Queensland state election, 1983

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Queensland state election, 1983
Flag of Queensland.svg
  1980 22 October 1983 (1983-10-22) 1986  

All 82 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
42 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  JBPetersen.jpg
Leader Joh Bjelke-Petersen Keith Wright Terry White
Party National Labor Liberal
Leader since8 August 196820 October 1982 (1982-10-20)August 1983
Leader's seat Barambah Rockhampton Redcliffe
Last election35 seats25 seats22 seats
Seats won41 seats32 seats8 seats
Seat changeIncrease2.svg6Increase2.svg7Decrease2.svg14
Percentage38.93%43.98%14.88%
SwingIncrease2.svg10.99Increase2.svg2.49Decrease2.svg12.04

Premier before election

Joh Bjelke-Petersen
National

Elected Premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen
National

Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 22 October 1983 to elect the 82 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

States and territories of Australia first-level subdivision of Australia

The states and territories are the first-level administrative divisions of the Commonwealth of Australia. They are the second level of government in Australia, located between the federal and local government tiers.

Queensland North-east state of Australia

Queensland is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi).

Contents

The election resulted in a sixth consecutive term of office for the National Party under Joh Bjelke-Petersen. It was the tenth election win for the National Party in Queensland since it first came to office in 1957.

The National Party, known as the Country Party until 1974, was a political party in Queensland, Australia, for much of the period from 1915 until 2008. Formed by the Queensland Farmers' Union and serving as the state branch of the National Party of Australia, it initially sought to represent the interests of the farmers but over time became a more general conservative political party in the state, leading to much debate about relations with other conservative parties and a string of mergers that were soon undone. From 1957 it held power as part of a coalition with the state Liberal Party until 1983 when the Liberals broke away and the Nationals continued to govern in their own right until defeat in 1989. The party formed another coalition with the Liberals that took power in 1996 but was defeated in 1998. After a further decade in opposition the two parties merged to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland.

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Australian politician

Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen, was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during which time the state underwent considerable economic development. His uncompromising conservatism, his political longevity, and his leadership of a government that, in its later years, was revealed to be institutionally corrupt, made him one of the best-known and most controversial political figures of 20th century Australia.

Background

The election was triggered when a number of Liberal MLAs, including Welfare Services Minister Terry White, crossed the floor of the Parliament in order to support a Labor motion to create an Expenditure Review Committee. White was sacked from cabinet for supporting the motion. In response, he launched a party-room coup against Liberal leader and deputy premier Llewellyn Edwards and became Liberal leader with Angus Innes as his deputy.

The Liberal Party, originally the Queensland People's Party, was a political party in Queensland, Australia, from the Second World War until 2008. Initially formed as independent body in 1943, it became the Queensland division of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1949. Based predominantly in Brisbane and other cities in Queensland, from 1957 it held power as the junior party in a coalition with the state Country Party, later the National Party, until 1983 when the Liberals broke away and went into opposition. The party formed another coalition with the Nationals that took power in 1996 but was defeated in 1998. After a further decade in opposition the two parties merged to form the Liberal National Party of Queensland.

Terrence Anthony "Terry" White is an Australian pharmacist, businessman, and former politician. White achieved notoriety when, as Queensland state leader of the Liberal Party he terminated the longstanding coalition agreement between the Liberal Party and the National Party of Joh Bjelke-Petersen. In the ensuing election, the Liberals were badly defeated, and White was replaced as party leader. After leaving politics, he established a nationwide chain of pharmacies using a franchise model and became a widely respected businessman.

Australian Labor Party (Queensland Branch) State branch of the Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party , commonly known as Queensland Labor is the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party.

In the normal course of events, White would have succeeded Edwards as deputy premier. However, White and Innes' progressive leanings didn't sit well with Bjelke-Petersen, and he refused to make White deputy premier. In response, White tore up the Coalition agreement and led the Liberals to the crossbench. However, Bjelke-Petersen prorogued Parliament ahead of the election, allowing him to govern for nine weeks without fear of being toppled on the floor of the legislature.

Labor, under the leadership of new leader Keith Wright, hoped to make use of the division between the conservative parties to make gains, while the Liberals hoped to win enough seats to force the Nationals back into Coalition under more favourable terms. The Nationals sought to gain enough seats to form a majority government in their own right. Indeed, Bjelke-Petersen directed his campaign mainly at right-leaning Liberal voters, suggesting that the alternative was a Labor government propped up by White's Liberals.

Keith Webb Wright was an Australian politician, educator and convicted child rapist.

A majority government refers to one or multiple governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in legislature. This is as opposed to a minority government, where the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality of seats.

