Tasmanian state election, 1979

Tasmanian state election, 1979

18 July 1979

All 35 seats to the House of Assembly   First party Second party   Leader Doug Lowe Max Bingham Party Labor Liberal Leader since 1 December 1977 4 May 1972 Leader's seat Franklin Denison Last election 18 seats 17 seats Seats won 20 seats 15 seats Seat change 2 2 Percentage 54.32% 41.31% Swing 1.84 3.18

Premier before election Doug Lowe Labor Elected Premier Doug Lowe Labor

Elections for the Tasmanian House of Assembly were held on 18 July 1979. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Doug Lowe, won a third term in office against the opposition Liberal Party, led by Max Bingham.

Background

Bill Neilson, leader of the Labor Party and Premier of Tasmania, had retired on 1 December 1977 and been replaced by Doug Lowe.

The United Tasmania Group, which had contested the two previous elections, did not field any candidates for the 1979 election. Instead a new party, the Australian Democrats, founded by Don Chipp in 1977, emerged as the most significant minor party.

Results

The Labor Party won the election, increasing its majority in the House of Assembly from one seat to five.

Doug Lowe received the highest personal vote ever in the House of Assembly: 24,971 or 51.2% of the vote in the seat of Franklin.^[1]

Tasmanian state election, 18 July 1979 House of Assembly << 1976 — 1982 >>
Enrolled voters		265,428
Votes cast		248,866		Turnout	93.76	–0.78
Informal votes		9,582		Informal	3.85	+0.05
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor	129,973	54.32	+1.84	20	+ 2
	Liberal	98,845	41.31	–3.18	15	– 2
	Democrats	6,858	2.87	+2.87	0	± 0
	Independent	3,608	1.51	+0.68	0	± 0
Total		239,284			35

Distribution of Seats

Electorate Seats won Bass               Braddon               Denison               Franklin               Wilmot

Labor   Liberal

Aftermath

Max Bingham resigned as opposition leader after losing his second election, and was replaced by Geoff Pearsall.

The election of three Labor MPs for Denison (Julian Amos, John Devine and John Green) was ruled invalid, due to the enforcement of a previously ignored rule limiting campaign expenditure to $1,500. A by-election was arranged for Denison in February 1980. The placement of the Labor candidates on the ballot paper, which placed Deputy Premier Neil Batt fourth, was believed to have led to the introduction of the Robson Rotation method of randomising ballot ordering.^[2]

See also

• Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1979–1982
• Candidates of the Tasmanian state election, 1979

References

1. Highest Individual Vote Winners Since 1959, Tasmanian House of Assembly, 23 July 2002.
2. Bowe, William: Tasmanian election: Denison form guide, Crikey.com.au, 13 March 2006.

External links

• "House of Assembly Election Results 18 July 1979". Tasmanian Parliamentary Library.