1943 Western Australian state election

April 2022 none 1943 Western Australian state election Western Australia 1870 parliamentary no 1939 Western Australian state election 1939 1947 Western Australian state election 1947 All 50 seats in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly26 Assembly seats were needed for a majority 20 November 1943 Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1939–1943 Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1943–1947 130px John Willcock 20 August 1936 Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch) Geraldton 43.28% 4.00? (see Results) 27 seats 30 seats 3 130px Arthur Watts 8 October 1942 Country Party (Western Australia) Katanning 12.41% 0.41 12 seats 10 seats 2 Ross McDonald 13 April 1938 Nationalist Party of Australia West Perth 24.29% 0.31 7 seats 7 seats 0 Premier John Willcock Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch) John Willcock Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 20 November 1943 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party, led by Premier John Willcock, won a fourth term in office against the Country and Nationalist parties, led by Opposition Leader Arthur Watts and Robert Ross McDonald respectively. The election took place in the midst of World War II, and as such, turnout was considerably down on the previous election. The election was delayed from its intended date of February 1942 by the Legislative Assembly Duration and General Election Postponement Acts (No 51 of 1941, assented 16 January 1942, and No 18 of 1942, assented 9 December 1942) due to the war. In the previous term, two changes of membership occurred at by-elections. George Lambert, the Labor member for Yilgarn-Coolgardie, died on 30 June 1941 and was replaced by former Labor branch secretary Lionel Kelly, running under the "Independent Country" banner. He ultimately joined the Labor Party and became a minister in the Bert Hawke government in the 1950s. In 1943, long-serving and colourful independent Thomas Hughes resigned his seat of East Perth to contest the federal seat of Perth. It was picked up by Labor's Herb Graham. Prior to the election, former Independent Nationalist Arthur Abbott joined the Nationalist Party. Results Results of the Western Australian state election, 1943 (Legislative Assembly) Apart from Labor gaining two seats from the Country Party (Avon and Greenough) and one from the Nationalists (Nelson, where Ernest Hoar defeated the incumbent member by just 17 votes), no changes took place at the election. An interesting race in Mount Marshall opened up by the retirement of incumbent Country member Frederick Warner ended with the Country candidate, Hugh Leslie, victorious against the ALP and former minister John Lindsay. Western Australian state election, 20 November 1943 Legislative Assembly Western Australian state election 1939 1947 212,376cont 1 1 183,781 86.54% –5.04% 4,548 2.47% +0.73% yes Labor WA 77,567 43.28% cont 1 1 30 + 3 Nationalist 43,529 24.29% +0.31% 7 ± 0 Nationals WA Country 22,251 12.41% +0.41% 10 – 2 Ind. NationalistIndNat 2 2 9,187 5.13% –1.67% 1 – 1 Independent Labor WA 7,909 4.41% +4.41% 0 ±0 Communist 713 0.40% +0.25% 0 ± 0 Independent 10,324 5.97% –1.68% 2 ± 0 179,233 50 |} cont 1 1 274,856 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 12 of the 50 seats were uncontested—11 Labor seats (seven more than 1939, including all of the Fremantle seats) representing 57,651 enrolled voters, and one Nationalist seat representing 4,829 voters. The estimated swing from 1939 and 1943 was approximately 4% to Labor. Electoral districts horizontal center 800 Western Australian Legislative Assembly electoral districts (Outer), 1943.jpg Outer regions Western Australian Legislative Assembly electoral districts (South-West), 1943.jpg South-West Western Australian Legislative Assembly electoral districts (Perth), 1943.jpg Metropolitan center See also Candidates of the 1943 Western Australian state election Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1939–1943 Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1943–1947 Willcock Ministry References Category:Elections in Western Australia Western Australian state election State election, 1943 Western Australian state election