1896 South Australian colonial election

none January 2021 January 2012 1896 South Australian colonial election South Australia 1876 parliamentary no 1893 South Australian colonial election 1893 1899 South Australian colonial election 1899 137,747 66.3% ( 1.3 pp) outgoing members elected members All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly(28 seats needed for a majority) 25 April – 2 May 1896 Independent politicians in Australia N/A N/A 888 Independent N/A 72,676 45.2% 13.8 pp 26 seats 22 24 2 National Defence League NDL Unknown N/A 080cab National Defence N/A 49,200 30.6% 8.4 pp 18 seats 22 18 4 John Abel McPherson.jpg 140 120 160 15 10 John McPherson yes 1892 02 23 f00011 United Labor East Adelaide 39,107 24.3% 5.5 pp 10 seats 10 12 2 Premier Charles Kingston Charles Kingston The 1896 South Australian colonial election was held between 25 April and 2 May 1896 to elect members to the 15th Parliament of South Australia. All 54 seats in the House of Assembly (the lower house, whose members were elected at the 1893 election) were up for re-election. It was the first election in Australia in which women could vote, following the passing of the Constitutional Amendment (Adult Suffrage) Act 1894 two years prior. The election used non-compulsory plurality block voting, in which electors voted for as many candidates as they wished. Members of the House of Assembly were elected to 27 multi-member districts consisting of two seats each. Suffrage extended to all persons (including Aboriginals) over 21 years of age, unless they were "attainted or convicted of treason or felony". Background The period after the 1893 election saw an increasing competition between the two new political parties – the ULP and the conservative National Defence League (NDL). It also reflected a trend for the conservative members to gravitate to the NDL, and the progressive members to support Kingston, a strong advocate of progressive social policy and reform of the Legislative Council. There was no formal "Liberal" or "Kingston" party, but there was a relatively cohesive Kingston group among both independent members and candidates. The Liberal and Democratic Union would not be formed until the 1906 election. The election was held concurrently with the first referendum in Australia.South Australian Referenda http://www.seo.sa.gov.au/apps/uploadedFiles/news/265/Referenda1.pdf State Electoral Office - South Australia 9 December 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20081031134936/http://www.seo.sa.gov.au/apps/uploadedFiles/news/265/Referenda1.pdf 31 October 2008 dead Women's suffrage in Australia took a leap forward – enacted in 1895 and taking effect from this election, South Australia was the first in Australia and only the second in the world after New Zealand to allow women to vote, and the first in the world to allow women to stand for election.https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/education/teachers/Documents/Women's%20Petition%20Photograph.pdf Women’s Suffrage Petition 1894: parliament.sa.gov.au 8 January 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20110329160732/http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/education/teachers/Documents/Women%27s%20Petition%20Photograph.pdf 29 March 2011 dead However, the first female would not be elected to the Parliament of South Australia until the 1959 election when Jessie Cooper and Joyce Steele were elected for the Liberal and Country League, and the 1965 election for Labor with Molly Byrne. Results +House of Assembly (BV) – Turnout 66.3% (Non-CV)File:South Australia House of Assembly 1896.svgPartyVotesSeatsVotes %Swing (pp percentage points)SeatsChange Independent 72,676 45.2 –13.8 24 2 National Defence 49,200 30.6 +8.4 18 4 United Labor 39,107 24.3 +5.5 12 2Total160,983100.0–54 Informal votes 1,433 1.6 +0.3Turnout 91,267 66.3 –1.3Registered voters 137,747––Source: ECSAhttps://ia600203.us.archive.org/25/items/history-of-south-australian-elections-1857-2006-house-of-assembly-volume-1/HISTORY%20OF%20SOUTH%20AUSTRALIAN%20ELECTIONS%20-%C2%A01857%20-%202006%C2%A0House%20of%20Assembly%2C%C2%A0Volume%201%C2%A0by%20Dean%20Jaensch%20%28PDF%207MB%29.pdf History of South Australian Elections, 1857–2006, House of Assembly, Volume 1 Dean Jaencsh March 2007 Internet Archive 137–140 See also Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1893–1896 1894 South Australian Legislative Council election References http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/AboutParliament/From1836/Documents/StatisticalRecordoftheLegislature1836to20093.pdf Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836–2007 24 April 2007 Parliament of South Australia https://web.archive.org/web/20110312023915/http://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/AboutParliament/From1836/Documents/StatisticalRecordoftheLegislature1836to20093.pdf 12 March 2011 dead Category:Elections in South Australia Category:1896 elections in Australia Category:1890s in South Australia Category:April 1896 in Australia Category:May 1896 in Australia