Results of the 1953 Western Australian state election (Legislative Assembly)

Western Australian state election, 14 February 1953 Legislative Assembly << 1950–1956 >>
Enrolled voters		205,644^[1]
Votes cast		192,225		Turnout	93.47%	+0.86%
Informal votes		5,028		Informal	2.62%	+0.64%
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor	93,157	49.76%	+7.92%	26	+ 3
	Liberal and Country	71,042	37.95%	–2.13%	15	± 0
	Country	9,196	4.91%	–4.40%	9	± 0
	Ind. Lib.	3,458	1.85%	–0.40%	0	– 2
	Communist	1,350	0.72%	+0.36%	0	± 0
	Independent	8,994	4.80%	–1.35%	0	– 1
Total		192,225			50

This is a list of electoral district results of the 1953 Western Australian election.

Results by Electoral district

Albany

1953 Western Australian state election: Albany^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Leonard Hill	3,307	55.9	+12.0
	Labor	Karl Schulze	2,604	44.1	+3.3
Total formal votes			5,911	98.7	−0.2
Informal votes			77	1.3	+0.2
Turnout			5,988	95.3	+1.0
	Country hold		Swing	−1.1

Avon Valley

1953 Western Australian state election: Avon Valley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	James Mann	unopposed
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing

Blackwood

1953 Western Australian state election: Blackwood
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	John Hearman	unopposed
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing

Boulder

1953 Western Australian state election: Boulder
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Arthur Moir	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Bunbury

1953 Western Australian state election: Bunbury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Frank Guthrie	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Canning

1953 Western Australian state election: Canning
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Colin Jamieson	6,344	51.3	+6.0
	Liberal and Country	Arthur Griffith	6,022	48.7	+1.9
Total formal votes			12,366	97.5	−0.1
Informal votes			312	2.5	+0.1
Turnout			12,678	93.8	+2.9
	Labor gain from Liberal and Country		Swing	+4.1

Claremont

1953 Western Australian state election: Claremont
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Charles North	5,636	63.9	−36.1
	Labor	Clifton Scott	3,185	36.1	+36.1
Total formal votes			8,821	98.9
Informal votes			98	1.1
Turnout			8,919	92.9
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	N/A

Collie

1953 Western Australian state election: Collie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Harry May	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Cottesloe

1953 Western Australian state election: Cottesloe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Ross Hutchinson	4,479	60.1	+0.3
	Labor	Diana Hart	2,969	39.9	−0.3
Total formal votes			7,448	98.4	−0.6
Informal votes			118	1.6	+0.6
Turnout			7,566	93.6	+2.9
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	+0.3

Dale

1953 Western Australian state election: Dale
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Gerald Wild	3,205	57.3	−1.1
	Labor	Ronald Knowler	2,389	42.7	+14.6
Total formal votes			5,594	97.7	−0.5
Informal votes			134	2.3	+0.5
Turnout			5,728	92.5	+1.6
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−13.3

Darling Range

1953 Western Australian state election: Darling Range
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Ray Owen	2,684	52.8	+25.7
	Labor	John Rolinson	1,805	35.5	+9.2
	Independent Liberal	Herbert Small	592	11.6	+11.6
Total formal votes			5,081	97.5	−0.4
Informal votes			132	2.5	+0.4
Turnout			5,213	91.6	−0.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Ray Owen		61.0
	Labor	John Rolinson		39.0
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

Two party preferred vote was estimated.

East Perth

1953 Western Australian state election: East Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Herb Graham	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Eyre

1953 Western Australian state election: Eyre
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Emil Nulsen	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Fremantle

1953 Western Australian state election: Fremantle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Joseph Sleeman	6,795	92.0	+34.2
	Communist	Paddy Troy	595	8.0	+5.7
Total formal votes			7,390	94.4	−3.5
Informal votes			434	5.6	+3.5
Turnout			7,824	91.7	+1.8
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Gascoyne

1953 Western Australian state election: Gascoyne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Daniel Norton	726	50.4	−26.1
	Independent Liberal	Noel Butcher	519	36.0	+36.0
	Liberal and Country	Robert Iles	116	8.1	−15.4
Total formal votes			1,440	96.3	−0.9
Informal votes			55	3.7	+0.9
Turnout			1,495	90.2	+4.4
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Preferences were not distributed.
Gascoyne had been won by the Independent Liberal candidate in the 1951 by-election.

