1959 Tasmanian state election

State election in Australia April 2022 1959 Tasmanian state election Tasmania parliamentary no 1956 Tasmanian state election 1956 1964 Tasmanian state election 1964 All 35 seats to the House of Assembly 2 May 1959 Eric Reece.jpg 140 130 170 3 3 center Eric Reece 26 August 1958 Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) Braddon 15 seats 17 seats 2 44.5% 5.77 William Jackson Tasmania.jpg 140 130 170 7 7 center Tim Jackson 26 June 1956 Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) Franklin 15 seats 16 seats 1 41.05% 2.54 1959 Tasmanian state election.svg 350px Results of the election Premier Resulting Premier Eric Reece Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) Eric Reece Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) The 1959 Tasmanian state election was held on 2 May 1959 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 35 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The number of members were increased from this election from 30 to 35. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation systemHouse of Assembly Elections https://web.archive.org/web/20180709035743/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/Backg/HAElections.htm 9 July 2018 , Parliament of Tasmania. — seven members were elected from each of five electorates. This change was at least party due to evidence presented by Dr. George Howatt on the need for seven-seat districts.Dr. George Howatt, "DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATION UNDER THE HARE-CLARK SYSTEM - The Need for Seven-Member Electorates" https://www.prsa.org.au/58howatt.html accessed October 1, 2025 The two previous elections had resulted in a parliamentary deadlock due to an even number of seats (30) in the House of Assembly. Prior to the 1959 election, the number of seats was increased to 35.Curtin, Jennifer: The 1998 Tasmanian Election: Women and Proportional Representation https://web.archive.org/web/20080910030952/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/RN/1998-99/99rn05.htm 2008-09-10 , Parliament of Australia, 10 November 1998. Robert Cosgrove had retired as Premier of Tasmania, and had been replaced by Eric Reece on 26 August 1958. Results Results of the Tasmanian state election, 1959 The Labor Party won the most seats in the newly expanded House of Assembly, but not enough to govern in a majority as two seats were won by Independents. The 1959 election was the last occasion in which an ungrouped independent (Bill Wedd) won a seat in Tasmania.Green, Antony: Independents to be disadvantaged by ACT electoral changes, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 28 May 2008. Former Labor Treasurer Dr Reg Turnbull won two quotas in his own right as an independent in Bass, representing 5.64% of the statewide result. File:1959 TAS House of Assembly.svg 180344 9816 0.65 1.57 #f00011 Labor 71535 5.77 17 2 #080cab Liberal 66005 2.54 16 1 Independents 14549 6.45 2 2 Democratic Labor 8510 1.82 0 Communist 144 0.03 0 Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Labor Australian Labor Party 44.50 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 41.05 Democratic Labor #008080 5.29 Communist #C00000 0.09 Independents Independent 9.05 Seats #ddd 600px 410px Labor Australian Labor Party 48.57 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 45.71 Independents Independent 5.71 Distribution of votes Primary vote by division Bass Braddon Denison Franklin Wilmot Labor Party 31.6% 52.2% 39.5% 46.3% 53.5% Liberal Party 36.3% 42.4% 39.8% 43.8% 43.2% Other 32.1% 5.4% 20.7% 10.0% 3.4% Distribution of seats auto Electorate Seats won Bass               Braddon               Denison               Franklin               Wilmot               5em   Labor   Liberal   Independent See also Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1959–1964 Candidates of the 1959 Tasmanian state election References External links Assembly Election Results, 1959 https://web.archive.org/web/20080726171259/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/Elections/e1959.htm 26 July 2008 , Parliament of Tasmania. Report on Parliamentary Elections, 1959, Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Category:Elections in Tasmania Category:1959 elections in Australia Category:1950s in Tasmania Category:May 1959 in Australia