1950 South Australian state election

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1950 South Australian state election
Flag of South Australia.svg
  1947 4 March 1950 (1950-03-04) 1953  

All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly
20 seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  Playford portrait 38.jpg Senator Mick O'Halloran.jpg
Leader Thomas Playford Mick O'Halloran
Party Liberal and Country League Labor
Leader since5 November 193810 October 1949
Leader's seat Gumeracha Frome
Last election23 seats13 seats
Seats won23 seats12 seats
Seat changeSteady2.svg0Decrease2.svg1
Percentage51.3%48.7%
SwingDecrease2.svg0.7Increase2.svg0.7

Premier before election

Thomas Playford
Liberal and Country League

Elected Premier

Thomas Playford
Liberal and Country League

State elections were held in South Australia on 4 March 1950. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

Only one seat changed hands, rural Stanley saw the Labor member re-elected as an independent member. [5] [6] Notably, neither major party contested the independent-held seat of Ridley. [1] [2]

Results

Arrangement of the House of Assembly after the 1950 state election. South Australia House of Assembly 1950.svg
Arrangement of the House of Assembly after the 1950 state election.

South Australian state election, 4 March 1950 [7]
House of Assembly
<< 19471953 >>

Enrolled voters311,658
Votes cast290,306 Turnout 93.15%–0.22%
Informal votes9,667Informal3.33%–0.30%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 134,95248.09%–0.55%12– 1
  Liberal and Country 113,67340.51%+0.12%23± 0
  Communist 3,7491.34%–1.63%0± 0
  Independent 28,26510.07%+3.87%4+ 1
Total280,639  39 
Two-party-preferred
  Liberal and Country 51.30%–0.70%
  Labor 48.70%+0.70%

Post-election pendulum

LCL seats (23)
Marginal
Victoria Roy McLachlan LCL2.7%
Norwood Roy Moir LCL4.5%
Torrens Shirley Jeffries LCL4.5%
Prospect Elder Whittle LCL5.8%
Fairly safe
Stirling Herbert Dunn LCL6.6% v IND
Unley Colin Dunnage LCL7.8%
Safe
Onkaparinga Howard Shannon LCL11.1%
Burra George Hawker LCL11.3%
Glenelg Baden Pattinson LCL12.3%
Mitcham Henry Dunks LCL18.5%
Gouger Rufus Goldney LCL20.5%
Newcastle George Jenkins LCL21.3%
Angas Berthold Teusner LCL25.9% v IND
Albert Malcolm McIntosh LCLunopposed
Alexandra David Brookman LCLunopposed
Burnside Geoffrey Clarke LCLunopposed
Eyre Arthur Christian LCLunopposed
Flinders Rex Pearson LCLunopposed
Gumeracha Thomas Playford LCLunopposed
Light Herbert Michael LCLunopposed
Rocky River James Heaslip LCLunopposed
Yorke Peninsula Cecil Hincks LCLunopposed
Young Robert Nicholls LCLunopposed
Labor seats (12)
Marginal
Murray Richard McKenzie ALP0.8%
Gawler Leslie Duncan ALP4.2%
Goodwood Frank Walsh ALP4.5%
Fairly safe
Adelaide Sam Lawn ALP6.5% v IND
Wallaroo Hughie McAlees ALP8.1%
Safe
Semaphore Harold Tapping ALP30.5% v IND
Port Adelaide James Stephens ALP40.2% v COM
Stuart Lindsay Riches ALP42.8% v COM
Port Pirie Charles Davis ALPundistributed
Frome Mick O'Halloran ALPunopposed
Hindmarsh Cyril Hutchens ALPunopposed
Thebarton Fred Walsh ALPunopposed
Crossbench seats (4)
Stanley Percy Quirke IND10.0% v LCL
Chaffey William MacGillivray IND10.7% v LCL
Mount Gambier John Fletcher IND14.4% v ALP
Ridley Tom Stott INDunopposed

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Jaensch, Dean (March 2007). "The 1950 General Election - Formed the 33rd Parliament". History of South Australian elections 1857-2006: House of Assembly, Volume 1. State Electoral Office South Australia. pp. 266–269. ISBN   9780975048634. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015 via Electoral Commission of South Australia.
  2. 1 2 Tilby Stock, Jenny (1996). "The 'Playmander', Its origins, operation and effect on South Australia". In O'Neil, Bernard; Raftery, Judith; Round, Kerrie (eds.). Playford's South Australia: essays on the history of South Australia, 1933-1968. Association of Professional Historians. pp. 73–90. ISBN   9780646290928 via Professional Historians Association (South Australia).
  3. "Playford Government's Convincing Win". The Cairns Post . 6 March 1950. Retrieved 13 January 2016 via Trove.
  4. "Mr. Playford's Fourth Election Victory". The Advertiser . 6 March 1950. Retrieved 13 January 2016 via Trove.
  5. "L.-C.P. Win S.A. Elections". The Examiner . 6 March 1950. Retrieved 13 January 2016 via Trove. In Stanley electorate Mr.Quirke, sitting Labour member, who was expelled from-the party during the last Parliamentary session, but stood again as Independent, appears certain to defeat the Official Labour nominee, Mr, Hasse.
  6. "No Seat Was Lost in S.A. Poll". The Argus . 6 March 1950. Retrieved 13 January 2016 via Trove. The two Independent sitting members, Mr. MacGillvray (Chaffey) and Mr. Quirke (Stanley) were hard pressed to retain their seats.
  7. "Summary of 1950 Election". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. Two-party preferred figures since 1950, ABC News Online