 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 94 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 48 Assembly seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Two-candidate-preferred margin by electorate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1965 New South Wales state election was held on 1 May 1965. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
In May 1965, Labor had been in power for 24 years and 56-year-old Jack Renshaw, who had been seen as a generational change for the party leadership, had been premier for one year. Yet Renshaw had difficulty adjusting to a televised campaign; and his manner, the result of spending much of his early life in remote New South Wales, had limited appeal to urban voters. The longevity of the government was an issue promoted by the opposition which described it as being composed of "tired old men"; indeed, six members of Renshaw's cabinet were 65 years old or older, and most of them had been in cabinet during Labor's entire 24-year run in government.
Continuing cost overruns and construction delays at the Sydney Opera House made problematic the Renshaw government's claims of sound economic management. Causing further damage were accusations that the Speaker, Ray Maher, had indecently exposed himself to a staff member. This scandal disrupted the start of the government's campaign.
Moreover the government's keynote policy of releasing large tracts of land in Sydney for residential development was leaked to the opposition, which then claimed the plan as its own policy. The ALP continued to have an ideological difficulty matching the Opposition's promises of state aid for non-government schools, and this was the most decisive issue in the election. Other government policies included increased high school bursaries, measures to reduce unfair trading, reduced power costs, increased sick leave and reform of Workers' Compensation schemes. [1] [2]
In contrast to Renshaw, Robert Askin (who had been the leader of the conservative coalition since 1959) was skilled in his use of television and put forward a positive program. This included promises for non-government schools included free transport, library grants, low interest loans, textbook subsidies and bursaries. Askin accused Renshaw's administration of having allowed the transport infrastructure of the state to decay. Also, Askin pledged that if he won the election, he would order improvements to the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs rail lines. He promised to integrate the state's bus and train fares and reduce suburban rail costs. Motor registry costs would be reduced and better rent control was to be introduced for pensioners. Askin, in addition, promised to recruit more police, and provide more resources for mental health and district hospitals. [2] [3]
Prior to the election, Independent Frank Purdue had gained the seat of Waratah from the Labor Party at a by-election caused by the death of Edward Greaves. Sam Jones regained the seat for Labor at the general election.
Despite a strong swing of more than 5% to the Coalition, the result of the election remained in doubt for two weeks. The effects of a long incumbency bolstered by the cumulative effects of a number of re-distributions limited Labor's losses to nine seats. In several of these the margin of defeat was less than 300 votes. In the final result the Coalition had 47 seats, one short of a majority. However, it could rely on the support of two conservative independents--Douglas Darby, a former Liberal who was subsequently readmitted to the party room, and Harold Coates, who had won the seat of Hartley. After providing a Speaker, the coalition was able to form a government with a three-seat majority in the Assembly, ending 24 years and eight terms of Labor government.
The DLP contested 28 seats and, while it gained less than 2.5% of the statewide primary vote, its preferences strongly favoured the coalition and were vital to its success. The Communist party was reduced to 13 candidates who received negligible support.
This table lists changes in party representation since the 1965 election
| Seat | Incumbent member | Party | New member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bligh | Tom Morey | Labor | Morton Cohen | Liberal | ||
| Coogee | Lou Walsh | Labor | Kevin Ellis | Liberal | ||
| Goulburn | Laurie Tully | Labor | Ron Brewer | Country | ||
| Hartley | James Robson | Labor | Harold Coates | Independent | ||
| Hurstville | Bill Rigby | Labor | Tom Mead | Liberal | ||
| Lismore | Keith Compton | Labor | Bruce Duncan | Country | ||
| Monaro | John Seiffert | Labor | Steve Mauger | Liberal | ||
| Nepean | Alfred Bennett | Labor | Ron Dunbier | Liberal | ||
| Wollongong-Kembla | Doug Porter | Labor | Jack Hough | Liberal | ||
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1965 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 5 April 1965 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. |
| 1 May 1965 | Polling day. |
| 28 May 1965 | Last day for the writs to be returned and the results formally declared. |
| 26 May 1965 | Opening of 41st Parliament. |
New South Wales state election, 1 May 1965 [4] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrolled voters | 2,256,568 [lower-alpha 1] | |||||
| Votes cast | 2,083,361 | Turnout | 93.91 | −0.09 | ||
| Informal votes | 42,571 | Informal | 2.04 | +0.50 | ||
| Summary of votes by party | ||||||
| Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Liberal | 807,868 | 39.59 | +4.74 | 31 | +6 | |
| Country | 208,826 | 10.23 | +0.86 | 16 | +2 | |
| Labor | 883,824 | 43.31 | −5.26 | 45 | −9 | |
| Independent | 63,680 | 3.12 | −0.01 | 1 | +1 | |
| Democratic Labor | 43,109 | 2.11 | −1.02 | 0 | − | |
| Independent Liberal | 20,400 | 1.00 | −0.95 | 1 | 0 | |
| Communist | 13,082 | 0.64 | +0.01 | 0 | − | |
| Total | 2,040,789 | 94 | ||||
Robert Askin and Charles Cutler became Premier and Deputy Premier in New South Wales' first conservative government for 24 years. Renshaw became Leader of the Opposition, a post he held throughout the term of the parliament. During this parliament there were 3 by-elections. These resulted in the Country party gaining one seat from Labor and one seat from the Liberal Party.
