Tasmanian state election, 1916
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A general election for the House of Assembly was held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 23 March 1916 (a Thursday, as the convention of holding elections on a Saturday did not become common until the 1920s).
Background
Although the Liberals had won the 1913 election, events since then had seen them lose government, and by 1916 the incumbent Premier of Tasmania was Labor's John Earle. Earle's government had been appointed on the expectation that he would quickly call for a dissolution of parliament, however he refused to do so, and successfully appealed to the Colonial Office. He remained Premier until the writ for the next election was issued.
The Liberal Party was headed by Walter Lee.
Results
Tasmanian state election, 23 March 1916 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enrolled voters | 107,321 | |||||
Votes cast | 78,984 | Turnout | 73.60% | +6.35% | ||
Informal votes | 4,470 | Informal | 5.66% | +2.79% | ||
Summary of votes by party | ||||||
Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
Liberal | 35,939 | 48.23% | –4.35% | 15 | + 1 | |
Labor | 36,118 | 48.47% | +2.47% | 14 | – 1 | |
Independent | 2,457 | 3.30% | +1.88% | 1 | ± 0 | |
Total | 74,514 | 30 | ||||
Distribution of Seats
Aftermath
The Labor Party made no gains at the 1916 election, and with one seat in Darwin going to Joshua Whitsitt who ran as an independent, the Liberals had no clear majority, although Walter Lee became Premier as leader of the party with the most seats.
See also
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1916–1919
- Candidates of the Tasmanian state election, 1916
References
External links
- Assembly Election Results, 1916, Parliament of Tasmania.
- Report on General Election, 1916, Tasmanian Electoral Commission, September 1916.