1974 Queensland state election

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1974 Queensland state election
Flag of Queensland.svg
  1972 7 December 1974 (1974-12-07) 1977  

All 82 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
42 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Turnout89.42 (Decrease2.svg 2.99 pp)
 First partySecond party
  Joh Bjelke-Petersen 1968 (cropped).jpg PercTucker.jpg
Leader Joh Bjelke-Petersen Perc Tucker
Party Country–Liberal Coalition Labor
Leader since8 August 19681 July 1974 (1974-07-01)
Leader's seat Barambah Townsville West
(lost seat)
Last election47 seats, 42.23%33 seats, 46.75%
Seats won6911
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 22Decrease2.svg 22
Popular vote615,770376,187
Percentage58.97%36.03%
SwingIncrease2.svg 16.75Decrease2.svg 10.72

Premier before election

Joh Bjelke-Petersen
National/Liberal coalition

Elected Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen
National/Liberal coalition

Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 7 December 1974 [1] to elect the 82 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland. [1]

Contents

The National-Liberal Coalition won a third consecutive victory under Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and the seventh consecutive victory for the National Party in Queensland, which had renamed itself from the Country Party since the previous election. The Labor Party lost two-thirds of its seats, including that of leader Perc Tucker, its worst showing in an election until 2012 and thus a landslide victory for the Coalition.

Labor was reduced to only 11 seats, leading observers to call Labor's caucus a "cricket team." William Bowe of Crikey wrote that for years, the election stood as "the gold standard for Australian election massacres". [2]

Key dates

DateEvent
23 October 1974Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen announced the early election date at a news conference. [3]
2 November 1974The Legislative Assembly was dissolved. [4]
2 November 1974Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. [5]
8 November 1974Close of nominations.
7 December 1974Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
23 December 1974The Bjelke-Petersen Ministry was reconstituted. [6]
11 January 1975The writ was returned and the results formally declared. [7]
3 February 1975Deadline for return of the writs.
25 February 1975Parliament resumed for business. [8]

Results

Queensland state election, 7 December 1974
Legislative Assembly
<< 19721977 >>

Enrolled voters1,186,378
Votes cast1,060,910 Turnout 89.42%-2.99%
Informal votes16,742Informal1.58%+0.05%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 376,18736.03%-10.72%11-22
  Liberal 324,68231.09%+8.87%30+9
  Nationals 291,08827.88%+7.88%39+13
  Independent 29,5822.83%-0.49%2±0
  Queensland Labor 19,9521.91%-5.78%0± 0
  Australia 1,9290.18%+0.18%0±0
 Australian Advancement4160.04%+0.04%0±0
  Socialist 3320.03%+0.03%0±0
Total1,044,168  82 
Popular vote
Labor
36.03%
Liberal
31.09%
Nationals
27.88%
Democratic Labor
1.91%
Australia
0.18%
Independents
2.83%
Others
0.07%
Seats
Nationals
47.56%
Liberal
36.59%
Labor
13.41%
Independents
2.44%

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1974SwingPost-1974
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Albert  Labor Bill D'Arcy 4.1-14.210.1 Ivan Gibbs National 
Baroona  Labor Pat Hanlon 14.1-15.81.7 Dennis Young Liberal 
Barron River  Labor Bill Wood 3.4-4.10.7 Martin Tenni National 
Belmont  Labor Fred Newton 14.9-18.53.6 David Byrne Liberal 
Belyando  Labor Eugene O'Donnell 1.3-8.77.4 Vince Lester National 
Brisbane  Labor Brian Davis 9.7-10.91.2 Harold Lowes Liberal 
Cook  Labor Bob Scott 4.2-6.82.6 Eric Deeral National 
Everton  Labor Gerry Jones 8.3-11.02.7 Brian Lindsay Liberal 
Ipswich West  Labor Vi Jordan 11.5-12.00.5 Albert Hales National 
Isis  Labor Jim Blake 8.3-12.44.1 Lin Powell National 
Mount Isa  Labor Alex Inch 16.4-19.93.5 Angelo Bertoni National 
Mourilyan  Labor Peter Moore 7.2-8.91.7 Vicky Kippin National 
Pine Rivers  Labor Kenneth Leese 6.8-18.711.9 Rob Akers Liberal 
Redlands  Labor Ted Baldwin 5.1-14.89.7 John Goleby National 
Salisbury  Labor Doug Sherrington 16.7-22.15.4 Rosemary Kyburz Liberal 
South Brisbane  Labor Fred Bromley 11.0-16.05.0 Colin Lamont Liberal 
Stafford  Labor Roy Harvey 11.0-16.05.0 Terry Gygar Liberal 
Toowoomba North  Labor Ray Bousen 14.9-17.22.3 John Lockwood Liberal 
Toowoomba South  Labor Peter Wood 6.9-14.67.7 John Warner National 
Townsville West  Labor Perc Tucker 2.2-5.83.6 Max Hooper National 
Warrego  Labor Jack Aiken 13.4-14.41.0 Neil Turner National 
Wynnum  Labor Edward Harris 14.5-14.60.1 Bill Lamond National 

