1955 Victorian Legislative Council election

Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday 18 June 1955 to elect 17 of the 34 members of the state's Legislative Council for six year terms. MLCs were elected in single-member provinces using preferential voting.

Results

Legislative Council

Victorian Legislative Council election, 18 June 1955[1]
Legislative Council
<< 1952–1958 >>

Enrolled voters 1,430,130
Votes cast 1,110,951 Turnout 77.7 +6.5
Informal votes 23,189 Informal 2.1 -0.2
Summary of votes by party
Party Primary votes % Swing Seats
won 		Seats
held
  Labor 423,663 38.9 +1.7 4 10
  Liberal and Country 331,609 30.5 –6.7 9 10
  Labor (A-C) 179,319 16.5 +16.5 0 5
  Country 66,826 6.1 -4.9 4 8
  Other 86,345 7.9 −6.7 0 1
Total 1,087,762     17 34

Retiring Members

Country

Candidates

Sitting members are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.

Province Held by Labor candidates LCP candidates Country candidates Labor (A-C) candidates Other candidates
 
Ballarat LCP Harold Williams Herbert Ludbrook
Bendigo LCP John Murley Thomas Grigg John Brosnan
Doutta Galla Labor Bill Slater Francis Williams
East Yarra LCP Francis Cranston Ewen Cameron Leonora Lloyd Clifden Eager (Ind)
Gippsland Country William MacAulay William Phelan
Higinbotham LCP Lindsay Thompson
Melbourne Labor Fred Thomas Frank McManus
Melbourne North Labor John Galbally Frederick Riley Harold Harvie (Ind)
Melbourne West Labor Buckley Machin Les Coleman
Monash LCP Henry Peagram Charles Gawith
Northern Country Percy Feltham Stephen Donelan (Ind)
Morton Garner (Ind)
James Mosby (Ind)
North Eastern Country Keith Bradbury
North Western Country Arthur Mansell
Southern LCP Arthur Carpenter Gilbert Chandler David Purcell
South Eastern LCP Charles Bridgford Jack Austin Charles Gartside (VLP)
South Western LCP Edwin Morris Gordon McArthur Michael Findley
Western LCP Roy Cundy Ronald Mack George Fitzgerald Hugh MacLeod (VLP)

Results by province

Ballarat

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Ballarat Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Herbert Ludbrook 29,838 56.9 +15.4
Labor Harold Williams 22,571 43.1 −15.4
Total formal votes 52,409 99.0 −0.2
Informal votes 535 1.0 +0.2
Turnout 52,944 94.7 −0.1
Liberal and Country hold Swing +15.4

Bendigo

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Bendigo Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Thomas Grigg 24,610 45.1 +0.7
Labor John Murley 21,629 39.7 −15.9
Labor (A-C) John Brosnan 8,297 15.2 +15.2
Total formal votes 54,536 98.9 −0.3
Informal votes 585 1.1 +0.3
Turnout 55,121 94.1 −0.3
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Thomas Grigg 31,829 58.4 +14.0
Labor John Murley 22,707 41.6 −14.0
Liberal and Country hold Swing +14.0

Doutta Galla

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Doutta Galla Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Bill Slater 68,905 70.5 N/A
Labor (A-C) Francis Williams 28,800 29.5 +29.5
Total formal votes 97,705 96.7
Informal votes 3,304 3.3
Turnout 101,009 91.0
Labor hold Swing N/A

East Yarra

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: East Yarra Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Ewen Cameron 61,417 55.2 +13.1
Labor Francis Cranston 23,705 21.3 +21.3
Independent Clifden Eager 14,970 13.5 +13.5
Labor (A-C) Leonora Lloyd 11,195 10.1 +10.1
Total formal votes 111,287 97.9 +2.1
Informal votes 2,348 2.1 −2.1
Turnout 113,635 91.4 −0.2
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Ewen Cameron 65.3 +23.2
Labor Francis Cranston 34.7 +34.7
Liberal and Country hold Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Gippsland

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Gippsland Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country William MacAulay 43,963 72.2 +41.1
Labor (A-C) William Phelan 16,973 27.8 +27.8
Total formal votes 60,936 98.0 −0.8
Informal votes 1,230 2.0 +0.8
Turnout 62,166 91.0 −0.2
Country hold Swing N/A

Higinbotham

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Higinbotham Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Lindsay Thompson unopposed
Liberal and Country hold Swing

Melbourne

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Fred Thomas 32,212 63.3 N/A
Labor (A-C) Frank McManus 18,691 36.7 +36.7
Total formal votes 50,903 96.6
Informal votes 1,786 3.4
Turnout 52,689 89.0
Labor hold Swing N/A

Melbourne North

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne North Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor John Galbally 80,962 65.3 N/A
Independent Harold Harvie 23,413 18.9 +18.9
Labor (A-C) Frederick Riley 19,592 15.8 +15.8
Total formal votes 123,967 97.9
Informal votes 2,590 2.1
Turnout 126,557 93.0
Labor hold Swing N/A
  • Preferences were not distributed.

