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 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | 93 | 45 | 36 | 11 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 and British politician, diplomat and barrister who served as the fourth prime minister of Australia, from 1904 to 1905, holding office as the leader of the Free Trade Party. He previously served as the 12th premier of New South Wales from 1894 to 1899, and later the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Australia from 1910 to 1916.
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