This article provides a summary of results for elections to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly , the lower house in New South Wales's bicameral state legislative body, the Parliament of New South Wales, which came into being in 1856 when New South Wales achieved responsible government. New South Wales politics were initially non-partisan, with individual Members of Parliament choosing to align either with the Government or the Opposition. This changed at the 1887 election where, for the first time, candidates were members of official political parties. The first two major parties to form were the Free Trade Party and the Protectionist Party. The 1887 election saw the 79 members of the Free Trade Party elected form the government with the 37 elected Protectionist Party members form the opposition. The next election saw the Free Trade Party retain government but with a reduced majority. The 1891 saw the Labor Party for the first time. These three parties then fought out the next two elections through to 1898. After Federation in 1901, the Free Trade Party changed their name to the Liberal Reform Party with the Protectionists becoming the Progressive Party.
The 1904 election saw a massive defeat of the Progressive government and for the first time Labor became the major opposition party. Most of the Progressive members stood as the Liberals at the next election and the party folded not long after that. Labor won an outright majority for the first time at the 1910 election and increased it further in 1913. The Liberal Reform Party became the Nationalist Party of Australia in 1917 and Labor's main opposition through to 1932 when the conservatives became the United Australia Party and then the Liberal Party in 1945.
The table below shows the total number of seats won by the major political parties at each election. The totals of the winning party or coalition are shown in bold, while other parties in government are shown in bold italic. Full details on any election are linked via the year of the election at the start of the row.
Year | Total seats | Labor | Country Labor | Liberal | UAP | Nationalist | Progressive | Liberal Reform [A] | Protectionist [B] | Free Trade | Country/ National [C] | DLP | Lang Labor | Greens | SFF | Independent | Other Parties | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ind | Lab | Lib | UAP | Nat | Prog | LR | Prot | FTP | C/N | |||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | 93 | 36 | 35 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | 93 | 34 | 37 | 17 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 93 | 20 | 51 | 18 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007 | 93 | 50 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | 93 | 52 | 3 | 20 | 12 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | 93 | 55 | 20 | 13 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995 | 99 | 50 | 29 | 17 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1991 | 99 | 46 | 32 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1988 | 109 | 43 | 39 | 20 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1984 | 99 | 58 | 22 | 15 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981 | 98 | 69 | 14 | 14 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1978 | 99 | 63 | 18 | 17 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1976 | 99 | 50 | 30 | 18 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1973 | 99 | 44 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1971 | 96 | 45 | 32 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1968 | 94 | 39 | 36 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1965 | 94 | 45 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1962 | 94 | 54 | 25 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1959 | 94 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1956 | 94 | 50 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1953 | 94 | 57 | 22 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1950 | 94 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1947 | 90 | 52 | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1944 | 90 | 56 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1941 | 90 | 54 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1938 | 90 | 28 | 37 | 22 | 1 | 2 | Heffron Lab. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1935 | 90 | 38 | 23 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1932 | 90 | 43 | 23 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1930 | 90 | 55 | 23 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1927 | 90 | 40 | 33 | 13 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1925 | 90 | 46 | 32 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Protestant Lab. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1922 | 90 | 36 | 41 | 9 | 2 | 1 1 | Ind. Coalitionist Democratic | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1920 | 90 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Socialist Lab. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1917 | 90 | 33 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1913 | 90 | 49 | 28 | 11 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1910 | 90 | 46 | 37 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1907 | 90 | 32 | 5 | 45 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1904 | 90 | 25 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1901 | 125 | 24 | 42 | 37 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1898 | 125 | 19 | 52 | 45 | 4 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1895 | 125 | 18 | 42 | 58 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1894 | 125 | 15 | 37 | 50 | 8 | 4 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1891 | 141 | 35 | 52 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1889 | 137 | 66 | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1887 | 124 | 37 | 79 | 4 | 4 |
Sir George Houston Reid, was an Australian politician who led the Reid Government as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia from 1904 to 1905, having previously been Premier of New South Wales from 1894 to 1899. He led the Free Trade Party from 1891 to 1908.
The Free Trade Party which was officially known as the Australian Free Trade and Liberal Association, also referred to as the Revenue Tariff Party in some states, was an Australian political party, formally organised in 1887 in New South Wales, in time for the 1887 colony election, which the party won. It advocated the abolition of protectionism, especially protective tariffs and other restrictions on trade, arguing that this would create greater prosperity for all. However, many members also advocated use of minimal tariffs for government revenue purposes only. Its most prominent leader was George Reid, who led the Reid Government as the fourth Prime Minister of Australia (1904–05). In New South Wales it was succeeded by the Liberal and Reform Association in 1902, and federally by the Anti-Socialist Party in 1906. In 1909, the Anti-Socialist Party merged with the Protectionist Party to form the Commonwealth Liberal Party.
The Protectionist Party or Liberal Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1887 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. The party advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australian industry to grow and provide employment. It had its greatest strength in Victoria and in the rural areas of New South Wales. Its most prominent leaders were Sir Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, who were the first and second prime ministers of Australia.
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