1956 South Australian state election

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1956 South Australian state election
Flag of South Australia.svg
  1953 3 March 1956 (1956-03-03) 1959  

All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly
20 seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond party
  ThomasPlayford1963crop.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 election21 seats14 seats
Seats won21 seats15 seats
Seat changeSteady2.svg0Increase2.svg1
Percentage51.3%48.7%
SwingIncrease2.svg4.3Decrease2.svg4.3

Playmander Map.svg
A map of South Australian electorates from 1955 to 1969, during the height of the Playmander.

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 3 March 1956. 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]

Contents

A redistribution occurred in 1955 based upon the results of the census held in June 1954. [3] [4]

Background

Labor won one seat, rural Murray from the LCL. The LCL won two seats, rural Wallaroo from Labor and rural Chaffey from an independent. An independent won one seat, rural Burra from the LCL. [1] [2]

Results

Arrangement of the House of Assembly after the 1956 state election. South Australia House of Assembly 1956.svg
Arrangement of the House of Assembly after the 1956 state election.

South Australian state election, 3 March 1956 [5]
House of Assembly
<< 19531959 >>

Enrolled voters299,048
Votes cast280,811 Turnout 93.90%–1.11%
Informal votes6,702Informal2.39%–0.54%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 129,85347.37%–3.60%15± 0
  Liberal and Country 100,56936.69%+0.24%21+ 1
  Labor (A-C) 20,3847.44%*0± 0
  Communist 3,1851.16%–0.32%0± 0
  Independent 20,1187.34%–3.76%3– 1
Total274,109  39 
Two-party-preferred
  Liberal and Country 51.30%+4.30%
  Labor 48.70%–4.30%

Post-election pendulum

LCL seats (21)
Marginal
Wallaroo Leslie Heath LCL2.0%
Chaffey Harold King LCL5.2% v IND
Fairly safe
Glenelg Baden Pattinson LCL8.0%
Torrens John Coumbe LCL8.2%
Safe
Unley Colin Dunnage LCL10.2%
Victoria Leslie Harding LCL11.7%
Onkaparinga Howard Shannon LCL20.1% v IND
Gouger Rufus Goldney LCL20.5% v IND
Angas Berthold Teusner LCL27.6% v IND
Gumeracha Thomas Playford LCL38.6% v COM
Eyre George Bockelberg LCLundistributed
Albert Malcolm McIntosh LCLunopposed
Alexandra David Brookman LCLunopposed
Barossa Condor Laucke LCLunopposed
Burnside Geoffrey Clarke LCLunopposed
Flinders Glen Pearson LCLunopposed
Light George Hambour LCLunopposed
Mitcham Robin Millhouse LCLunopposed
Rocky River James Heaslip LCLunopposed
Stirling William Jenkins LCLunopposed
Yorke Peninsula Cecil Hincks LCLunopposed
Labor seats (15)
Marginal
Murray Gabe Bywaters ALP1.4%
West Torrens Fred Walsh ALP1.4%
Millicent Jim Corcoran ALP2.3%
Frome Mick O'Halloran ALP4.3%
Fairly safe
Norwood Don Dunstan ALP7.2%
Safe
Enfield Joe Jennings ALP17.9%
Edwardstown Frank Walsh ALP24.3% v DLP
Adelaide Sam Lawn ALP31.7% v DLP
Port Adelaide James Stephens ALP32.1% v DLP
Gawler John Clark ALPunopposed
Hindmarsh Cyril Hutchens ALPunopposed
Port Pirie Charles Davis ALPunopposed
Semaphore Harold Tapping ALPunopposed
Stuart Lindsay Riches ALPunopposed
Whyalla Ron Loveday ALPunopposed
Crossbench seats (3)
Burra Percy Quirke IND1.2% v LCL
Mount Gambier John Fletcher IND6.1% v ALP
Ridley Tom Stott IND11.0% v LCL

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Jaensch, Dean (March 2007). "The 1956 General Election - Formed the 35th Parliament". History of South Australian elections 1857-2006: House of Assembly, Volume 1. State Electoral Office South Australia. pp. 274–276. 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. "To Take Place Next Year: Redistribution of Federal Boundaries". The Morning Bulletin . 8 October 1954. Retrieved 14 January 2016 via Trove.
  4. "Redistribution soon in Victoria". The Argus . 5 November 1954. Retrieved 14 January 2016 via Trove.
  5. "Summary of 1956 Election". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  6. Two-party preferred figures since 1950, ABC News Online