Post-election pendulum

National/Liberal seats (69)
Marginal
Wynnum Bill Lamond NAT0.1%
Ipswich West Albert Hales NAT0.5%
Barron River Martin Tenni NAT0.7%
Warrego Neil Turner NAT1.0%
Brisbane Harold Lowes LIB1.2%
Baroona Dennis Young LIB1.7%
Mourilyan Vicky Kippin NAT1.7%
Cooroora Gordon Simpson NAT2.1% v LIB
Toowoomba North John Lockwood LIB2.3%
Cook Eric Deeral NAT2.6%
Everton Brian Lindsay LIB2.7%
Mount Isa Angelo Bertoni NAT3.5%
Belmont David Byrne LIB3.6%
Townsville West Max Hooper NAT3.6%
Isis Lin Powell NAT4.1%
South Brisbane Colin Lamont LIB5.0%
Salisbury Rosemary Kyburz LIB5.4%
Maryborough Gilbert Alison LIB5.9%
Fairly safe
Belyando Vince Lester NAT7.4%
Toowoomba South John Warner NAT7.7%
Redlands John Goleby NAT9.7%
Safe
Albert Ivan Gibbs NAT10.1%
Hinchinbrook Ted Row NAT10.4%
Kurilpa Sam Doumany LIB11.0%
Stafford Terry Gygar LIB11.7%
Pine Rivers Rob Akers LIB11.9%
Gregory Bill Glasson NAT12.0%
Redcliffe Jim Houghton NAT12.1%
Whitsunday Ron Camm NAT12.2%
Murrumba Des Frawley NAT13.7%
Flinders Bob Katter NAT13.8%
Nundah William Knox LIB13.8%
Mulgrave Roy Armstrong NAT14.8%
Ithaca Col Miller LIB15.4%
Wavell Arthur Crawford LIB15.4%
Windsor Bob Moore LIB15.7%
Merthyr Don Lane LIB16.6%
Townsville Norman Scott-Young LIB17.0%
Chatsworth Bill Hewitt LIB17.7%
South Coast Russ Hinze NAT17.7%
Yeronga Norm Lee LIB17.9%
Ashgrove John Greenwood LIB18.5%
Clayfield John Murray LIB18.5%
Mount Gravatt Geoff Chinchen LIB19.0%
Ipswich Llewellyn Edwards LIB19.1%
Mirani Tom Newbery NAT19.6%
Very safe
Greenslopes Keith Hooper LIB20.2%
Burdekin Val Bird NAT20.3%
Callide Lindsay Hartwig NAT20.8%
Carnarvon Peter McKechnie NAT21.6%
Toowong Charles Porter LIB21.6%
Mansfield Bill Kaus LIB22.2%
Surfers Paradise Bruce Small NAT22.5%
Landsborough Mike Ahern NAT22.6%
Roma Ken Tomkins NAT22.6%
Sherwood John Herbert LIB22.7%
Fassifern Selwyn Muller NAT23.0%
Aspley Fred Campbell LIB23.1%
Gympie Max Hodges NAT23.6%
Burnett Claude Wharton NAT24.1%
Warwick David Cory NAT24.8%
Balonne Don Neal NAT25.4%
Lockyer Gordon Chalk LIB25.6%
Mount Coot-tha Bill Lickiss LIB26.9%
Auburn Neville Hewitt NAT27.9%
Somerset Bill Gunn NAT28.3%
Condamine Vic Sullivan NAT29.3%
Barambah Joh Bjelke-Petersen NAT33.4%
Cunningham Tony Elliott NAT36.5%
Labor seats (11)
Marginal
Bulimba Jack Houston ALP1.7%
Wolston Evan Marginson ALP2.3%
Bundaberg Lou Jensen ALP2.5%
Sandgate Harold Dean ALP3.5%
Rockhampton Keith Wright ALP3.6%
Nudgee Jack Melloy ALP4.1%
Archerfield Kevin Hooper ALP5.0%
Fairly safe
Rockhampton North Les Yewdale ALP6.1%
Lytton Tom Burns ALP6.7%
Cairns Ray Jones ALP7.3%
Safe
Port Curtis Martin Hanson ALP15.7%
Crossbench seats (2)
Townsville South Tom Aikens IND5.8 v ALP
Mackay Ed Casey IND20.5 v NAT

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Parliament of Queensland, Legislative Assembly election results for 7 December 1974". Australian Politics and Elections Archive 1856-2018. University of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  2. Bowe, William (26 March 2012). "The hole where Queensland Labor used to be". Crikey. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. "250 will contest poll: Premier tips a 'smashing win' on December 7". The Courier-Mail. 24 October 1974. p. 1.
  4. "A Proclamation". Queensland Government Gazette . 2 November 1974. p. 247:887.
  5. "Extraordinary". Queensland Government Gazette . 2 November 1974. p. 247:889.
  6. "Extraordinary". Queensland Government Gazette . 23 December 1974. p. 247:1629–1632.
  7. "Notices of Results of General Election". Queensland Government Gazette . 11 January 1975. p. 248:37–51.
  8. "A Proclamation". Queensland Government Gazette . 23 January 1975. p. 248:249.