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 New Guineaportal |
By-elections for all three elected seats in the Legislative Council were held in Papua and New Guinea on 12 September 1959. The incumbent MLCs had resigned due to the imposition of income tax in the territory by the Australian government. All three seats were won by candidates supported by the Taxpayers' Association (which opposed the new tax). The three new MLCs all resigned by 1 October.
On 22 June 1959 the three elected members of the Legislative Council – Ian Downs, Ernest James and Dudley Jones – resigned from the Council, issuing a joint statement saying that the income tax legislation had been introduced without an inquiry they had demanded, that the public did not have adequate representation on the Council and that the proposed legislation was too complicated and contained several anomalies. The three also stated that they would not run for re-election unless the council was made more representative. [1]
Despite threats to boycott the elections, by the time nominations closed on 4 August, both the New Guinea Islands and Papua constituencies had two candidates, and only the New Guinea Mainland constituency had no nominations, [2] although Sydney Barker's nomination for the seat arrived four minutes late. When nominations re-opened on 1 September, Barker submitted his application and became the sole contestant. [3]
New Guinea Islands was contested by John Chipper, a contractor in Rabaul, and William Thomas, a planter in Kokopo. [4] Papua was contested by Stephenson Fox, an accountant, and Vincent Sanders, a contractor. [4] Chipper and Sanders were both backed by the Taxpayers' Association and pledged to resign if requested. Barker also pledged to resign if required. [3]
| Constituency | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Guinea Islands | John Chipper | Taxpayers' Association | 367 | 87.2 | Elected |
| William Thomas | Independent | 54 | 12.8 | ||
| New Guinea Mainland | Sydney Barker | Taxpayers' Association | Unopposed | Elected | |
| Papua | Vincent Sanders | Taxpayers' Association | 394 | 65.8 | Elected |
| Stephenson Fox | Independent | 205 | 34.2 | ||
| Total | 1,020 | 100 | |||
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |||||
All three elected members resigned shortly after the elections; Chipper and Sanders resigned on 29 September and Barker two days later. [5]
Kunwar Bachint Singh was an Indo-Fijian teacher and politician. He arrived in Fiji in 1927 as a teacher for the Arya Samaj but his association with Vishnu Deo led him to play an active role in aggressively promoting the Arya Samaj and finally into politics. He was elected into the Legislative Council as a protégé of Vishnu Deo but after the election took an independent stance opposed to the wishes of the majority of the Indo-Fijians. He supported nominated rather than elected representation, actively supported the war effort and even attempted to set up a farmers union opposed to a number of existing unions. The Government rewarded him for his loyalty by nominating him into the Legislative Council three times, appointing him as a Justice of the Peace and as the first Indo-Fijian member of the Executive Council.
This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 14 May 1900 to 12 May 1902. The chamber had 24 seats made up of eight provinces each electing three members, on a system of rotation whereby one-third of the members would retire at each biennial election. The Constitution Act Amendment Act 1899, which took effect after the 1900 election, created two new electorates—Metropolitan-Suburban Province and South Province—which had their inaugural elections on 29 August and 5 September 1900 respectively with terms expiring in 1906, 1904 and 1902.
Nicholas Brokam was a Papua New Guinean politician. He was a member of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly between 1961 and 1968, also serving as Under-Secretary for Economic Affairs and Information and Extension Services.
General elections were held in Fiji in August 1956; voting took place in the Eastern constituencies between 11 and 18 August, and on 18 August in all other constituencies.
General elections were held in Papua and New Guinea for the first time on 10 November 1951.
General elections were held in Papua and New Guinea on 2 October 1954.
General elections were held in Papua and New Guinea on 31 August 1957.
George Kenneth Whittaker was an Australian optometrist, planter, soldier and politician in Papua New Guinea.
Amie Augustus Ragg was a Fijian engineer, civil servant and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council between 1944 and 1950.
General elections were held in Papua and New Guinea on 27 August 1960.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea on 18 March 1961. Indigenous members were elected for the first time, although on an indirect basis. The territory's first political party, the United Progress Party, won three seats.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 15 February and 15 March 1964. They were the first elections in the territory held under universal suffrage. Voter turnout among enrolled voters was 65%.
Ernest Alfred James was an accountant, newspaper proprietor and politician in the Territory of Papua New Guinea. He served as a member of the Legislative Council between 1951 and 1959.
Kondom Agaundo was a Papua New Guinean tribal leader and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council between 1961 and 1964.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 17 February and 16 March 1968.
Donald Barrett was an Australian planter, army major, politician and sports coach in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly in two spells between 1951 and 1968.
John Lester Chipper was an English-born Papua New Guinean businessman and politician. He served in the Legislative Council in two spells between 1959 and 1964 and headed the local council of Rabaul for several years.
Oala Oala-Rarua was a Papua New Guinean educator, civil servant, trade unionist, politician and diplomat. He served as a member of the House of Assembly and Assistant Minister for the Treasury between 1968 and 1972, later becoming the first Lord Mayor of Port Moresby and High Commissioner to Australia.
Claude Champion was an Australian public servant in Papua New Guinea. He served as a member of the Legislative Council in two spells between 1951 and 1961.
Ronald Thomas Dalton Neville was an Australia-born Papua New Guinean politician and businessman. He served as a member of the House of Assembly and National Parliament from 1964 to 1977.
