1980 Western Australian state election

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1980 Western Australian state election
Flag of Western Australia.svg
  1977 23 February 1980 (1980-02-23) 1983  

All 55 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
and 16 (of the 32) seats to the Western Australian Legislative Council
28 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Charles Court in 1952 cropped.jpg
Leader Charles Court Ron Davies Hendy Cowan
Party Liberal/NCP coalition Labor National
Leader since5 June 197221 February 19781979
Leader's seat Nedlands Victoria Park Merredin
Last election30 seats22 seats3 seats
Seats won29233
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Increase2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote282,478270,16517,411
Percentage48.05%45.95%2.96%
SwingDecrease2.svg3.71Increase2.svg1.73Increase2.svg0.09
TPP 50.97%49.03%
TPP swingDecrease2.svg3.73Increase2.svg3.73

Premier before election

Charles Court
Liberal/NCP coalition

Elected Premier

Charles Court
Liberal/NCP coalition

Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 23 February 1980 to elect all 55 members to the Legislative Assembly and 16 members to the 32-seat Legislative Council. The Liberal-National Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir Charles Court, won a third term in office against the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Ron Davies.

Contents

The election produced very little in terms of the balance of the parties in Parliament—Labor won Kimberley from the Liberals in the Assembly, and a North Province seat in the Council, but lost two Council seats to the Liberals—one each in North Metropolitan and South-East Metropolitan. However, Labor received a substantial swing overall, increasing majorities in seats it already held, and reducing Liberal majorities in western suburban seats and pushing the key seats of Bunbury and Pilbara into marginal status. [1] Despite a vigorous campaign against each other, the National Country and National parties, which had split in August 1978, failed to gain any seats off each other, each retaining three seats in the Assembly, and the former retaining one in the Council.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Western Australian state election, 23 February 1980
Legislative Assembly
<< 19771983 >>

Enrolled voters689,066 [1]
Votes cast609,418 Turnout 85.27%–5.51%
Informal votes21,449Informal3.52%+0.34%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Liberal 257,21843.75%–5.60%26– 1
  Labor 270,16545.95%+1.73%23+ 1
  National Country [2] 25,2604.30%+1.89%3± 0
 National [2] 17,4112.96%+0.09%3± 0
  Democrats 11,5131.96%+1.96%0± 0
  Socialist 1,5270.26%+0.26%0± 0
  Progress 1,0410.18%–0.27%0± 0
  Independent 3,8340.65%+0.05%0± 0
Total587,969  55 
Two-party-preferred
  Liberal/NCP 311,23950.97%–3.73%
  Labor 299,34749.03%+3.73%

Notes:

1 714,724 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but two seats were uncontested: the seat of Collie, held by Labor's Tom Jones and representing 8,854 electors, and East Melville, won by the Liberals' Anthony Trethowan representing 16,804 electors, which was uncontested due to the Labor candidate's failure to submit their nomination on time.
2 The National Country Party contested seven seats in the 1977 election, winning six of them and attaining 5.28% of the vote. The National Party split from the National Country Party on 10 August 1978, with the former contesting 8 seats and the latter 11.

Legislative Council

Western Australian state election, 23 February 1980
Legislative Council

Enrolled voters714,724
Votes cast631,915 Turnout 88.41%–2.29%
Informal votes27,692Informal4.38%–0.03%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeats
won
Seats
held
  Liberal 287,05847.51%–2.80%1019
  Labor 270,53844.77%+2.82%59
  National Country [1] 23,1013.82%+0.65%13
 National [1] 20,7043.43%+1.04%01
  Progress 2,8220.47%+0.47%00
  Independent 00.00%–2.18%00
Total604,223  1632
Two-party-preferred
  Liberal/NCP 316,39852.36%–3.26%
  Labor 287,82547.64%+3.26%

Notes:

1 The National Country Party contested four seats in the 1977 election, winning three of them and attaining 5.56% of the vote. The National Party split from the National Country Party on 10 August 1978, with the former contesting 5 seats and the latter 4.

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1980SwingPost-1980
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Kimberley  Liberal Alan Ridge 1.3-9.38.0 Ernie Bridge Labor 
Merredin  National Country Hendy Cowan N/AN/A23.5 Hendy Cowan National 
Mount Marshall  National Country Ray McPharlin N/AN/A10.8 Ray McPharlin National 
Stirling  National Country Matt Stephens N/AN/A11.4 Matt Stephens National 

Post-election pendulum

Liberal/NCP seats (29)
Marginal
Bunbury John Sibson LIB1.3%
Pilbara Brian Sodeman LIB1.6%
Roe Geoff Grewar LIB3.3%
Mundaring Tom Herzfeld LIB3.5%
Murdoch Barry MacKinnon LIB3.8%
Clontarf Tony Williams LIB3.9%
Cottesloe Bill Hassell LIB5.2%
Fairly safe
Scarborough Ray Young LIB6.2%
Whitford Mick Nanovich LIB8.3%
Karrinyup Jim Clarko LIB8.5%
Murchison-Eyre Peter Coyne LIB9.0%
Mount Lawley Ray O'Connor LIB9.2%
Murray Richard Shalders LIB9.2%
Wellington June Craig LIB9.2%
Safe
Darling Range George Spriggs LIB11.0%
Roe Geoff Grewar LIB11.1% v NCP
Albany Leon Watt LIB12.5%
Gascoyne Ian Laurance LIB12.7%
South Perth Bill Grayden LIB13.0%
Subiaco Tom Dadour LIB13.9%
Kalamunda Ian Thompson LIB14.4%
Floreat Andrew Mensaros LIB19.4%
Nedlands Charles Court LIB20.6%
Vasse Barry Blaikie LIB21.7%
Moore Bert Crane NCP23.1%
Narrogin Peter Jones NCP27.0%
Katanning Dick Old NCP29.3% v NAT
Greenough Reg Tubby LIB29.4%
East Melville Anthony Trethowan LIBunopp.
Labor seats (23)
Fairly safe
Avon Ken McIver ALP6.7%
Gosnells Bob Pearce ALP7.4%
Kimberley Ernie Bridge ALP8.0%
Canning Tom Bateman ALP8.5%
Welshpool Colin Jamieson ALP9.4%
Swan Jack Skidmore ALP9.6%
Mount Hawthorn Ron Bertram ALP9.7%
Geraldton Jeff Carr ALP9.8%
Safe
Maylands John Harman ALP10.2%
Ascot Mal Bryce ALP12.1%
Dianella Keith Wilson ALP12.2%
Warren David Evans ALP12.5%
Rockingham Mike Barnett ALP13.4%
Kalgoorlie Ian Taylor ALP14.5%
Morley Arthur Tonkin ALP14.7%
Victoria Park Ron Davies ALP14.7%
Melville Barry Hodge ALP15.1%
Perth Terry Burke ALP16.2%
Fremantle David Parker ALP17.5%
Balcatta Brian Burke ALP18.7%
Yilgarn-Dundas Julian Grill ALP22.8%
Cockburn Alexander Taylor ALP23.1%
Collie Tom Jones ALPunopp.
National seats (3)
Mount Marshall Ray McPharlin NAT10.8% v LIB
Stirling Matt Stephens NAT11.4% v LIB
Merredin Hendy Cowan NAT23.5% v LIB

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References

  1. Watt, Edward David (December 1980). "Australian Political Chronicle: January–June 1980 (Western Australia)". Australian Journal of Politics and History. 26 (3): 443–446. ISSN   0004-9522.