South Australian state election, 1953
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All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly 20 seats were needed for a majority |
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State elections were held in South Australia on 7 March 1953. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran.[1][2]
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
Australian Labor Party | 166,517 | 50.97 | +2.88 | 14 | +2 | |
Liberal and Country League | 119,106 | 36.45 | -4.05 | 21 | -2 | |
Communist Party of Australia | 4,827 | 1.48 | +0.14 | 0 | 0 | |
Independent | 36,271 | 11.10 | +1.03 | 4 | 0 | |
Other | 411 | 1.60 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 326,721 | 39 | ||||
Liberal and Country League | WIN | 47.00 | -4.30 | 21 | -2 | |
Australian Labor Party | 53.00 | +4.30 | 14 | +2 |
- The LCL did not contest twelve seats, Labor did not contest thirteen seats. The primary vote was counted on seats contested, while the two-party vote was estimated for all seats.
Background
Labor won three seats, metropolitan Norwood and Prospect and rural Victoria from the LCL.[4] The LCL won one seat, rural Murray from Labor.[5] Notably, neither major party contested the independent-held seat of Ridley.[1][2]
The Labor opposition won 53 percent of the statewide two-party vote however the LCL retained government with the assistance of the Playmander − an electoral malapportionment that also saw a clear majority of the statewide two-party vote won by Labor while failing to form government in 1944, 1962 and 1968.[1][2]
Post-election pendulum
LCL SEATS (21) | |||
Marginal | |||
Unley | Colin Dunnage | LCL | 0.3% |
Murray | Hector White | LCL | 0.5% |
Glenelg | Baden Pattinson | LCL | 0.7% |
Torrens | John Travers | LCL | 1.3% |
Fairly Safe | |||
Gouger | Rufus Goldney | LCL | 6.1% |
Onkaparinga | Howard Shannon | LCL | 7.0% |
Flinders | Glen Pearson | LCL | 8.4% |
Burra | George Hawker | LCL | 9.4% |
Light | Herbert Michael | LCL | 9.5% |
Safe | |||
Newcastle | George Jenkins | LCL | 13.7% |
Burnside | Geoffrey Clarke | LCL | 16.1% |
Eyre | Arthur Christian | LCL | 17.8% v IND |
Angas | Berthold Teusner | LCL | 18.1% v IND |
Gumeracha | Thomas Playford | LCL | 40.4% v COM |
Albert | Malcolm McIntosh | LCL | undistributed |
Stirling | William Jenkins | LCL | undistributed |
Alexandra | David Brookman | LCL | unopposed |
Mitcham | Henry Dunks | LCL | unopposed |
Rocky River | James Heaslip | LCL | unopposed |
Yorke Peninsula | Cecil Hincks | LCL | unopposed |
Young | Robert Nicholls | LCL | unopposed |
LABOR SEATS (14) | |||
Marginal | |||
Victoria | Jim Corcoran | ALP | 0.8% |
Prospect | Joe Jennings | ALP | 3.4% |
Fairly safe | |||
Norwood | Don Dunstan | ALP | 6.3% |
Safe | |||
Goodwood | Frank Walsh | ALP | 13.1% |
Gawler | John Clark | ALP | 27.1% v IND |
Semaphore | Harold Tapping | ALP | 37.6% v IND |
Adelaide | Sam Lawn | ALP | 39.5% v COM |
Stuart | Lindsay Riches | ALP | 39.8% v COM |
Port Adelaide | James Stephens | ALP | 41.9% v COM |
Port Pirie | Charles Davis | ALP | undistributed |
Frome | Mick O'Halloran | ALP | unopposed |
Hindmarsh | Cyril Hutchens | ALP | unopposed |
Thebarton | Fred Walsh | ALP | unopposed |
Wallaroo | Hughie McAlees | ALP | unopposed |
CROSSBENCH SEATS (4) | |||
Mount Gambier | John Fletcher | IND | 4.3% v ALP |
Stanley | Percy Quirke | IND | 11.9% v LCL |
Chaffey | William MacGillivray | IND | 19.1% v LCL |
Ridley | Tom Stott | IND | 27.8% v IND |
See also
- Results of the South Australian state election, 1953 (House of Assembly)
- Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1953-1956
- Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1953-1956
- Playmander
Notes
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