Western Australian state election, 1956
Encyclopedia
Elections were held in the state
of Western Australia
on 7 April 1956 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly
. The Labor Party
, led by Premier
Bert Hawke, won a second term in office against the Liberal
-Country
coalition, led by Sir Ross McLarty
.
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 7 April 1956 to elect all 50 members to the 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 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 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...
Bert Hawke, won a second term in office against the 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...
-Country
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....
coalition, led by Sir Ross McLarty
Ross McLarty
Sir Duncan Ross McLarty KBE MM was the 17th Premier of Western Australia.-Early life:McLarty was born in Pinjarra, Western Australia, the youngest of seven children of Edward McLarty, a farmer and grazier and member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, and his wife Mary Jane, née Campbell...
.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 21 February 1956 | 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. |
| 29 February 1956 | Close of nominations. |
| 7 April 1956 | Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. |
| 20 April 1956 | The Hawke Ministry Hawke Ministry (Western Australia) The Hawke Ministry was the 22nd Ministry of the Government of Western Australia, led by Labor Premier Albert Hawke and deputy John Tonkin. It commenced on 23 February 1953, nine days after the McLarty-Watts Ministry, led by Premier Ross McLarty of the Liberal Party, was defeated at the 1953 election... was reconstituted. |
| 23 April 1956 | The writ was returned and the results formally declared. |
Results
|}- 342,018 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 16 seats (32% of the total) were uncontested—5 Labor seats (seven less than 1953) representing 24,951 enrolled voters, 5 Liberal seats (two more than 1953) representing 24,834 enrolled voters, and 6 Country seats (one less than 1953) representing 29,839 enrolled voters.
See also
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1953–1956Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1953–1956This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1953 election and the 1956 election, together known as the 21st Parliament.-Notes:...
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1956–1959Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1956–1959This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly between the 1956 election and the 1959 election, together known as the 22nd Parliament.-Notes:...