1947 New South Wales state election

April 2022 State election for New South Wales, Australia in May 1947 the local government elections held in December 1947 New South Wales local elections June 2020 1947 New South Wales state election New South Wales parliamentary no 1944 New South Wales state election 1944 1950 New South Wales state election 1950 All 90 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly46 Assembly seats were needed for a majority yes 1947 05 03 150x150px James McGirr 6 February 1947 Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) Bankstown 45.95% 0.75 56 seats 52 4 150x150px Vernon Treatt 20 March 1946 Liberal/Country coalition Woollahra 40.75% 11.43 22 seats 34 12 1947 New South Wales state election.svg 400px Two-candidate-preferred margin by electorate Premier James McGirr Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) James McGirr Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch) The 1947 New South Wales state election was held on 3 May 1947. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1940 redistribution. The election was for all of the 90 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Issues At the beginning of 1947, Labor had been in power for 6 years under the premiership of William McKell. The urban conservative parties, which had been in a state of disarray at the previous election in 1944 had been unified as the Liberal Party of Australia under the federal leadership of Robert Menzies. However, in New South Wales the state Liberals had lost their two most experienced and capable leaders, Reginald Weaver who had died in November 1945 and Alexander Mair who had resigned from parliament to unsuccessfully contest a NSW senate seat at the 1946 federal election. They had been led by Vernon Treatt since March 1946. In February 1947, 3 months before the election was due, McKell stunned most people in the Labor Party and general community by announcing that he would resign to take up the position of Governor-General. McKell's preference as a successor was his ally in the struggle against Jack Lang, Bob Heffron. However, revealing the residual influence of Lang, the caucus chose his preferred candidate, the Housing Minister, James McGirr. Both parties went to the election with untried leaders. However, residual respect for McKell, continuing economic growth, the popularity of the federal Labor government and the memory of the factional fights among the state's conservative politicians gave Labor a significant advantage in the campaign. McMullin Ross The Light on the Hill: The Australian Labor Party 1891-1991 Oxford University Press 1991 0-19-554966-X 244–5 Key dates Date Event 6 February 1947 First McGirr ministry sworn in. 29 March 1947 The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 3 April 1947 Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. 3 May 1947 Polling day. 19 May 1947 Second McGirr ministry sworn in. 27 May 1947 Last day for the writs to be returned and the results formally declared. 28 May 1947 Opening of 35th Parliament. Results Results of the 1947 New South Wales state election While Labor lost some of the traditionally conservative seats it had picked up at the 1944 election to the Liberal Party, the result of the election was a landslide victory for Labor. Many of the gains of the Liberal and Country parties were conservative members who had been elected as independents at the previous election. They had rejoined the parties when some degree of order had been restored: {{Australian elections/Title row | table style = float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em; | title = New South Wales state election, 3 May 1947 | house = Legislative Assembly | series = New South Wales state election | back = 1944 | forward = 1950 | enrolled = 1,852,787There were 1,713,921 enrolled voters in 82 contested electorates and 138,866 were enrolled in 8 uncontested electorates (5 Labor and 3 Country).Antony Green Antony Green 1947 election totals https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/electionresults18562007/1947/Totals.htm New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007 Parliament of New South Wales 31 July 2019 | total_votes = 1,621,257 | turnout % = 94.61 | turnout chg = +3.19 | informal = 32,262 | informal % = 1.99 | informal chg = −1.14 }} yes Labor NSW 730,194 45.95 + 0.75 52 −4 Liberal NSW Liberal NSWjoint Includes Doug Padman (Albury) and Ray Bladwell (Goulburn) who were jointly endorsed by the Liberal NSW and Country NSW parties.Swing and change are compared to the Democratic Party at the 1944 election. 485,286 30.50 +5.34 19 +7 Country NSW 162,467 10.22 −0.19 15 +5 Independent 94,163 5.92 +0.20 2 −3 Lang Labor 64,851 4.08 −5.25 2 − Communist 27,237 1.71 −0.03 0 − Independent Labor 13,917 0.88 −0.91 0 − Independent Liberal Independent Liberal NSWSwing and change are compared to Independent Democrat at the 1944 election. 11,150 0.49 -1.92 0 −4 Protestant Labor 3,361 0.21 +0.21 0 − Others -4.50 −1 1,589,265 90 |} Retiring members Candidates of the 1947 New South Wales state election Retiring Members yes Seats changing party representation Seat19441947Party Member MemberParty AlburyJohn Hurley (Labor NSW) had won the seat at the 1946 Corowa by-election caused by the resignation of former Premier Alexander Mair (Liberal NSW).  Liberal NSW Doug Padman Liberal NSW  CorowaEbenezer Kendell (Country NSW) had won the seat at the 1946 Corowa by-election caused by the resignation of Independent Christopher Lethbridge.  Independent Ebenezer Kendell Country NSW  Drummoyne  Labor NSW Robert Greig politician Robert Dewley Liberal NSW  Hornsby  Independent Democrat Sydney Storey Lachlan  Labor NSW John Chanter John Courtenay Chanter Robert Medcalf Country NSW  Lane Cove  Labor NSW Henry Woodward Australian politician Ken McCaw Liberal NSW  ManlyDouglas Darby (Liberal NSW) won the seat at the 1945 Manly by-election caused by the death of Independent Democrat turned Liberal Alfred Reid.  Independent Democrat Douglas Darby Mosman Independent Donald Macdonald Australian politician Pat Morton Nepean Independent Democrat Joseph Jackson Australian politicianJoseph Jackson (Nepean) was re-elected in 1944 as Independent Democrat candidate and later joined the Liberal Party.Orange  Labor NSW Bob O'Halloran Charles Cutler Country NSW  Oxley  Independent Country NSW Les JordanRydeEric Hearnshaw (Liberal NSW) had won the seat at the 1945 Ryde by-election caused by the death of Independent James Shand. Independent Democrat Eric Hearnshaw Liberal NSW  Tamworth Independent Bill Chaffey Country NSW  Aftermath McGirr, Treatt and Country Party Leader Michael Bruxner retained their leadership roles throughout the parliament. There were 11 by-elections during the parliament with a net loss of 3 seats for Labor. Notes References See also Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, 1947–1950 Candidates of the 1947 New South Wales state election Category:Elections in New South Wales NewSouthWalesstate Category:1940s in New South Wales New South Wales state election, 1947