrolled voters, and the Country member (Alfred Napoleon Piesse, Electoral district of ToodyayElectoral district of ToodyayToodyay was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1977.The district was based on the town of Toodyay lying to the north-east of Perth. It was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election.The district was...
) representing 4,801 enrolled voters.
See also
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1911–1914
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1914–1917Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1914–1917This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1914 election and the 1917 election, together known as the Ninth Parliament...