Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council, 1940–1944

This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 22 May 1940 to 21 May 1944. The chamber had 30 seats made up of ten provinces each electing three members, on a system of rotation whereby one-third of the members would retire at each biennial election.

On 16 January 1942, the Governor assented to the Legislative Council (Postponement of Election) Act 1941 (No. 50 of 1941), which extended the terms of all Councillors whose terms expired on 21 May 1942. This was done, in the words of the Act's preamble, due to the "pressing national emergency arising out of the war with Japan in which the Commonwealth of Australia is presently engaged". Later amendments fixed the date as 21 May 1944, and extended all other Councillors' terms by two years.

Name Party Province Term
expires
Years in office
Charles Baxter Country East 1946 1914–1950
Leonard Bolton Nationalist Metropolitan 1944 1932–1948
Sir Hal Colebatch Nationalist Metropolitan 1948 1912–1923; 1940–1948
James Cornell Nationalist South 1944 1912–1946
Cyril Cornish[2] Independent North 1946 1942–1946
Les Craig Nationalist South-West 1944 1934–1956
James Dimmitt Nationalist Metropolitan-Suburban 1946 1938–1953
John Drew Labor Central 1944 1900–1918; 1924–1947
Gilbert Fraser Labor West 1948 1928–1958
Frank Gibson[3] Nationalist Metropolitan-Suburban 1944 1942–1956
Edmund Gray Labor West 1946 1923–1952
Edmund Hall Country Central 1948 1928–1947
William Hall Labor North-East 1946 1938–1963
Vernon Hamersley Country East 1948 1904–1946
Eric Heenan Labor North-East 1944 1936–1968
James Hislop[1] Nationalist Metropolitan 1946 1941–1971
Joseph Holmes[2] Independent North 1946 1914–1942
Sir John Kirwan Independent South 1946 1908–1946
William Kitson Labor West 1944 1924–1947
James Macfarlane[3] Nationalist Metropolitan-Suburban 1944 1922–1928; 1930–1942
William Mann Nationalist South-West 1946 1926–1951
George Miles Ind. Nat. North 1944 1916–1950
Thomas Moore Labor Central 1946 1920–1926; 1932–1946
John Nicholson[1] Nationalist Metropolitan 1946 1918–1941
Hubert Parker Nationalist Metropolitan-Suburban 1948 1934–1954
Harold Piesse Country South-East 1946 1932–1946
Hugh Roche Country South-East 1948 1940–1960
Harold Seddon Nationalist North-East 1948 1922–1954
Alec Thomson Country South-East 1944 1931–1950
Hobart Tuckey Nationalist South-West 1948 1934–1951
Frank Welsh Nationalist North 1948 1940–1954
Charles Williams Labor South 1948 1928–1948
Garnet Barrington Wood Country East 1944 1936–1952

Notes

edit
1 On 16 September 1941, Metropolitan Province Nationalist MLC John Nicholson died. James Hislop, one of the Nationalist candidates, won the resulting by-election on 1 November 1941.
2 On 25 April 1942, North Province Independent MLC Joseph Holmes died. Independent candidate Cyril Cornish won the resulting by-election on 13 June 1942.
3 On 16 May 1942, Metropolitan-Suburban Province Nationalist MLC James Macfarlane died. Unendorsed Nationalist candidate Frank Gibson won the resulting by-election on 11 July 1942.

Sources

edit
  • Black, David (1991). Legislative Council of Western Australia : membership register, electoral law and statistics, 1890-1989. Perth: Parliamentary History Project. ISBN 0-7309-3641-4.
  • Hughes, Colin A.; Aitkin, Don (1986). Voting for the Australian State Upper Houses, 1890-1984. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 0-909779-18-X.
  • Black, David; Bolton, Geoffrey (2001). Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Volume Two, 1930-1990 (Revised ed.). Parliament House: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 0731697839.