1983 Western Australian state election

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1983 Western Australian state election
Flag of Western Australia.svg
  1980 19 February 1983 (1983-02-19) 1986  

All 57 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
and 18 (of the 34) seats to the Western Australian Legislative Council
29 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
ALP
NAT
Leader Brian Burke Ray O'Connor Hendy Cowan
Party Labor Liberal/NCP coalition National
Leader since18 September 198125 January 19821979
Leader's seat Balga Mount Lawley Merredin
Last election23 seats29 seats3 seats
Seats won32232
Seat changeIncrease2.svg9Decrease2.svg6Decrease2.svg1
Popular vote342,536278,99410,767
Percentage53.16%43.30%1.67%
SwingIncrease2.svg7.21Decrease2.svg4.75Decrease2.svg1.29
TPP 53.74%46.26%
TPP swingIncrease2.svg4.71Decrease2.svg4.71

Premier before election

Ray O'Connor
Liberal/NCP coalition

Elected Premier

Brian Burke
Labor

Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 19 February 1983 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and 18 members to the 34-seat Legislative Council.

Contents

The three-term Liberal-National Country coalition government, led by Premier Ray O'Connor since 25 January 1982 (after the retirement of Sir Charles Court) was defeated by the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Brian Burke since 10 September 1981.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Western Australian state election, 19 February 1983
Legislative Assembly
<< 19801986 >>

Enrolled voters744,986 [1]
Votes cast663,153 Turnout 87.93%+2.66%
Informal votes18,799Informal2.83%–0.69%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 342,53653.16%+7.21%32+ 9
  Liberal 256,84639.86%–3.89%20– 6
  National Country [2] 22,1483.44%–0.86%3± 0
 National [2] 10,7671.67%–1.29%2– 1
  Democrats 5,1780.80%–1.16%0± 0
  Socialist 9050.14%–0.12%0± 0
 Other parties5,9740.93%+0.75%0± 0
 Independent3,2290.50%–0.15%0± 0
Total644,354  57 
Two-party-preferred
  Labor 350,99653.74%+4.71%
  Liberal/NCP 302,10046.26%–4.71%

Notes:

1 754,226 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but one seat, Narrogin, held by the National Country Party's Peter Jones and representing 9,239 electors, was held unopposed.
2 The National Country Party (NCP) and the National Party (NP) were two separate parties, the former in coalition with the Liberal Party, the latter an independent party which had split from the NCP on 10 August 1978.

Legislative Council

Western Australian state election, 19 February 1983 [1]
Legislative Council

Enrolled voters754,225
Votes cast671,102 Turnout 88.98%+0.57%
Informal votes24,962Informal3.72%–0.66%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeats
won
Seats
held
  Labor 327,12950.63%+5.85%713
  Liberal 268,62641.57%–5.93%919
  National Country [2] 20,5533.18%–0.64%00
 National [2] 20,3363.15%–0.28%11
  Democrats 9,3561.45%+1.45%00
 Other parties00.00%–0.47%00
Total646,140  1734
Two-party-preferred
  Labor 341,23652.81%+5.17%
  Liberal/NCP 304,90447.19%–5.17%

Seats changing parties

SeatPre-1983SwingPost-1983
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Bunbury  Liberal John Sibson 1.34.02.7 Phil Smith Labor 
Mandurah  LiberalnotionalN/AN/A0.3 John Read Labor 
Mount Marshall  National Country Ray McPharlin 10.8*16.55.7** Bill McNee Liberal 
Mundaring  Liberal Tom Herzfeld 3.53.60.1 Gavan Troy Labor 
Pilbara  Liberal Brian Sodeman 1.619.117.5 Pam Buchanan Labor 
Scarborough  Liberal Ray Young 6.211.95.7 Graham Burkett Labor 
Whitford  Liberal Mick Nanovich 8.316.07.7 Pam Beggs Labor 

Post-election pendulum

Labor seats (32)
Marginal
Mundaring Gavan Troy ALP0.1%
Mandurah John Read ALP0.3%
Bunbury Phil Smith ALP2.7%
Scarborough Graham Burkett ALP5.7%
Fairly safe
Joondalup Jackie Watkins ALP6.7%
Mitchell David Smith ALP6.9%
Whitford Pam Beggs ALP7.7%
Esperance-Dundas Julian Grill ALP8.3%
Avon Ken McIver ALP8.4%
Safe
Nollamara Keith Wilson ALP11.3%
Balcatta Ron Bertram ALP13.0%
Gosnells Yvonne Henderson ALP13.1%
Geraldton Jeff Carr ALP13.1%
Warren David Evans ALP13.4%
Armadale Bob Pearce ALP13.6%
Helena Gordon Hill ALP13.7%
Welshpool Colin Jamieson ALP14.8%
Maylands John Harman ALP14.9%
Canning Tom Bateman ALP15.6%
Collie Tom Jones ALP15.6%
Kimberley Ernie Bridge ALP15.9%
Victoria Park Ron Davies ALP17.1%
Pilbara Pam Buchanan ALP17.5%
Perth Terry Burke ALP17.8%
Fremantle David Parker ALP19.1%
Rockingham Mike Barnett ALP19.7%
Ascot Mal Bryce ALP19.9%
Morley-Swan Arthur Tonkin ALP20.9%
Melville Barry Hodge ALP21.2%
Kalgoorlie Ian Taylor ALP24.1%
Cockburn Don Taylor ALP28.6%
Balga Brian Burke ALP29.0%
Liberal/NCP seats (23)
Marginal
Dale Cyril Rushton LIB0.06%
Murchison-Eyre Peter Coyne LIB1.3%
Subiaco Tom Dadour LIB1.6%
Albany Leon Watt LIB2.3%
Mount Lawley Ray O'Connor LIB3.4%
Murdoch Barry MacKinnon LIB4.0%
Clontarf Tony Williams LIB4.2%
South Perth Bill Grayden LIB4.5%
Mount Marshall Bill McNee LIB5.7% v NAT
Karrinyup Jim Clarko LIB5.9%
Fairly safe
Cottesloe Bill Hassell LIB6.3%
Darling Range George Spriggs LIB6.6%
Murray-Wellington John Bradshaw LIB8.2%
East Melville Anthony Trethowan LIB8.9%
Floreat Andrew Mensaros LIB9.6%
Safe
Kalamunda Ian Thompson LIB10.1%
Gascoyne Ian Laurance LIB11.8%
Moore Bert Crane NCP13.3% v LIB
Nedlands Richard Court LIB14.1%
Vasse Barry Blaikie LIB14.2%
Greenough Reg Tubby LIB21.2%
Katanning-Roe Dick Old NCP32.1%
Narrogin Peter Jones NCPUnopp
National seats (2)
Stirling Matt Stephens NAT6.1% v LIB
Merredin Hendy Cowan NAT15.0% v NCP

Opinion polling

Morgan Gallop opinion poll results [2]
DatePrimary voteLeader's approval rating
LaborLiberal-NCPLaborLiberal
February–April 198144483947
June–August 198149423751
18 September 1981 Brian Burke replaces Ron Davies as leader of the Labor Party
September–November 198151393347
December 1981–January 198246463963
21 January 1982 Ray O'Connor replaces Charles Court as leader of the Liberal Party
February–April 198251425250
May–June 198249445459
July–August 198251445663
September–October 198248425462
November–December 198247485861
19 February 1983 election53.844.2

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References

  1. "Results for".
  2. Hamilton, John (1988). Burkie: A biography of Brian Burke. St. George Books. p. 217. ISBN   0867780363.