1985 Victorian state election

Last updated

1985 Victorian state election
Flag of Victoria (Australia).svg
  1982 2 March 1985 (1985-03-02) 1988  

All 88 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
45 seats needed for a majority
and 22 (of the 44) seats in the Victorian Legislative Council
 First partySecond partyThird party
  John Cain Junior June 2016 (cropped).jpg Jeff Kennett b.jpg Nationals Placeholder.png
Leader John Cain Jr. Jeff Kennett Peter Ross-Edwards
Party Labor Liberal National
Leader since9 September 198126 October 198217 June 1970
Leader's seat Bundoora Burwood Shepparton
Last election49 seats24 seats8 seats
Seats won47 seats31 seats10 seats
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 2Increase2.svg 7Increase2.svg 2
Popular vote1,198,2621,003,003174,727
Percentage50.01%41.86%7.29%
SwingSteady2.svg 0.00Increase2.svg 3.53Increase2.svg 2.32
TPP 50.70%49.30%
TPP swingDecrease2.svg 3.08Increase2.svg 3.08

1985 Victorian state election.svg
Results in each electorate.

Premier before election

John Cain Jr.
Labor

Elected Premier

John Cain Jr.
Labor

The 1985 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 2 March 1985, was for the 50th Parliament of Victoria. It was held in the Australian state of Victoria to elect all 88 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 22 members of the 44-member Legislative Council. Since the previous election, the number of members of the Legislative Assembly was increased by 7 to 88.

Contents

Lindsay Thompson, who led the Liberal Party to a defeat at the 1982 election with a 17-seat swing against it, resigned the leadership of the party on 5 November 1982. He was succeeded by Jeff Kennett. At the election, the incumbent Labor Party government led by John Cain Jr. maintained its electoral support, though the Liberal Party did increase the number of seats. It was the first time since Federation that a Labor government had been reelected in Victoria. Although the Labor Party lost seats in the lower house it gained a majority in the upper house picking up 4 seats to hold 23 up from 19 at the last election meaning the Liberal/National Coalition no longer had sway on government policy.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Victorian state election, 2 March 1985 [1]
Legislative Assembly
<< 19821988 >>

Enrolled voters2,641,477
Votes cast2,462,226 Turnout 93.21−0.76
Informal votes66,107Informal2.68+0.07
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 1,198,26250.010.0047-2
  Liberal 1,003,00341.86+3.5331+7
  National 174,7277.29+2.3210+2
  Independent 12,8280.54-0.510±0
 Weekend Trading3,9090.16+0.160±0
  Public Transport 3,3900.14+0.140±0
Total2,396,119  88 
Two-party-preferred
  Labor 1,214,83250.7–3.1
  Liberal 1,181,28749.3+3.1

Legislative Council

Victorian state election, 2 March 1985
Legislative Council
<< 19821988 >>

Enrolled voters2,641,477
Votes cast2,461,708 Turnout 93.19–0.67
Informal votes74,202Informal3.01–0.12
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeats
won
Seats
held
  Labor 1,128,74747.28–2.281123
  Liberal 982,41841.15+1.94816
  National 159,2996.67+1.1735
  Democrats 95,0453.98–1.0500
  Call to Australia 16,8490.71+0.7100
  Independent 5,1480.22+0.0400
Total2,387,506  2244

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1985SwingPost-1985
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Bennettswood  Labor Doug Newton 1.2-2.00.8 Roger Pescott Liberal 
Dromana  Labor David Hassett 1.4-3.82.4 Ron Wells Liberal 
Evelyn  Labor Max McDonald 1.3-4.12.8 Jim Plowman Liberal 
Ivanhoe  Labor Tony Sheehan 1.3-2.71.6 Vin Heffernan Liberal 
Mornington  Labornotional - new seat1.4-3.42.0 Robin Cooper Liberal 
Syndal  Labor David Gray 0.1-1.51.4 Geoff Coleman Liberal 
Warrnambool  Liberal Adam Kempton 11.3-17.86.5 John McGrath National 

Redistribution affected seats

Seat1982 election1984 redistributionSwing1985 election
PartyMemberMarginPartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Mentone  Liberal Bill Templeton 1.2 LaborNotional3.7-1.72.0 Peter Spyker Labor 
Narracan Liberal John Delzoppo 1.7LaborNotional1.41.80.4John DelzoppoLiberal
Prahran Labor Bob Miller 3.7LiberalNotional1.75.16.8 Don Hayward Liberal
Sandringham Labor Graham Ihlein 1.5LiberalNotional2.62.34.9 David Lea Liberal