Melbourne West

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne West Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Buckley Machin 63,098 69.9 −16.9
Labor (A-C) Les Coleman 27,218 30.1 +30.1
Total formal votes 90,316 97.3 +1.8
Informal votes 2,517 2.7 −1.8
Turnout 92,833 92.3 +0.6
Labor hold Swing N/A
  • Sitting MLC Les Coleman was elected in 1949 as a Labor member, but defected to Anti-Communist Labor in the 1955 split.

Monash

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Monash Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Charles Gawith 55,564 61.5 +14.6
Labor Henry Peagram 34,791 38.5 −14.6
Total formal votes 90,355 98.3 −0.1
Informal votes 1,512 1.7 +0.1
Turnout 91,867 86.3 −3.4
Liberal and Country hold Swing +14.6

Northern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Northern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Percy Feltham 22,863 49.8 −9.5
Independent James Mosby 11,201 24.4 +24.4
Independent Morton Gardner 6,601 14.4 +14.4
Independent Stephen Donelan 5,286 11.5 +11.5
Total formal votes 45,951 96.9 −0.7
Informal votes 1,472 3.1 +0.7
Turnout 47,423 92.5 −1.3
Country Percy Feltham 26,867 58.5 N/A
Independent James Mosby 11,749 25.6 N/A
Independent Morton Garner 7,335 16.0 N/A
Country hold Swing N/A
  • Preferences were not fully distributed.

North-Eastern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: North Eastern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Keith Bradbury unopposed
Country hold Swing

North Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: North Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Arthur Mansell unopposed
Country hold Swing

Southern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Southern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Gilbert Chandler 57,862 52.5 +12.8
Labor Arthur Carpenter 40,710 37.0 −15.8
Labor (A-C) David Purcell 11,609 10.5 +10.5
Total formal votes 110,181 98.4 +0.4
Informal votes 1,752 1.6 −0.4
Turnout 111,933 91.6 −0.4
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Gilbert Chandler 62.0 +17.8
Labor Arthur Carpenter 38.0 −17.8
Liberal and Country hold Swing +17.8
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

South Eastern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: South Eastern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Charles Bridgford 42,838 49.8 +18.2
Labor (A-C) Jack Austin 22,884 26.6 +26.6
Victorian Liberal Charles Gartside 20,252 23.6 +23.6
Total formal votes 85,974 97.5 −0.6
Informal votes 2,244 2.5 +0.6
Turnout 88,218 90.6 −1.6
Two-candidate-preferred result
Liberal and Country Charles Bridgford 60,872 70.8 +21.2
Labor (A-C) Jack Austin 25,102 29.2 +29.2
Liberal and Country hold Swing N/A
  • Charles Gartside had been elected as a Liberal party MLC in 1949, but was expelled from the party in 1952.

South Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: South Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Gordon McArthur 34,802 53.9 +12.6
Labor Edwin Morris 19,430 30.1 −21.0
Labor (A-C) Michael Findley 10,395 16.1 +16.1
Total formal votes 64,627 98.9 0.0
Informal votes 739 1.1 0.0
Turnout 65,366 92.4 −1.3
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Gordon McArthur 68.4 +21.4
Labor Edwin Morris 31.6 −21.4
Liberal and Country hold Swing +21.4
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Ronald Mack 24,678 48.8 +11.1
Labor Roy Cundy 15,650 30.9 −19.3
Labor (A-C) George Fitzgerald 3,665 11.2 +11.2
Victorian Liberal Hugh MacLeod 4,622 9.1 +9.1
Total formal votes 48,615 98.9 −0.1
Informal votes 575 1.1 +0.1
Turnout 49,190 91.3 −3.2
Liberal and Country Ronald Mack 28,178 55.7 N/A
Labor Roy Cundy 16,330 32.3 N/A
Labor (A-C) George Fitzgerald 6,107 12.1 N/A
Liberal and Country hold Swing N/A
  • Hugh MacLeod had been elected as a Liberal party MLC in 1949, but was expelled from the party in 1952.

See also

References

  1. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Legislative Council election of 18 June 1955". Psephos.