Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 7 December 1974 to elect the 82 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
The National–Liberal Coalition won a third consecutive victory under Joh Bjelke-Petersen, and the seventh consecutive victory for the National Party in Queensland, which had renamed itself from the Country Party since the previous election. The Labor Party lost two-thirds of its seats, including that of leader Perc Tucker, its worst showing in an election until 2012 and thus a landslide victory for the Coalition.
Labor was reduced to only 11 seats, leading observers to call Labor's caucus a "cricket team." William Bowe of Crikey wrote that for years, the election stood as "the gold standard for Australian election massacres".
Key dates
Date Event 23 October 1974 Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen announced the early election date at a news conference. 2 November 1974 The Legislative Assembly was dissolved. 2 November 1974 Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. 8 November 1974 Close of nominations. 7 December 1974 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 23 December 1974 The Bjelke-Petersen Ministry was reconstituted. 11 January 1975 The writ was returned and the results formally declared. 3 February 1975 Deadline for return of the writs. 25 February 1975 Parliament resumed for business.
Results
Seats changing hands Seat Pre-1974 Swing Post-1974 Party Member Margin Margin Member PartyAlbert Labor Bill D'Arcy 4.1 –14.2 10.1 Ivan Gibbs National Baroona Labor Pat Hanlon 14.1 –15.8 1.7 Dennis Young Liberal Barron River Labor Bill Wood 3.4 –4.1 0.7 Martin Tenni National Belmont Labor Fred Newton 14.9 –18.5 3.6 David Byrne Liberal Belyando Labor Eugene O'Donnell 1.3 –8.7 7.4 Vince Lester National Brisbane Labor Brian Davis 9.7 –10.9 1.2 Harold Lowes Liberal Cook Labor Bob Scott 4.2 –6.8 2.6 Eric Deeral National Everton Labor Gerry Jones 8.3 –11.0 2.7 Brian Lindsay Liberal Ipswich West Labor Vi Jordan 11.5 –12.0 0.5 Albert Hales National Isis Labor Jim Blake 8.3 –12.4 4.1 Lin Powell National Mount Isa Labor Alex Inch 16.4 –19.9 3.5 Angelo Bertoni National Mourilyan Labor Peter Moore 7.2 –8.9 1.7 Vicky Kippin National Pine Rivers Labor Kenneth Leese 6.8 –18.7 11.9 Rob Akers Liberal Redlands Labor Ted Baldwin 5.1 –14.8 9.7 John Goleby National Salisbury Labor Doug Sherrington 16.7 –22.1 5.4 Rosemary Kyburz Liberal South Brisbane Labor Fred Bromley 11.0 –16.0 5.0 Colin Lamont Liberal Stafford Labor Roy Harvey 11.0 –16.0 5.0 Terry Gygar Liberal Toowoomba North Labor Ray Bousen 14.9 –17.2 2.3 John Lockwood Liberal Toowoomba South Labor Peter Wood 6.9 –14.6 7.7 John Warner National Townsville West Labor Perc Tucker 2.2 –5.8 3.6 Max Hooper National Warrego Labor Jack Aiken 13.4 –14.4 1.0 Neil Turner National Wynnum Labor Edward Harris 14.5 –14.6 0.1 Bill Lamond National
Members listed in italics did not recontest their seats.
Post-election pendulum
National/Liberal seats (69)MarginalWynnumBill LamondNAT0.1%Ipswich WestAlbert HalesNAT0.5%Barron RiverMartin TenniNAT0.7%WarregoNeil TurnerNAT1.0%BrisbaneHarold LowesLIB1.2%BaroonaDennis YoungLIB1.7%MourilyanVicky KippinNAT1.7%CoorooraGordon SimpsonNAT2.1% v LIBToowoomba NorthJohn LockwoodLIB2.3%CookEric DeeralNAT2.6%EvertonBrian LindsayLIB2.7%Mount IsaAngelo BertoniNAT3.5%BelmontDavid ByrneLIB3.6%Townsville WestMax HooperNAT3.6%IsisLin PowellNAT4.1%South BrisbaneColin LamontLIB5.0%SalisburyRosemary KyburzLIB5.4%MaryboroughGilbert AlisonLIB5.9%Fairly safeBelyandoVince LesterNAT7.4%Toowoomba SouthJohn WarnerNAT7.7%RedlandsJohn GolebyNAT9.7%SafeAlbertIvan GibbsNAT10.1%HinchinbrookTed RowNAT10.4%KurilpaSam DoumanyLIB11.0%StaffordTerry GygarLIB11.7%Pine RiversRob AkersLIB11.9%GregoryBill GlassonNAT12.0%RedcliffeJim HoughtonNAT12.1%WhitsundayRon CammNAT12.2%MurrumbaDes FrawleyNAT13.7%FlindersBob KatterNAT13.8%NundahWilliam KnoxLIB13.8%MulgraveRoy ArmstrongNAT14.8%IthacaCol MillerLIB15.4%WavellArthur CrawfordLIB15.4%WindsorBob MooreLIB15.7%MerthyrDon LaneLIB16.6%TownsvilleNorman Scott-YoungLIB17.0%ChatsworthBill HewittLIB17.7%South CoastRuss HinzeNAT17.7%YerongaNorm LeeLIB17.9%AshgroveJohn GreenwoodLIB18.5%ClayfieldJohn MurrayLIB18.5%Mount GravattGeoff ChinchenLIB19.0%IpswichLlewellyn EdwardsLIB19.1%MiraniTom NewberyNAT19.6%Very safeGreenslopesKeith HooperLIB20.2%BurdekinVal BirdNAT20.3%CallideLindsay HartwigNAT20.8%CarnarvonPeter McKechnieNAT21.6%ToowongCharles PorterLIB21.6%MansfieldBill KausLIB22.2%Surfers ParadiseBruce SmallNAT22.5%LandsboroughMike AhernNAT22.6%RomaKen TomkinsNAT22.6%SherwoodJohn HerbertLIB22.7%FassifernSelwyn MullerNAT23.0%AspleyFred CampbellLIB23.1%GympieMax HodgesNAT23.6%BurnettClaude WhartonNAT24.1%WarwickDavid CoryNAT24.8%BalonneDon NealNAT25.4%LockyerGordon ChalkLIB25.6%Mount Coot-thaBill LickissLIB26.9%AuburnNeville HewittNAT27.9%SomersetBill GunnNAT28.3%CondamineVic SullivanNAT29.3%BarambahJoh Bjelke-PetersenNAT33.4%CunninghamTony ElliottNAT36.5% Labor seats (11)Marginal BulimbaJack HoustonALP1.7% WolstonEvan MarginsonALP2.3% BundabergLou JensenALP2.5% SandgateHarold DeanALP3.5% RockhamptonKeith WrightALP3.6% NudgeeJack MelloyALP4.1% ArcherfieldKevin HooperALP5.0%Fairly safe Rockhampton NorthLes YewdaleALP6.1% LyttonTom BurnsALP6.7% CairnsRay JonesALP7.3%Safe Port CurtisMartin HansonALP15.7% Crossbench seats (2)Townsville SouthTom AikensIND5.8 v ALPMackayEd CaseyIND20.5 v NAT
See also Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1972–1974 Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1974–1977 Candidates of the Queensland state election, 1974 Bjelke-Petersen Ministry
References