1981 New South Wales state election

State election for New South Wales, Australia in September 1981 August 2019 August 2019 1981 New South Wales state election New South Wales parliamentary no 1978 New South Wales state election 1978 1984 New South Wales state election 1984 All 99 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and 15 (of 44) seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council50 Assembly seats needed for a majority yes 1981 09 19 175x175px Neville Wran 3 December 1973 Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Bass Hill 1,564,622 55.73% 2.04 63 seats 69 6 L/NP Bruce McDonald 1 June 1981 Liberal/National coalition Liberal/National coalition Kirribilli(contested North Shore; lost) 1,090,304 38.83% 1.95 35 seats 28 7 TPP TPP swing 58.70% 2.00 41.30% 2.00 1981 New South Wales state election.svg 320px Two-candidate-preferred margin by electorate Premier Neville Wran Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Neville Wran Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Elections were held in the state of New South Wales, Australia, on Saturday 19 September 1981. The result was a second "Wranslide": a landslide victory for the Labor Party under Neville Wran. Labor increased its already sizeable majority, winning what is still its biggest-ever share of seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly–69 out of 99 seats, 69.7 percent of the chamber until 2011 when it was surpassed by Barry O'Farrell’s landslide election win when the Liberal—National Coalition won 74% of seats. The Liberals suffered the double indignity of losing the seat contested by their leader Bruce McDonald to an independent, and of being reduced to the same number of seats in parliament as their ostensible junior coalition partner, the National Country Party. In fact it was the second election in a row in which the sitting Liberal leader had failed to win a seat; Peter Coleman had been rolled in his own seat in 1978. Both the Liberals and National Country Party finished with 14 seats. The election marked another milestone for electoral reform in New South Wales. The allocation of preferences became optional, and partisan gerrymandering was eliminated. Additionally, the practice of creating smaller rural seats to boost country representation was ended. Two further reforms were proposed—and passed—in referendums put to voters on the same day. Ted Mack, mayor of North Sydney Council, won the seat of North Shore from Opposition Leader McDonald. John Hatton was re-elected unopposed in the seat of South Coast. Key dates Date Event 28 August 1981 The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 3 September 1981 Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. 19 September 1981 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 2 October 1981 The fourth Wran ministry was constituted. 23 October 1981 The writ was returned and the results formally declared. 28 October 1981 Parliament resumed for business. Results Legislative Assembly Results of the 1981 New South Wales state election (Legislative Assembly) {{Australian elections/Title row | table style = float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em; | title = New South Wales state election, 19 September 19811981 election totals 1981 Totals 14 August 2019A handbook of Australian government and politics, 1975-1984 Hughes Colin A. 1986 ANU Press 0-08-033038-X 192 | house = Legislative Assembly | series = New South Wales state election | back = 1978 | forward = 1984 | enrolled = 3,178,225There were 3,212,657 enrolled voters but 34,432 were enrolled in South Coast (Independent) which was uncontested at the election. | total_votes = 2,897,033 | turnout % = 91.15 | turnout chg = –1.62 | informal = 89,306 | informal % = 3.08 | informal chg = +0.80 }} yes Labor NSW 1,564,622 55.73 –2.04 69 + 6 Liberal NSW 775,463 27.62 +0.64 14 – 4 National Country NSW 314,841 11.21 +1.31 14 – 3 Democrats 68,252 2.43 –0.22 0 ± 0 Communist 6,150 0.22 –0.08 0 ± 0 Independent 78,399 2.79 +0.55 2 + 1 2,807,727 99 Liberal NSW Liberal/National 41.3% +2.0% Labor NSW 58.7% -2.0% |} {{bar box|float=right|title=Popular vote|titlebar=#ddd|width=600px|barwidth=410px|bars= Labor Australian Labor Party 55.73 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 27.62 National Country National Party of Australia – NSW 11.21 Independents Independent 2.79 Democrats Australian Democrats 2.43 Communist #C00000 0.22 #ddd Two-party-preferred vote Labor Australian Labor Party 58.7 Coalition Coalition (Australia) 41.3 #ddd Parliamentary seats Labor Australian Labor Party 69.70 69 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 14.14 14 National Country National Party of Australia – NSW 14.14 14 Independents Independent 2.02 2 }} Legislative Council Results of the 1981 New South Wales state election (Legislative Council) {{Australian elections/Title row | table style = float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em; | title = New South Wales state election, 19 September 1981Hughes 1986 194 | house = Legislative Council | staggered = yes | enrolled = 3,212,657 | total_votes = 2,927,971 | turnout % = 91.14 | turnout chg = –1.63 | informal = 200,367 | informal % = 6.84 | informal chg = +2.79 }} Labor NSW 1,412,426 51.78 –3.13 8 24 LibNat Coalition NSW 921,081 33.77 –2.49 5 18 Call to Australia 248,425 9.11 +7.80 1 1 Democrats 109,939 4.03 +1.25 1 1 Environmental Action 18,056 0.66 +0.66 0 0 Republican 10,184 0.37 +0.37 0 0 Progress 3,121 0.11 +0.11 0 0 Social Democrat 2,512 0.09 +0.09 0 0 Independent 24,786 0.07 –0.83 0 0 2,727,604 15 |} Seats changing hands Seat Pre-1981 Swing Post-1981 Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Dubbo  Liberal John Mason 3.4 N/A 9.2 Ian Glachan National Country  Northern Tablelands  National Country new seat 1.9 -4.8 2.9 Bill McCarthy Labor  North Shore  Liberal new seat 3.8 -8.4 4.6 Ted Mack Independent  Members listed in italics did not recontest their seats. In addition, the National Country held the seat of Murray, which it won from the Liberals in the 1980 by-election. Redistribution affected seats Seat 1978 election 1980 redistribution Swing 1981 election Party Member Margin Party Member Margin Margin Member Party Bathurst  National Country Clive Osborne 2.7  Labor Notional 7.7 -7.6 0.1 Mick Clough Labor  Bligh  Liberal John Barraclough 8.4  Labor Notional 6.6 -3.9 2.7 Fred Miller Labor  Castlereagh  Labor Jim Curran 6.9  National Country Notional 4.3 -0.9 3.4 Roger Wotton National Country  Clarence  National Country Matt Singleton 10.9  Labor Notional 2.8 +3.8 6.6 Don Day Labor  Hornsby  Liberal Neil Pickard 0.8  Labor Notional 1.7 -5.5 3.8 Neil Pickard Liberal  Maitland  Liberal Peter Toms 4.3  Labor Notional 0.3 +7.2 7.5 Allan Walsh Labor  Willoughby  Labor Eddie Britt 0.8  Liberal Notional 2.2 +1.5 3.7 Peter Collins Liberal  Sitting MP for Clarence Matt Singleton instead contested the new seat of Coffs Harbour and won. Post-election pendulum Labor seats (69)Marginal BathurstMick CloughALP0.1% WollongongEric RamsayALP0.1% v IND ManlyAlan StewartALP1.2% CamdenRalph BradingALP2.0% BlighFred MillerALP2.7% Northern TablelandsBill McCarthyALP2.9% MirandaBill RobbALP4.3% AlburyHarold MairALP5.3% CronullaMichael EganALP5.3%Fairly safe CampbelltownMichael KnightALP6.0% v IND ClarenceDon DayALP6.6% GosfordBrian McGowanALP6.8% BurwoodPhil O'NeillALP6.9% WakehurstTom WebsterALP7.0% BurrinjuckTerry SheahanALP7.2% MaitlandAllan WalshALP7.5% HurstvilleKevin RyanALP9.2% Blue MountainsBob DebusALP9.6% KiamaBill KnottALP9.9%Safe GladesvilleRodney CavalierALP10.1% RydeGarry McIlwaineALP10.3% MonaroJohn AkisterALP11.4% WoronoraMaurie KeaneALP12.1% EarlwoodKen GabbALP12.2% WentworthvilleErnie QuinnALP12.6% MurrumbidgeeLin GordonALP13.9% IngleburnStan KnowlesALP14.3% ParramattaBarry WildeALP15.7% CoogeeMichael ClearyALP15.9% KogarahBill CrabtreeALP16.2% TuggerahHarry MooreALP16.8% AshfieldPaul WhelanALP18.2% CharlestownRichard FaceALP18.3% BankstownRic MochalskiALP18.7% MaroubraBill HaighALP18.8% Broken HillBill BeckrogeALP19.0% Georges RiverFrank WalkerALP19.0% RockdaleBrian BannonALP19.2% Seven HillsBob ChristieALP20.0%AuburnPeter CoxALP20.3%PeatsKeith O'ConnellALP20.8%PenrithPeter AndersonALP20.8%NewcastleArthur WadeALP20.9%Lake MacquarieMerv HunterALP21.7%GranvillePat FlahertyALP22.0%BlacktownJohn AquilinaALP23.1%HeathcoteRex JacksonALP23.1%WaratahSam JonesALP23.6%DrummoyneMichael MaherALP23.8%RiverstoneTony JohnsonALP23.9%CabramattaEric BedfordALP24.0%WallsendKen BoothALP24.3%East HillsPat RoganALP24.9%MerrylandsJack FergusonALP25.3%Bass HillNeville WranALP25.7%CorrimalLaurie KellyALP25.7%HeffronLaurie BreretonALP27.5%St MarysRon MulockALP27.5%MarrickvilleTom CahillALP28.0%CanterburyKevin StewartALP28.6%LakembaVince DurickALP28.6%SwanseaDon BowmanALP28.8%IllawarraGeorge PetersenALP29.6%FairfieldJanice CrosioALP30.2%LiverpoolGeorge PaciulloALP30.4%CessnockStan NeillyALP30.5%BalmainRoger DegenALP31.0%ElizabethPat HillsALP34.7% Liberal/NCP seats (28)MarginalGoulburnRon BrewerNCP1.8%CastlereaghRoger WottonNCP3.4%OrangeGarry WestNCP3.5%WilloughbyPeter CollinsLIB3.7%HornsbyNeil PickardLIB3.8%ByronJack BoydNCP4.3%Fairly safeUpper HunterCol FisherNCP6.4%DavidsonTerry MetherellLIB7.8%Wagga WaggaJoe SchippLIB8.1%LachlanIan ArmstrongNCP8.7%DubboGerry PeacockeNCP9.2%Coffs HarbourMatt SingletonNCP9.3%EastwoodJim CloughLIB9.7%SafeGloucesterLeon PunchNCP10.2%PittwaterMax SmithLIB10.9%OxleyJim BrownNCP11.5%The HillsFred CatersonLIB11.7%TamworthNoel ParkNCP12.1%HawkesburyKevin RozzoliLIB12.8%BarwonWal MurrayNCP13.2%Lane CoveJohn DowdLIB14.1%NorthcottJim CameronLIB14.1%MosmanDavid ArblasterLIB14.2%LismoreBruce DuncanNCP18.9%MurrayTim FischerNCP19.1%VaucluseRosemary FootLIB20.1%Ku-ring-gaiNick GreinerLIB20.8%GordonTim MooreLIB27.2%Crossbench seats (2)North ShoreTed MackIND4.6% v LIBSouth CoastJohn HattonINDunopp. See also Candidates of the 1981 New South Wales state election Notes References Category:Elections in New South Wales Category:1981 elections in Australia Category:1981 in New South Wales Category:September 1981 in Australia