1965 Western Australian state election

Elections were held in the state of Western Australia on 20 February 1965 to elect all 50 members to the Legislative Assembly and 15 members to the 30-seat Legislative Council. The Liberal-Country coalition government, led by Premier Sir David Brand, won a third term in office against the Labor Party, led by Opposition Leader Albert Hawke.

Electoral changes The Legislative Council election held on the same day was the first since significant changes to the Council's structure and manner of voting under the Constitution Acts Amendment Act (No.2) 1963 (No.72 of 1963). The Act abolished the 10 three-member provinces which had existed almost unaltered since 1900, and created 15 new two-member provinces. Voting became compulsory and the property franchise was abolished, and the practice of having separate Legislative Council elections in May of every even-numbered year was abolished—the Council's members would now go to the voters at the same elections as members of the Legislative Assembly, although the rotational system where one member per province would retire at each election remained in effect, and unlike the Assembly, the Council's term expired on 22 May every three years, rather than at the election itself.

A number of transitional arrangements were necessary to put these changes into effect. Those who had terms expiring on 21 May 1964, and five of the ten whose terms were to expire on 21 May 1966 (those who had the lowest winning margins at the 1960 election) would retire on 21 May 1965. The remaining 15 members were eligible to be appointed to new provinces for terms expiring on 21 May 1968.

Results Legislative Assembly

408,462 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 11 seats (22% of the total) were uncontested—3 Labor seats (one less than 1962) representing 23,717 enrolled voters, 3 LCL seats (one less than 1962) representing 22,175 enrolled voters, and 5 Country seats (two more than 1962) representing 26,937 enrolled voters.

Legislative Council

Post-election pendulum

LCL/Country seats (29)MarginalCanningRoss ElliottLCL0.7%PerthPeter DurackLCL1.1%BunburyMaurice WilliamsLCL2.4%MaylandsBob MarshallLCL2.6%Fairly safeKarrinyupLes NimmoLCL6.0%SubiacoHugh GuthrieLCL8.3%East MelvilleDes O'NeilLCL9.4% v INDDaleGerald WildLCL9.8%SafeDarling RangeKen DunnLCL10.9%CottesloeRoss HutchinsonLCL11.7%MurchisonRichard BurtLCL13.5%Mount LawleyRay O'ConnorLCL13.6%WellingtonIven ManningLCL13.6%MurrayEwart RuncimanLCL13.8% v INDMooreEdgar LewisCP18.0% v INDWembleyGuy HennLCL19.6%VasseStewart BovellLCL20.4%ToodyayJames CraigCP24.2% v INDClaremontHarold CrommelinLCL27.0%NarroginWilliam ManningCP30.5% v INDNedlandsCharles CourtLCL30.9%AvonHarry GayferCPunopp.BlackwoodJohn HearmanLCLunopp.GreenoughDavid BrandLCLunopp.KatanningCrawford NalderCPunopp.Mount MarshallGeorge CornellCPunopp.RoeTom HartCPunopp.South PerthBill GraydenLCLunopp.StirlingClayton MitchellCPunopp. Labor seats (21)MarginalBelmontJames HegneyALP2.3%Mount HawthornBill HegneyALP2.7%GeraldtonBill SewellALP3.0%WarrenJoseph RowberryALP3.1%BalcattaHerb GrahamALP3.7%BayswaterMerv TomsALP3.8%Merredin-YilgarnLionel KellyALP4.9%Fairly safe MelvilleJohn TonkinALP7.0% NorthamAlbert HawkeALP7.9% AlbanyJack HallALP9.6%Safe BeelooColin JamiesonALP10.1% CollieHarry MayALP10.9% KimberleyJohn RhatiganALP11.6% Victoria ParkRon DaviesALP14.0% GascoyneDaniel NortonALP15.8% PilbaraArthur BickertonALP17.2% FremantleHarry FletcherALP17.4% SwanJohn BradyALP18.7% Boulder-EyreArthur MoirALPunopp.CockburnHenry CurranALPunopp.KalgoorlieTom EvansALPunopp.

See also Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1962–1965 Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1965–1968 Candidates of the 1965 Western Australian state election

References