1989 Western Australian state election

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1989 Western Australian state election
Flag of Western Australia.svg
  1986 4 February 1989 (1989-02-04) 1993  

All 57 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
and all 34 seats to the Western Australian Legislative Council
29 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Peter Dowding.jpg No image.png No image.png
Leader Peter Dowding Barry MacKinnon Hendy Cowan
Party Labor Liberal National
Leader since25 February 198825 November 19861979
Leader's seat Maylands Jandakot Merredin
Last election32 seats19 seats6 seats
Seats won31206
Seat changeDecrease2.svg1Increase2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote341,931344,52437,075
Percentage42.46%42.79%4.60%
SwingDecrease2.svg10.54Increase2.svg1.47Increase2.svg0.89
TPP 47.62%52.38%
TPP swingDecrease2.svg6.50Increase2.svg6.50

Premier before election

Peter Dowding
Labor

Elected Premier

Peter Dowding
Labor

Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 4 February 1989 to elect all 57 members to the Legislative Assembly and all 34 members to the Legislative Council. The Labor government, led by Premier Peter Dowding, won a third term in office against the Liberal Party, led by Opposition Leader Barry MacKinnon.

Contents

The result was a major swing against the Labor Party, coming in the wake of revelations of dealings between Government and business that came to be known as WA Inc. The redistribution that took place in 1988, based upon the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987 which abolished several country and outer metropolitan electorates while creating new metropolitan ones, makes it difficult to assess how Labor would have performed on the old boundaries—while it lost four seats, it gained one Liberal-held seat and won several of the new seats, so in net terms, it only lost one seat despite the massive swing and the low two-party-preferred result.

This was the first election in WA contested by the Australian Greens Party.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Western Australian state election, 4 February 1989
Legislative Assembly
<< 19861993 >>

Enrolled voters957,939
Votes cast869,100 Turnout 90.73%–0.71%
Informal votes63,870Informal7.35%+4.72%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 341,93142.46%–10.54%31– 1
  Liberal 344,52442.79%+1.47%20+ 1
  National 37,0754.60%+0.89%6± 0
  Grey Power 41,5255.16%+5.16%0± 0
  Democrats 11,5091.43%+0.77%0± 0
  Greens 4,2460.53%+0.53%0± 0
 Other parties1,0420.13%–0.20%0± 0
  Independent 23,3782.90%+1.92%0± 0
Total805,230  57 
Two-party-preferred
  Labor 383,42247.62%–6.50%
  Liberal 421,80852.38%+6.50%

Legislative Council

Western Australian state election, 4 February 1989
Legislative Council

Enrolled voters957,939
Votes cast870,996 Turnout 90.92%–0.50%
Informal votes24,061Informal2.76%–0.53%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 347,67541.05%–4.08%16+ 1
  Liberal 350,05341.33%–0.64%15± 0
  National 42,3285.00%+0.24%3– 1
  Grey Power 34,0554.02%+4.02%0± 0
  Democrats 28,1133.32%–4.81%0± 0
  Greens 27,0133.19%+3.19%0± 0
 One Australia7,3910.87%+0.87%0± 0
  Independent 10,3071.22%+1.21%0± 0
Total846,935  34 

Seats changing parties

SeatPre-1989SwingPost-1989
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Collie  Labor Tom Jones 4.2*7.12.9** Hilda Turnbull National 
Kingsley  LabornotionalN/AN/A7.6 Cheryl Edwardes Liberal 
Mandurah  Labor John Read 9.410.51.1 Roger Nicholls Liberal 
Melville  Labor Barry Hodge 19.519.60.1 Doug Shave Liberal 
Murray  LiberalnotionalN/AN/A0.9 Keith Read Labor 
Riverton  LabornotionalN/AN/A4.5 Graham Kierath Liberal 
Roe  LiberalnotionalN/AN/A1.0*** Ross Ainsworth National 
Roleystone  LabornotionalN/AN/A1.7 Fred Tubby Liberal 
Scarborough  Labor Graham Burkett 10.311.91.6 George Strickland Liberal 
Warren  Labor David Evans –1.09.810.8 Paul Omodei Liberal 

Post-election pendulum

Labor seats (31)
Marginal
Geraldton Jeff Carr ALP0.2%
Northern Rivers Kevin Leahy ALP0.6%
Murray Keith Read ALP0.9%
Dianella Keith Wilson ALP1.1%
Perth Ian Alexander ALP1.2%
Bunbury Phil Smith ALP1.5%
Swan Hills Gavan Troy ALP1.5%
Wanneroo Jackie Watkins ALP1.6%
Whitford Pam Beggs ALP1.7%
Helena Gordon Hill ALP2.6%
Armadale Bob Pearce ALP3.1%
Nollamara John Kobelke ALP3.7%
Balcatta Nick Catania ALP4.0%
Rockingham Mike Barnett ALP4.1%
Glendalough Carmen Lawrence ALP4.8%
Fairly safe
Kenwick Judyth Watson ALP6.9%
Mitchell David Smith ALP7.4%
Thornlie Yvonne Henderson ALP7.4%
Victoria Park Geoff Gallop ALP7.4%
Ashburton Pam Buchanan ALP7.9%
Peel Norm Marlborough ALP9.4%
Safe
Maylands Peter Dowding ALP10.1%
Belmont Eric Ripper ALP10.5%
Eyre Julian Grill ALP11.2%
Kalgoorlie Ian Taylor ALP11.4%
Pilbara Larry Graham ALP11.5%
Fremantle David Parker ALP12.4%
Marangaroo Ted Cunningham ALP12.4%
Morley Frank Donovan ALP12.4%
Cockburn Bill Thomas ALP14.6%
Kimberley Ernie Bridge ALP19.6%
Liberal/National seats (26)
Marginal
Melville Doug Shave LIB0.1%
Roe Ross Ainsworth NAT1.0% v LIB
Mandurah Roger Nicholls LIB1.1%
Scarborough George Strickland LIB1.6%
Roleystone Fred Tubby LIB1.7%
Moore Bill McNee LIB2.5% v NAT
Collie Hilda Turnbull NAT2.9%
Riverton Graham Kierath LIB4.5%
Fairly safe
Kingsley Cheryl Edwardes LIB7.6%
Safe
Albany Leon Watt LIB10.1%
Warren Paul Omodei LIB10.8%
South Perth Bill Grayden LIB11.3%
Marmion Jim Clarko LIB14.3%
Jandakot Barry MacKinnon LIB14.6%
Stirling Monty House NAT15.1% v LIB
Avon Max Trenorden NAT16.0%
Cottesloe Bill Hassell LIB16.8%
Nedlands Richard Court LIB17.3%
Wellington John Bradshaw LIB17.5%
Darling Range Ian Thompson LIB17.7%
Wagin Bob Wiese NAT18.1% v LIB
Vasse Barry Blaikie LIB18.7%
Applecross Richard Lewis LIB19.1%
Floreat Andrew Mensaros LIB20.3%
Greenough Kevin Minson LIB21.3%
Merredin Hendy Cowan NAT31.2%

See also

References