1918 Queensland state election

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1918 Queensland state election
Flag of Queensland.svg
  1915 16 March 1918 (1918-03-16) 1920  

All 72 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
37 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Turnout80.27 (Decrease2.svg 7.87 pp)
 First partySecond party
  T. J. Ryan, 1918 (cropped).jpg Edward Henry Macartney - Queensland politician (cropped).jpg
Leader T. J. Ryan Edward Macartney
Party Labor National
Leader since6 September 1912 (1912-09-06)15 February 1918 (1918-02-15)
Leader's seat Barcoo Toowong
Last election45 seats, 52.06%New party
Seats won4822
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 3Increase2.svg 22
Popular vote180,709150,225
Percentage53.68%44.62%
SwingIncrease2.svg 1.62Increase2.svg 2.65

Premier before election

T. J. Ryan
Labor

Elected Premier

T. J. Ryan
Labor

Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 16 March 1918 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.

Contents

Background

The election was the second for the Labor government of T. J. Ryan, who had been premier since 1 June 1915. The National opposition (previously known as the Ministerialists) were led by Edward Macartney who replaced Digby Denham after the 1915 election when they were reduced to 21 seats. In turn, he was replaced by James Tolmie within three months but returned to the post shortly before the election when the latter fell ill. [1]

Results

The election saw the Labor government returned to office with an increased vote and seat count for both Labor and the National Party from the 1915 election.

Queensland state election, 16 March 1918 [2]
Legislative Assembly
<< 19151920 >>

Enrolled voters424,416
Votes cast336,647 Turnout 80.27-7.87
Informal votesN/AInformal1.18-0.39
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes%SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 180,70953.68+1.6248+3
  National 150,22544.62+2.6522+1
  Independent 3,3110.98+0.062+1
Total336,647  72 

Seats changing party representation

This table lists changes in party representation at the 1918 election.

Party changes before election

The following seats changed party representation before the election due to the merger of Farmers Union and Liberal Party members.

SeatIncumbent memberFormer partyNew party
Albert John Appel  Farmers' Union National Party
Aubigny Arthur Moore  Farmers' Union National Party
Cunningham Francis Grayson  Liberal Party Independent National
Drayton William Bebbington  Farmers' Union National Party
Murilla Godfrey Morgan  Farmers' Union National Party
Nanango Robert Hodge  Farmers' Union National Party
Pittsworth Percy Bayley  Farmers' Union Independent National

Seats changing hands at election

SeatIncumbent memberPartyNew memberParty
Bulimba Hugh McMinn  Labor Walter Barnes  National
Burke William Murphy  Independent Darby Riordan  Labor
Burrum Colin Rankin  National Albert Whitford  Labor
Kurilpa William Hartley  Labor James Fry  National
Lockyer William Armstrong  National Cuthbert Butler  Labor
Logan James Stodart  National Alfred James  Labor
Oxley Thomas Jones  Labor Cecil Elphinstone  National
Rosewood Henry Stevens  National William Cooper  Labor
Toowoomba James Tolmie  National Frank Brennan  Labor
Wide Bay Charles Booker  National Andrew Thompson  Labor
Windsor Herbert McPhail  Labor Charles Taylor  National

Aftermath

T.J. Ryan resigned as premier a year after the state election to run successfully for the federal seat of West Sydney in 1919. Ryan was replaced as premier by Ted Theodore. Theodore called the 1920 election one year into his premiership and two years after the 1918 election. Macartney was later replaced for a second time, this time by William Vowles. Within a few months though, Vowles created the Queensland Country Party. However, because Vowles had created the Country Party using most of the rural-based National MLAs, Vowles was able to remain as Opposition Leader.

See also

References

  1. French, M. "Tolmie, James (1862–1939)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 28 June 2018 via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  2. "UWA 1918 election study".