Sir Robert William Askin, GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971. Before being knighted in 1972, however, he was generally known as Bob Askin. Born in Sydney in 1907, Askin was educated at Sydney Technical High School. After serving as a bank officer and as a Sergeant in the Second World War, Askin joined the Liberal Party and was elected to the seat of Collaroy at the 1950 election.
John Brophy Renshaw was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965. He was the first New South Wales Premier born in the 20th century.
Alexander Mair was an Australian politician who served as Premier of New South Wales from 5 August 1939 to 16 May 1941. Born in Melbourne, Mair worked in various businesses there before moving to Albury, New South Wales where he went on to be a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for fourteen years. In 1932, Mair was elected to the seat of Albury and was re-elected a further four times. He rose quickly through the cabinet of Bertram Stevens' United Australia Party government, becoming an Assistant Minister in April 1938, Minister for Labour and Industry in June and Colonial Treasurer in October.
Elections to the 50th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday 25 May 1991. All seats in the Legislative Assembly and half the seats in the Legislative Council were up for election. The Liberal–National Coalition government of Premier Nick Greiner, which enjoyed a considerable majority following their landslide win at the 1988 election, was seeking a second term in office against new Labor Opposition Leader Bob Carr.
A general election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly was held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 1 May 1976. The result was a narrow win for the Labor Party under Neville Wran—the party's first in the state in more than a decade.
Elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 17 November 1973. The result was a win for the Liberal-Country Party coalition under Sir Robert Askin, which had been in office since 1965. As of 2023, this was the first and only time the Coalition won a fourth-term in New South Wales.
Philip Henry (Pat) Morton was an Australian businessman and politician. Born in Lismore in Northern New South Wales to a prominent political family and educated at Lismore High School, Morton left school at fourteen to be employed in a legal firm, before branching out into various businesses. Moving to Sydney, Morton first entered politics in 1944 as an Alderman on Mosman Municipal Council, rising to be Mayor in 1946. Morton then entered the New South Wales Legislative Assembly on 3 May 1947, representing the Electoral district of Mosman for the Liberal Party.
The 1953 New South Wales state election was held on 14 February 1953. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1952 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The 1944 New South Wales state election was held on 27 May 1944. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1940 redistribution. The election was for all of the 90 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The 1956 New South Wales state election was held on 3 March 1956. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1952 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The 1959 New South Wales state election was held on 21 March 1959. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1957 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The 1962 New South Wales state election was held on 3 March 1962. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The 1968 New South Wales state election was held on 24 February 1968. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1966 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberal Party, led by Premier Robert Askin, in Coalition with the Country Party of Deputy Premier Charles Cutler, was elected for a second term—the first time that a non-Labor government had been reelected since before World War II.
New South Wales politics takes place in context of a bicameral parliamentary system. The main parties are the Liberal and National parties of the governing Coalition and the Australian Labor Party. Other minor political parties include the Greens, Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and One Nation, along with multiple independents.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1965–1968) or First Askin ministry was the 62nd ministry of the government of New South Wales, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Bob Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Charles Cutler. The ministry was the first occasion in the history of government in New South Wales that the Liberal and Country Party formed a coalition in government. It was also the first of six occasions when Askin was Premier; and when Cutler was Deputy Premier.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1968–1969) or Second Askin ministry was the 63rd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Bob Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Charles Cutler. It was the second of six occasions when Askin was Premier; and when Cutler was Deputy Premier.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1969–1971) or Third Askin ministry was the 64th ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Bob Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Charles Cutler. It was the third of six occasions when Askin was Premier; and when Cutler was Deputy Premier.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1971–1973) or Fourth Askin ministry was the 65th ministry of the New South Wales Government, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Bob Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Charles Cutler. It was the fourth of six occasions when Askin was Premier; and when Cutler was Deputy Premier.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1973) or Fifth Askin ministry was the 66th ministry of the government of New South Wales, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Sir Robert Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Sir Charles Cutler. It was the fifth of six occasions when Askin was Premier and when Cutler was Deputy Premier.
The Askin–Cutler ministry (1973–1975) or Sixth Askin ministry was the 67th ministry of the government of New South Wales, and was led by the 32nd Premier, Sir Robert Askin, of the Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party, led by Sir Charles Cutler. It was the sixth and final occasion when Askin was Premier; and when Cutler served as Deputy Premier to Askin.