Key dates

DateEvent
13 September 1983The Parliament was dissolved. [1]
13 September 1983Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. [2]
22 September 1983Close of nominations.
22 October 1983Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
7 November 1983The Bjelke-Petersen Ministry was reconstituted.
18 November 1983The writ was returned and the results formally declared.
22 November 1983Parliament resumed for business. [3]

Results

The Nationals were returned to office, one seat short of a majority. Labor also made gains, although not enough to challenge Bjelke-Petersen's continued dominance. The Liberals were decimated, falling from 14 seats to a rump of eight seats. Of the Liberals who crossed the floor, only White and Innes were reelected.

Queensland state election, 22 October 1983 [4] [5]
Legislative Assembly
<< 19801986 >>

Enrolled voters1,458,205
Votes cast1,336,985 Turnout 91.69%+2.76%
Informal votes19,591Informal1.47%–0.04%
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes%SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 579,36343.98%+2.49%32+ 7
  Nationals 512,89038.93%+10.99%41+ 6
  Liberal 196,07214.88%–12.04%8–14
  Democrats 10,9260.83%–0.55%0± 0
  Progress 7410.06%–0.31%0± 0
  Independent 16,9941.29%–0.49%1+ 1
 Others4080.03%–0.09%0± 0
Total1,317,394  82 

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1983SwingPost-1983
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Ashgrove  Liberal John Greenwood 0.4-2.01.6 Tom Veivers Labor 
Aspley  Liberal Beryce Nelson 13.9-24.410.4 Brian Cahill National 
Callide  National Lindsay Hartwig 15.8N/A9.3 Lindsay Hartwig Independent 
Greenslopes  Liberal Bill Hewitt 12.3-16.64.3 Leisha Harvey National 
Ipswich  Liberal Llewellyn Edwards 5.1-14.89.7 David Hamill Labor 
Kurilpa  Liberal Sam Doumany 2.7-4.72.0 Anne Warner Labor 
Mansfield  Liberal Bill Kaus 8.3N/A6.1 Bill Kaus National 
Maryborough  Labor Brendan Hansen 0.6-0.60.03 Gilbert Alison National 
Mount Gravatt  Liberal Guelfi Scassola 15.7-23.67.9 Ian Henderson National 
Mount Isa  National Angelo Bertoni 0.9-3.72.8 Bill Price Labor 
Pine Rivers  Liberal Rob Akers 7.5-7.90.4 Yvonne Chapman National 
Salisbury  Liberal Rosemary Kyburz 2.3-3.41.1 Wayne Goss Labor 
Stafford  Liberal Terry Gygar 0.7-0.80.1 Denis Murphy Labor 
Toowong  Liberal Ian Prentice 13.1-18.35.2 Earle Bailey National 
Toowoomba North  Liberal John Lockwood 5.5-9.13.6 Sandy McPhie National 
Townsville  Liberal Norman Scott-Young 6.0-7.51.5 Ken McElligott Labor 
Windsor  National Bob Moore*1.3-3.42.1 Pat Comben Labor 

