1955 Tasmanian state election

State election in Australia April 2022 1955 Tasmanian state election Tasmania parliamentary no 1950 Tasmanian state election 1950 1956 Tasmanian state election 1956 All 30 seats to the House of Assembly 19 February 1955 Robert Cosgrove.jpg 140 130 170 3 7 center Robert Cosgrove 25 February 1948 Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) Denison 15 seats 15 seats 0 52.63% 4.00 Reginald Townley.jpg 140 130 170 5 3 center Rex Townley 6 February 1950 Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division) Denison 14 seats 15 seats 1 45.35% 2.23 1955 Tasmanian state election.svg 350px Results of the election Premier Resulting Premier Robert Cosgrove Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) Robert Cosgrove Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) The 1955 Tasmanian state election was held on 19 February 1955 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 30 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. 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. — six members were elected from each of five electorates. The incumbent Labor government, led by Robert Cosgrove, had been in office continuously since 1934, although had not held a majority since 1946. It was looking to win another term in minority government against the opposition Liberal Party, on this occasion led by Rex Townley. The election resulted in a parliamentary deadlock, with both the Labor and Liberal parties winning 15 seats in the 30 seat assembly. The 1955 election also saw the first women elected to the House of Assembly: Mabel Miller for Franklin and Amelia Best for Wilmot, both members of the Liberal Party.Tasmanian Parliamentary History - FAQ https://web.archive.org/web/20150831184514/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/InfoSheets/ParlHistFAQ.htm 31 August 2015 , Parliament of Tasmania. Background and deadlock provisions The 1955 election was the first to be held since the passage of a 1954 amendment to the constitution in relation to political deadlocks. The amendment provided that, in the event of a deadlock in the 30-member House of Assembly, an Electoral Commission would be convened to determine a "majority party" and "minority party" on the basis of primary votes. The minority party would then have the right to nominate a member as Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, thereby giving the majority party a working majority of one MP. If the minority party did not nominate a speaker, the majority party would be entitled to nominate one of its own members as speaker and also to be awarded a supplementary member of parliament, again giving the majority party a working majority on the speaker's casting vote.10.1111/j.1467-8497.1955.tb00987.x Australian Political Chronicle January-June, 1955 Australian Journal of Politics & History 1955 115-117 Results Results of the Tasmanian state election, 1955 File:1955-56 TAS House of Assembly.svg 173165 6158 -0.60 -0.69 #f00011 Labor 82362 +4.00 15 #080cab Liberal 70959 -2.23 15 1 Independents 3158 -1.72 0 1 Popular vote #ddd 600px 410px Labor Australian Labor Party 52.63 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 45.35 Independents Independent 2.02 Seats #ddd 600px 410px Labor Australian Labor Party 50.00 Liberal Liberal Party of Australia 50.00 Distribution of votes Primary vote by division Bass Braddon Denison Franklin Wilmot Labor Party 53.5% 53.3% 50.8% 49.9% 55.7% Liberal Party 46.0% 46.7% 42.5% 46.5% 44.3% Other 0.5% — 6.7% 3.5% — Distribution of seats auto Electorate Seats won Bass             Darwin             Denison             Franklin             Wilmot             5em   Labor   Liberal See also Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1955–1956 Candidates of the 1955 Tasmanian state election References External links Assembly Election Results, 1955 https://web.archive.org/web/20080726172251/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/Elections/e1955.htm 26 July 2008 , Parliament of Tasmania. Report on Parliamentary Elections, 1955, Tasmanian Electoral Commission. Category:Elections in Tasmania Category:1955 elections in Australia Category:1950s in Tasmania Category:February 1955 in Australia