1968 New South Wales state election

April 2022 June 2020 State election for New South Wales, Australia in February 1968 1968 New South Wales state election New South Wales parliamentary no 1965 New South Wales state election 1965 1971 New South Wales state election 1971 All 94 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly48 Assembly seats were needed for a majority yes 1968 02 24 150x150px Robert Askin 17 July 1959 Liberal–Country Coalition Collaroy 49.09% 0.73 47 seats 53 6 150x150px Jack Renshaw 30 April 1964 Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Castlereagh 43.10% 0.21 45 seats 39 6 1968 New South Wales state election.svg 400px Two-candidate-preferred margin by electorate Premier Bob Askin Liberal–Country Coalition Bob Askin Liberal–Country Coalition The 1968 New South Wales state election was held on 24 February 1968. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1966 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Liberal Party, led by Premier Robert Askin, in Coalition with the Country Party of Deputy Premier Charles Cutler, was elected for a second term—the first time that a non-Labor government had been reelected since before World War II. Redistribution An extensive redistribution of electoral boundaries was undertaken in 1966 by a commission consisting of Judge Amsberg of the District Court, the Surveyor-General, G Prince and the Electoral Commissioner J McDonald. Following instructions from the government of Robin Askin, the redistribution gave an increased weighting to the votes of electors in rural New South Wales . Of the 94 electorates, 48 were to be classified as "urban" with an average enrollment of 27,531 and 46 were "country" with an average enrollment of 20,882. However, a continuing movement of population from rural to urban NSW meant that many of the "country" seats were effectively situated in the outskirts of Sydney, where the Liberal Party traditionally had strong electoral support. Four seats (Casino, Cobar, Dulwich Hill and Redfern) were abolished and four new seats (Campbelltown, Corrimal, Merrylands and Northcott) were created . A further 9 seats, Ashfield-Croydon ( renamed Ashfield), Concord (Yaralla), Hartley (Blue Mountains), Illawarra (Kembla), Kurri Kurri (Wallsend), Mudgee (Burrendong), Ryde (Fuller), Sturt (Broken Hill) and Wollongong-Kembla (Wollongong), were extensively changed and renamed. The notional net result of the redistribution was to reduce the Labor Party's representation by at least 5 and possibly 9 seats and to reduce the Country Party by 1. How the electorate changes will operate The Sydney Morning Herald 16 April 1966 16 The redistribution was unsuccessfully opposed by the Labor Party with parliamentary walkouts, legal appeals and public rallies. Rally to protest electorate proposal The Sydney Morning Herald 18 April 1966 5 Issues At the beginning of 1968, the Liberal–Country Coalition was widely regarded as a competent, non-controversial first-term government. With the aid of a favourable redistribution, it seemed certain of electoral victory; and as a result the campaign failed to generate significant public interest. 2 Million vote today The Sydney Morning Herald 24 February 1968 1 Since 1965 the government had resolved the problem of cost over-runs and building delays at the Sydney Opera House by forcing the resignation of the architect, Jørn Utzon. Although in retrospect this move was widely censured, at the time it occurred it was generally well received by the public. Mr Hughes and Mr Utzon The Sydney Morning Herald 24 February 1968 2 New government policies during the campaign included an increase in state aid for private schools, increased spending on hospitals and a consumer affairs agency to monitor prices. 2 Million vote today The Sydney Morning Herald 24 February 1968 1 In contrast to the coalition, Labor's leader and former Premier, Jack Renshaw, was unable to appeal much to urban voters and had a hard time adjusting to television. He possessed also the disadvantage of having led to defeat in 1965 an ALP administration widely seen as tired and unfocused. Renshaw: Jack with Beanstalk and Giant Evan Whitton The Sydney Morning Herald 19 February 1968 2 Labor's campaign promises included four weeks of annual leave for all employees on state controlled award wages, the restoration of the Sydney City Council, price controls for basic food items and state control of Credit Unions. Renshaw was unable to match the government's promises of aid for private schools, which was a difficult ideological question for Labor. Renshaw: lists his priorities The Sydney Morning Herald 19 February 1968 8 McMullin Ross The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891-1991 Oxford University Press 1991 0-19-554966-X Results Results of the 1968 New South Wales state election Prior to the election the Country Party had gained the seats of Bathurst from the Labor Party and Oxley from the Liberal Party at by-elections caused by the deaths of sitting members. There was a slight swing to the Labor Party in the two party preferred vote at the election. However, the effects of the redistribution resulted in a significant improvement in