Post-election pendulum

NATIONAL SEATS (41)
Marginal
Maryborough Gilbert Alison NAT0.03%
Pine Rivers Yvonne Chapman NAT0.4%
Barron River Martin Tenni NAT3.2%
Caboolture Bill Newton NAT3.3%
Toowoomba North Sandy McPhie NAT3.6%
Redlands John Goleby NAT4.0%
Greenslopes Leisha Harvey NAT4.3%
Flinders Bob Katter NAT5.2%
Toowong Earle Bailey NAT5.2%
Fairly safe
Mansfield Bill Kaus NAT6.1%
Hinchinbrook Ted Row NAT6.2%
Albert Ivan Gibbs NAT6.5%
Fassifern Kev Lingard NAT6.5%
Whitsunday Geoff Muntz NAT6.5%
Mirani Jim Randell NAT6.6%
Burdekin Mark Stoneman NAT6.7%
Isis Lin Powell NAT7.1%
Mulgrave Max Menzel NAT7.5%
South Coast Russ Hinze NAT7.5%
Warrego Neil Turner NAT7.7%
Mount Gravatt Ian Henderson NAT7.9%
Safe
Toowoomba South John Warner NAT10.0%
Aspley Brian Cahill NAT10.4%
Peak Downs Vince Lester NAT10.4%
Somerset Bill Gunn NAT11.0%
Cooroora Gordon Simpson NAT12.1%
Gregory Bill Glasson NAT12.8%
Landsborough Mike Ahern NAT13.9%
Southport Doug Jennings NAT13.9%
Carnarvon Peter McKechnie NAT14.3%
Gympie Len Stephan NAT14.5%
Roma Russell Cooper NAT15.5%
Burnett Claude Wharton NAT16.1%
Surfers Paradise Rob Borbidge NAT17.4%
Warwick Des Booth NAT17.9%
Auburn Neville Harper NAT23.3%
Condamine Brian Littleproud NAT23.8%
Lockyer Tony Fitzgerald NAT24.1%
Balonne Don Neal NAT24.4%
Barambah Joh Bjelke-Petersen NAT28.5%
Cunningham Tony Elliott NAT28.7%
LABOR SEATS (32)
Marginal
Stafford Dennis Murphy ALP0.1%
Salisbury Wayne Goss ALP1.1%
Townsville Ken McElligott ALP1.5%
Ashgrove Tom Veivers ALP1.6%
Kurilpa Anne Warner ALP2.0% v LIB
Windsor Pat Comben ALP2.1%
Cairns Keith De Lacy ALP2.2%
Mourilyan Bill Eaton ALP2.7%
Mount Isa Bill Price ALP2.8%
Port Curtis Bill Prest ALP3.6%
Woodridge Bill D'Arcy ALP5.1%
Murrumba Joe Kruger ALP5.2%
Bundaberg Clem Campbell ALP5.3%
Fairly safe
Mackay Ed Casey ALP6.0%
Townsville West Geoff Smith ALP6.3%
Everton Glen Milliner ALP6.5%
Townsville South Alex Wilson ALP7.0%
Chatsworth Terry Mackenroth ALP7.6% v LIB
Wynnum Eric Shaw ALP8.3%
South Brisbane Jim Fouras ALP8.7%
Brisbane Central Brian Davis ALP8.9% v LIB
Ipswich West David Underwood ALP9.4%
Ipswich David Hamill ALP9.7%
Safe
Bulimba Ron McLean ALP10.0%
Rockhampton North Les Yewdale ALP10.4%
Rockhampton Keith Wright ALP11.4%
Nudgee Ken Vaughan ALP12.4% v LIB
Sandgate Nev Warburton ALP12.8%
Cook Bob Scott ALP13.5%
Wolston Bob Gibbs ALP14.3% v LIB
Lytton Tom Burns ALP21.4%
Archerfield Kevin Hooper ALP21.6%
LIBERAL SEATS (8)
Marginal
Wavell Brian Austin LIB1.3%
Yeronga Norm Lee LIB2.9%
Ithaca Col Miller LIB3.3%
Redcliffe Terry White LIB5.0%
Fairly safe
Nundah William Knox LIB6.2%
Merthyr Don Lane LIB7.7%
Safe
Mount Coot-tha Bill Lickiss LIB10.5% v NAT
Sherwood Angus Innes LIB16.7%
CROSSBENCH SEATS (1)
Callide Lindsay Hartwig IND9.3% v NAT

Aftermath

After the election, Bjelke-Petersen openly invited Liberal MLAs to defect to the Nationals. On 25 October, two Liberal MLAs, Brian Austin (Wavell) and Don Lane (Merthyr) took up Bjelke-Petersen's offer and joined the Nationals. This gave them 43 seats, a majority of two—the first time that the Nationals had governed in majority at any level in Australia.

Brian Douglas Austin was a Queensland politician and Minister of Health (1980–1983) who represented the state seat of Wavell for the Liberal Party (1977–1983) and then for the National Party (1983–1986). Austin switched to the National Party in 1983 after Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen lobbied several Liberals to cross the floor, thus enabling the National Party to form government with a very slim majority, as prior to the swap the Nationals were one seat short of governing in their own right. At the 1986 Queensland state election, Austin became the first MP for the new Queensland electorate of Nicklin (1986–1989).

Wavell was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1960 to 1986.

Donald Frederick (Don) Lane was a Minister of Transport in the Bjelke-Petersen state of Queensland's coalition government. A former policeman in the Special Branch, in 1971 he was elected as the Liberal member for Merthyr. In 1983 he switched to the National Party, providing it with a majority, and was rewarded with a ministry. Following revelations in the Fitzgerald Inquiry, he and three other Bjelke-Petersen ministers were tried in the District Court and sentenced to twelve months imprisonment for falsifying their expense accounts. His autobiography, Trial and Error was published in 1993 by Boolarong Publications.

This left only six Liberals, and marked the end of Terry White’s leadership and Angus Innes’ deputy leadership. Former leader Sir William Knox (Nundah) was returned to lead what remained of the party.

Sir William Edward Knox OSJ, KSJI was born in Kew, Victoria, Australia and was the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland representing the district of Nundah for the Liberal Party between from 1957 to 1989.

Nundah was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland from 1888 to 1992.

Labor had performed well, but not well enough, especially in North Queensland. Still, Labor strategists hoped that they had recovered enough seats to put them within striking distance of winning in 1986.

See also

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References

  1. "A Proclamation". Queensland Government Gazette . 13 September 1983. p. 274:187.
  2. Queensland Government Gazette . 13 September 1983. p. 274:189.Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Queensland Government Gazette . 10 November 1983. p. 274:1011.Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Australian Government and Politics Database. "Parliament of Queensland, Assembly election, 22 October 1983" . Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  5. Hughes, Colin A. (1986). A handbook of Australian government and politics, 1975-1984. ANU Press. pp. 206–207. ISBN   978-0-08-033038-9.