Geraldton

1953 Western Australian state election: Geraldton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Sewell	3,011	61.9	+11.2
	Liberal and Country	James McAleer	1,127	23.2	+23.2
	Liberal and Country	Samuel Davey	593	12.2	+12.2
	Independent	Joyce Webber	131	2.7	+2.7
Total formal votes			4,862	98.2	−0.7
Informal votes			90	1.8	+0.7
Turnout			4,952	93.8	+3.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Bill Sewell		64.5	+13.8
	Liberal and Country	James McAleer		35.5	+35.5
	Labor hold		Swing	+13.8

Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Greenough

1953 Western Australian state election: Greenough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	David Brand	2,691	65.5	−34.5
	Labor	James Clune	1,414	34.5	+34.5
Total formal votes			4,105	98.6
Informal votes			60	1.4
Turnout			4,165	91.4
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing

Guildford-Midland

1953 Western Australian state election: Guildford-Midland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Brady	7,910	92.8	+34.3
	Communist	Albert Marks	614	7.2	−0.3
Total formal votes			8,524	93.8	−4.4
Informal votes			562	6.2	+4.4
Turnout			9,086	94.0	−1.1
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Hannans

1953 Western Australian state election: Hannans
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Herbert McCulloch	2,210	60.3	−1.2
	Independent	Harold Illingworth	1,453	39.7	+39.7
Total formal votes			3,663	97.4	−0.5
Informal votes			98	2.6	+0.5
Turnout			3,761	91.0	0.0
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Harvey

1953 Western Australian state election: Harvey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Iven Manning	2,737	64.6	+15.7
	Labor	Robert McCallum	1,500	35.4	+5.1
Total formal votes			4,237	98.1	−0.6
Informal votes			84	1.9	+0.6
Turnout			4,321	94.6	+2.0
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−2.3

Kalgoorlie

1953 Western Australian state election: Kalgoorlie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Herbert Styants	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Katanning

1953 Western Australian state election: Katanning
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Crawford Nalder	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Kimberley

1953 Western Australian state election: Kimberley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Aubrey Coverley	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Leederville

1953 Western Australian state election: Leederville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ted Johnson	4,067	56.0	+3.9
	Liberal and Country	Jessie Robertson	3,193	44.0	−3.9
Total formal votes			7,260	98.2	+0.1
Informal votes			130	1.8	−0.1
Turnout			7,390	94.8	+3.4
	Labor hold		Swing	+3.9

Maylands

1953 Western Australian state election: Maylands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Owen Hanlon	3,920	46.3	+4.6
	Liberal and Country	Edward Oldfield	3,586	42.4	+3.0
	Independent	Samuel Spence	959	11.3	−6.4
Total formal votes			8,465	97.9	+0.4
Informal votes			181	2.1	−0.4
Turnout			8,646	94.5	+3.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Edward Oldfield	4,292	50.7	−2.3
	Labor	Owen Hanlon	4,173	49.3	+2.3
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−2.3

Melville

1953 Western Australian state election: Melville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Tonkin	7,301	67.3	+5.1
	Independent	James Collins	2,376	21.9	+21.9
	Independent	James Hart	1,173	10.8	+10.8
Total formal votes			10,850	97.5	−0.7
Informal votes			278	2.5	+0.7
Turnout			11,128	95.7	+2.4
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Preferences were not distributed.

Merredin-Yilgarn

1953 Western Australian state election: Merredin-Yilgarn
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Lionel Kelly	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Middle Swan

1953 Western Australian state election: Middle Swan
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Hegney	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Moore

1953 Western Australian state election: Moore
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	John Ackland	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Mount Hawthorn

1953 Western Australian state election: Mount Hawthorn
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Hegney	6,473	65.6	+11.5
	Liberal and Country	Leonard Seaton	3,396	34.4	−8.6
Total formal votes			9,869	98.0	+1.4
Informal votes			198	2.0	−1.4
Turnout			10,067	94.2	+1.5
	Labor hold		Swing	+9.5

Mount Lawley

1953 Western Australian state election: Mount Lawley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Arthur Abbott	5,944	89.8	+20.7
	Independent	Edward Zeffertt	672	10.2	+10.2
Total formal votes			6,616	90.6	−3.7
Informal votes			689	9.4	+3.7
Turnout			7,305	91.8	+1.9
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	N/A

Mount Marshall

1953 Western Australian state election: Mount Marshall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	George Cornell	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Murchison

1953 Western Australian state election: Murchison
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Everard O'Brien	1,559	59.2	−0.8
	Liberal and Country	John Porteus	569	21.6	+21.6
	Liberal and Country	John Thompson	505	19.2	−20.8
Total formal votes			2,633	97.2	−1.0
Informal votes			77	2.8	+1.0
Turnout			2,710	89.6	+10.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Everard O'Brien		61.1	+1.1
	Liberal and Country	John Porteus		38.9	−1.1
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.1

Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Murray

1953 Western Australian state election: Murray
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Ross McLarty	2,989	63.9	+1.8
	Labor	Frederick Kidby	1,686	36.1	−1.8
Total formal votes			4,675	98.8	+0.1
Informal votes			58	1.2	−0.1
Turnout			4,733	94.2	+3.4
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	+1.8

Narrogin

1953 Western Australian state election: Narrogin
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Victor Doney	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Nedlands