the position of the coalition government and changes in seats at the election reflected the effects of the re-distribution rather than a swing in voter sentiment. The government had a buffer of 6 seats in the new parliament: Liberal 36 seats Country Party 17 seats Australian Labor Party 39 seats Independent 2 seats The DLP contested 42 seats but achieved less than 3% of the statewide vote while the Communist party was reduced to 6 candidates who received negligible support. The New State Movement, which had suffered a devastating defeat at a plebiscite on the formation of a new state in New England in 1967, contested 4 seats and gained 0.80% of the total vote but up to 35% in individual seats. The election marked the first time that a non-Labor government in New South Wales had been reelected since the Coalition won three consecutive elections from 1932 to 1938. Seats changing party representation This table lists changes in party representation since the 1965 election Seat Incumbent member Party New member PartyAshfieldNew seatDavid Hunter LiberalAshfield-CroydonDavid Hunter LiberalAbolished SeatBathurst† LaborClive Osborne CountryBlue MountainsNew seatHarold Coates IndependentBroken HillNew seatLew Johnstone LaborBurrendongNew seatRoger Wotton CountryCampbelltownNew seatMax Dunbier Liberal CasinoRichmond Manyweathers Country Abolished SeatCobarLew Johnstone LaborAbolished SeatConcordThomas Murphy LaborAbolished seatCorrimalNew seatLaurie Kelly LaborDulwich HillCliff Mallam LaborAbolished seatFullerNew seatPeter Coleman LiberalHartleyHarold Coates IndependentAbolished seatIllawarraHoward Fowles LaborAbolished SeatKemblaNew seatGeorge Petersen LaborKurri KurriKen Booth LaborAbolished seatManlyDouglas Darby Independent LiberalDouglas Darby  LiberalMerrylandsNew seatJack Ferguson LaborMudgeeLeo Nott LaborAbolished seatMurrayJoe Lawson CountryJoe Lawson IndependentNorthcottNew seatJim Cameron LiberalOxley‡ LiberalBruce Cowan CountryRedfernFred Green LaborAbolished seatRydeFrank Downing LaborAbolished seatSturtWilliam Wattison LaborAbolished seatSutherlandTom Dalton LaborTim Walker LiberalWallsendNew seatKen Booth LaborWollongongNew seat Jack Hough LiberalWollongong-Kembla Jack Hough Liberal Abolished seatYarallaNew seatLerryn Mutton Liberal † Bathurst was won by the Country Party at a 1967 by-election caused by the death of Labor's Gus Kelly ‡Oxley was won by the Country Party at a 1965 by-election caused by the death of the Liberal Party's Les Jordan Key dates Date Event 23 January 1968 The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 31 January 1968 Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. 24 February 1968 Polling day. 22 March 1968 Last day for the writs to be returned and the results formally declared. 26 March 1968 Opening of 42nd Parliament. Results {{Australian elections/Title row | table style = float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em; | title = New South Wales state election, 24 February 1968Antony Green Antony Green 1968 election totals https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/1968/Totals.htm New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007 Parliament of New South Wales 12 August 2019 30 April 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190430052621/https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/1968/Totals.htm live | house = Legislative Assembly | series = New South Wales state election | back = 1965 | forward = 1971 | enrolled = 2,356,977 | total_votes = 2,219,979 | turnout % = 94.19 | turnout chg = +0.28 | informal = 58,409 | informal % = 2.63 | informal chg = +0.59 }} yes Liberal NSW 831,514 38.47 −1.12 36 +5 yes Country NSW 229,656 10.62 +0.39 17 +1 Labor NSW 931,563 43.10 −0.21 39 −6 Independent 92,704 4.29 +1.17 2 +1 dlp 49,457 2.29 +0.18 0 − New Staters 17,303 0.80 +0.80 0 − Communist 5,828 0.27 −0.37 0 − All others 3,545 0.16 +0.16 0 − Independent Liberal 0 0 −1.00 0 −1 2,161,570 94 |} {{ bar box |float=right| title=Popular vote | titlebar=#ddd | width=600px | barwidth=410px | bars= Labor Australian Labor Party 43.10 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 38.47 Country National Party of Australia – Queensland 10.62 Independents Independent 4.29 Democratic Labor #008080 2.29 Others #777777 1.23 #ddd Parliamentary seats Labor Australian Labor Party 41.49 39 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 38.30 36 Country National Party of Australia – Queensland 18.09 17 Independents Independent 2.13 2 }}All electorates were contested Aftermath Robert Askin and Charles Cutler remained Premier and Deputy Premier throughout the term of the parliament. Renshaw was replaced as the Leader of the Labor Party by Pat Hills in December 1968. During the parliament there were 5 by-elections. These produced no change in party representation with the exception of the Liberal Party losing Georges River to Labor's Frank Walker. References See also Candidates of the 1968 New South Wales state election Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1968–1971 Category:Elections in New South Wales Category:1968 elections in Australia Category:1968 in New South Wales Category:February 1968 in Australia