Post-election pendulum

Labor seats (47)
Marginal
Bentleigh Gordon Hockley ALP0.1%
Warrandyte Lou Hill ALP0.2%
Ballarat South Frank Sheehan ALP1.8%
Mentone Peter Spyker ALP2.0%
Box Hill Margaret Ray ALP2.1%
Ringwood Kay Setches ALP2.7%
St Kilda Andrew McCutcheon ALP2.7%
Bellarine Graham Ernst ALP3.0%
Mitcham John Harrowfield ALP3.7%
Monbulk Neil Pope ALP3.7%
Whittlesea Max McDonald ALP4.6%
Greensborough Pauline Toner ALP5.1%
Wantirna Carolyn Hirsh ALP5.3%
Bendigo West David Kennedy ALP5.7%
Fairly safe
Geelong Hayden Shell ALP6.1%
Oakleigh Race Mathews ALP6.1%
Werribee Ken Coghill ALP6.2%
Springvale Eddie Micallef ALP7.0%
Morwell Valerie Callister ALP7.4%
Frankston North Jane Hill ALP9.0%
Dandenong North Jan Wilson ALP9.1%
Carrum Ian Cathie ALP9.4%
Clayton Gerard Vaughan ALP9.8%
Safe
Dandenong Terry Norris ALP11.1%
Knox Steve Crabb ALP11.4%
Pascoe Vale Tom Edmunds ALP11.4%
Keilor George Seitz ALP11.5%
Essendon Barry Rowe ALP12.1%
Albert Park Bunna Walsh ALP12.2%
Bundoora John Cain ALP12.3%
Niddrie Jack Simpson ALP13.0%
Doveton Rob Jolly ALP14.9%
Melbourne Keith Remington ALP15.2%
Derrimut David Cunningham ALP15.6%
Geelong North Neil Trezise ALP15.8%
Reservoir Jim Simmonds ALP18.7%
Williamstown Gordon Stirling ALP18.8%
Preston Carl Kirkwood ALP19.6%
Broadmeadows Jack Culpin ALP20.0%
Coburg Peter Gavin ALP20.4%
Brunswick Tom Roper ALP20.6%
St Albans Alex Andrianopoulos ALP21.0%
Sunshine Bill Fogarty ALP21.1%
Richmond Theo Sidiropoulos ALP21.4%
Northcote Frank Wilkes ALP21.8%
Footscray Robert Fordham ALP23.4%
Thomastown Beth Gleeson ALP23.9%
Liberal/National seats (41)
Marginal
Narracan John Delzoppo LIB0.4%
Bennettswood Roger Pescott LIB0.8%
Syndal Geoff Coleman LIB1.4%
Ivanhoe Vin Heffernan LIB1.6%
Mornington Robin Cooper LIB2.0%
Dromana Ron Wells LIB2.4%
Evelyn Jim Plowman LIB2.8%
Berwick Rob Maclellan LIB3.1%
South Barwon Harley Dickinson LIB3.4%
Frankston South Graeme Weideman LIB3.6%
Bendigo East Michael John LIB3.9%
Forest Hill John Richardson LIB3.9%
Sandringham David Lea LIB4.9%
Burwood Jeff Kennett LIB5.6%
Doncaster Morris Williams LIB5.6%
Hawthorn Phil Gude LIB5.7%
Fairly safe
Ripon Tom Austin LIB6.5%
Warrnambool John McGrath NAT6.5% v LIB
Prahran Don Hayward LIB6.8%
Ballarat North Tom Evans LIB7.1%
Caulfield Ted Tanner LIB7.3%
Gisborne Tom Reynolds LIB7.5%
Bulleen David Perrin LIB7.8%
Malvern Geoff Leigh LIB9.8%
Safe
Glen Waverley Ross Smith LIB10.1%
Kew Prue Sibree LIB10.2%
Brighton Alan Stockdale LIB12.1%
Gippsland West Alan Brown LIB12.1%
Portland Digby Crozier LIB13.3%
Balwyn Jim Ramsay LIB15.4%
Benalla Pat McNamara NAT16.1%
Gippsland East Bruce Evans NAT17.5%
Polwarth Ian Smith LIB18.3%
Benambra Lou Lieberman LIB19.6%
Gippsland South Tom Wallace NAT21.8%
Murray Valley Ken Jasper NAT22.2%
Shepparton Peter Ross-Edwards NAT22.8%
Mildura Milton Whiting NAT23.0%
Swan Hill Barry Steggall NAT27.6%
Rodney Eddie Hann NAT30.1%
Lowan Bill McGrath NAT30.2%

See also

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References

  1. "Election held on 2 March 1985". Australian Politics and Elections Database. University of Western Australia.