1956 Tasmanian state election explained

Election Name:1956 Tasmanian state election
Country:Tasmania
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1955 Tasmanian state election
Previous Year:1955
Next Election:1959 Tasmanian state election
Next Year:1959
Seats For Election:All 30 seats to the House of Assembly
Election Date:13 October 1956
Leader1:Robert Cosgrove
Leader Since1:25 February 1948
Party1:Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)
Leaders Seat1:Denison
Last Election1:15 seats
Seats1:15 seats
Seat Change1:0
Percentage1:50.27%
Swing1:2.36
Leader2:Tim Jackson
Leader Since2:26 June 1956
Party2:Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division)
Leaders Seat2:Franklin
Last Election2:15 seats
Seats2:15 seats
Seat Change2:0
Percentage2:43.61%
Swing2:1.74
Map Size:350px
Premier
Posttitle:Resulting Premier
Before Election:Robert Cosgrove
Before Party:Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)
After Election:Robert Cosgrove
After Party:Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)

The 1956 Tasmanian state election was held on 13 October 1956 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 30 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system[1] — six members were elected from each of five electorates.

Background

The 1955 election had resulted in a parliamentary deadlock between the Labor and Liberal parties, although Robert Cosgrove remained Premier of Tasmania. On 11 September 1956, Cosgrove's minister for housing, Carrol Bramich, resigned from the ALP following an internal row, party switching and giving the Liberal opposition a majority.[2] Cosgrove obtained a dissolution of parliament from the Governor of Tasmania, and an election was called for 13 October.[3]

The electorate of Darwin had been renamed in 1955 to Braddon, after former Premier Sir Edward Braddon.

Results

See also: Results of the Tasmanian state election, 1956.

Following the 1956 election, the ALP and Liberals remained in a 15-seat deadlock. Despite Bramich's defection to the Liberals, Labor picked up a seat in Bramich's electorate of Braddon, maintaining the status quo with Cosgrove and the ALP still in power.

Distribution of votes

Primary vote by division

Bass Braddon Denison Franklin Wilmot
51.5% 48.5% 48.7% 49.0% 53.7%
44.5% 46.9% 41.4% 42.9% 42.5%
Other 4.0% 4.6% 9.9% 8.1% 3.8%

Distribution of seats

ElectorateSeats won
Basswidth=20  width=20  width=20  width=20  width=20  width=20  
Braddon      
Denison      
Franklin      
Wilmot      
width=20  Labor
 Liberal

Aftermath

The subsequent election in 1959 saw the number of seats in the Tasmanian House of Assembly increased to 35, which would prevent the kind of deadlock which resulted from having an even number of seats in the house.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/Backg/HAElections.htm House of Assembly Elections
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20020919110134/http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/php/Almanac.htm Tasmanian Political Alamanc - On This Day
  3. W. A. Townsley, Cosgrove, Sir Robert (1884 - 1969), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, Melbourne University Press, 1993, pp 505-507.