1953 Western Australian state election: Nedlands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Charles Court	2,834	32.3	−7.7
	Independent Liberal	David Grayden	2,409	27.5	−6.4
	Labor	Margaret Pitt Morison	1,948	22.2	+22.2
	Liberal and Country	Peter Aldred	924	10.5	+10.5
	Independent	Noel Symington	457	5.2	+5.2
	Liberal and Country	Sidney Bedells	205	2.3	+2.3
Total formal votes			8,777	98.0	+0.5
Informal votes			183	2.0	−0.5
Turnout			8,960	93.5	+4.0
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Charles Court	4,807	54.8	+8.2
	Independent Liberal	David Grayden	3,970	45.2	−8.2
	Liberal and Country gain from Independent Liberal		Swing	+8.2

North Perth

1953 Western Australian state election: North Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Stan Lapham	3,825	55.5	−2.0
	Liberal and Country	Florence Hummerston	3,069	44.5	+2.0
Total formal votes			6,894	98.2	+0.2
Informal votes			129	1.8	−0.2
Turnout			7,023	93.2	+2.8
	Labor hold		Swing	−2.0

Northam

1953 Western Australian state election: Northam
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Albert Hawke	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Pilbara

1953 Western Australian state election: Pilbara
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Alec Rodoreda	607	66.0	+8.7
	Liberal and Country	Rowland Charlton	313	34.0	−8.7
Total formal votes			920	97.9	−0.3
Informal votes			20	2.1	+0.3
Turnout			940	82.9	+5.7
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.7

Roe

1953 Western Australian state election: Roe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Charles Perkins	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

South Fremantle

1953 Western Australian state election: South Fremantle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Dick Lawrence	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

South Perth

1953 Western Australian state election: South Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	George Yates	3,656	46.7	−11.4
	Labor	Francis French	3,173	40.6	−1.3
	Independent	Carlyle Ferguson	996	12.7	+12.7
Total formal votes			7,825	97.6	−0.5
Informal votes			194	2.4	+0.5
Turnout			8,019	94.0	+2.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	George Yates	4,167	53.2	−4.9
	Labor	Francis French	3,658	46.8	+4.9
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−4.9

Stirling

1953 Western Australian state election: Stirling
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Watts	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Subiaco

1953 Western Australian state election: Subiaco
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Florence Cardell-Oliver	4,310	56.7	−5.5
	Labor	Thomas Henley	3,293	43.3	+5.5
Total formal votes			7,603	98.4	−0.3
Informal votes			124	1.6	+0.3
Turnout			7,727	93.7	+2.1
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−5.5

Toodyay

1953 Western Australian state election: Toodyay
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Lindsay Thorn	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Vasse

1953 Western Australian state election: Vasse
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	William Bovell	unopposed
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing

Victoria Park

1953 Western Australian state election: Victoria Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Hugh Andrew	4,222	55.5	+7.9
	Liberal and Country	George Kerr	2,532	33.3	+33.3
	Independent	Harold Hawthorne	715	9.4	+9.4
	Communist	Neil Payne	141	1.9	+1.9
Total formal votes			7,610	96.9	−1.4
Informal votes			247	3.1	+1.4
Turnout			7,857	93.5	+2.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Hugh Andrew		60.3	+12.7
	Liberal and Country	George Kerr		39.7	+39.7
	Labor gain from Independent		Swing	N/A

Warren

1953 Western Australian state election: Warren
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernest Hoar	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Wembley Beaches

1953 Western Australian state election: Wembley Beaches
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal and Country	Les Nimmo	6,204	57.7	−4.8
	Labor	Eric Hall	4,556	42.3	+4.8
Total formal votes			10,760	98.8	+0.4
Informal votes			134	1.2	−0.4
Turnout			10,894	95.5	+3.6
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	−4.8

West Perth

1953 Western Australian state election: West Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Stanley Heal	3,665	52.4	+10.8
	Liberal and Country	Joseph Totterdell	3,333	47.6	−5.3
Total formal votes			6,998	98.1	+0.7
Informal votes			132	1.9	−0.7
Turnout			7,130	91.9	+3.5
	Labor gain from Liberal and Country		Swing	+8.1

References

^ Prescott, David Black with the assistance of Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.

[1] Prescott, David Black with the assistance of Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.

[1]

Results of the 1953 Western Australian state election (Legislative Assembly)

Results by Electoral district

Albany

Avon Valley

Blackwood

Boulder

Bunbury

Canning

Claremont

Collie

Cottesloe

Dale

Darling Range

East Perth

Eyre

Fremantle

Gascoyne

Geraldton

Greenough

Guildford-Midland

Hannans

Harvey

Kalgoorlie

Katanning

Kimberley

Leederville

Maylands

Melville

Merredin-Yilgarn

Middle Swan

Moore

Mount Hawthorn

Mount Lawley

Mount Marshall

Murchison

Murray

Narrogin

Nedlands

North Perth

Northam

Pilbara

Roe

South Fremantle

South Perth

Stirling

Subiaco

Toodyay

Vasse

Victoria Park

Warren

Wembley Beaches

West Perth

See also

References