1958 Victorian Legislative Council election

Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday 21 June 1958 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. This was the last time Legislative Council elections were held separately to those of the Legislative Assembly.

1958 Victorian Legislative Council election

← 1955
1961 →
  First party Second party
 
Party Liberal Labor
Seats before 10 10
Seats won 8 5
Seats after 17 9
Seat change Increase7 Decrease1
Popular vote 451,462 494,892
Percentage 35.8% 35.8%
Swing Increase5.3pp Increase0.3pp

  Third party Fourth party
 
Party Country DLP
Seats before 8 1
Seats won 4 0
Seats after 8 0
Seat change Steady Decrease1
Popular vote 69,028 187,618
Percentage 5.5% 14.9%
Swing Decrease0.6pp Decrease1.6pp

Results

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Legislative Council

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 21 June 1958[1]
Legislative Council
<< 19551961 >>

Enrolled voters 1,488,293
Votes cast 1,283,665 Turnout 86.3 +8.6
Informal votes 22,085 Informal 1.7 -0.4
Summary of votes by party
Party Primary votes % Swing Seats
won
Seats
held
  Labor 494,892 39.2 +0.3 5 9
  Liberal and Country 451,462 35.8 +5.3 8 17
  Democratic Labor 187,618 14.9 −1.6 0 0
  Country 69,028 5.5 -0.6 4 8
  Independent 58,580 4.6 −3.3 0 0
Total 1,261,580     17 34

Retiring Members

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Democratic Labor

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Candidates

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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 DLP candidates Other candidates
 
Ballarat Labor Jack Jones Murray Byrne Maurice Calnin David Milburn (Ind)
Bendigo Labor Arthur Smith George Morison Arthur White
Doutta Galla Labor Samuel Merrifield Nicholas Dawe Herbert Morris
East Yarra Independent Rupert Hamer John Hoare Sir Clifden Eager (Ind)
Gippsland Country Frederick Gregory Bill Fulton John Hansen
Higinbotham LCP Genevieve Mann Sir Arthur Warner Grace Stratton (Ind)
Melbourne Labor Jack O'Connell Pat Sheehy
Melbourne North Labor John Walton Gladys Brown Jack Little
Melbourne West Labor Archie Todd Bert Bailey
Monash Labor Gwendolyn Noad Graham Nicol Thomas Brennan
Northern Country Dudley Walters
North Eastern Country Ivan Swinburne
North Western Country Percy Byrnes Albert Allnutt (Ind)
Southern Labor Roy Rawson Raymond Garrett Leo Mahony
South Eastern Labor George Tilley Bill Mair Jack Austin
South Western Labor Don Ferguson Geoffrey Thom Norman Smith
Western Labor David Arnott Kenneth Gross James Eveston

Results by province

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Ballarat

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Ballarat Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Jack Jones 23,336 43.6 +0.5
Liberal and Country Murray Byrne 21,227 39.7 −17.2
Democratic Labor Maurice Calnin 5,692 10.7 +10.7
Independent David Milburn 3,214 6.0 +6.0
Total formal votes 53,649 98.7 −0.3
Informal votes 682 1.3 +0.3
Turnout 54,151 95.9 +1.2
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Murray Byrne 27,210 50.9 −6.0
Labor Jack Jones 26,259 49.1 +6.0
Liberal and Country gain from Labor Swing −6.0

Bendigo

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Bendigo Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Arthur Smith 26,841 48.1 +8.4
Liberal and Country George Morison 21,591 38.7 −6.4
Democratic Labor Arthur White 7,368 13.2 −2.0
Total formal votes 55,800 99.0 +0.1
Informal votes 536 1.0 −0.1
Turnout 56,336 94.2 +0.1
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Arthur Smith 28,375 50.9 +9.3
Liberal and Country George Morison 27,425 49.1 −9.3
Labor hold Swing +9.3

Doutta Galla

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Doutta Galla Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Samuel Merrifield 50,548 53.0 −17.5
Liberal and Country Nicholas Dawe 29,656 31.1 +31.1
Democratic Labor Herbert Morris 15,219 16.0 −13.5
Total formal votes 95,423 98.1 +1.4
Informal votes 1,858 1.9 −1.4
Turnout 97,281 92.0 +1.0
Two-party-preferred result
Labor Samuel Merrifield 56.2
Liberal and Country Nicholas Dawe 43.8
Labor gain from Democratic Labor Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

East Yarra

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: East Yarra Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Rupert Hamer 57,238 49.0 −6.2
Independent Clifden Eager 38,055 32.6 +32.6
Democratic Labor John Hoare 21,495 18.4 +8.3
Total formal votes 116,788 98.0 +0.1
Informal votes 2,350 2.0 −0.1
Turnout 119,138 92.5 +1.1
Two-candidate-preferred result
Liberal and Country Rupert Hamer 75,174 64.4
Independent Clifden Eager 41,614 35.6
Liberal and Country gain from Independent Swing N/A

Gippsland

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Gippsland Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Bill Fulton 36,878 56.1 −16.1
Labor Frederick Gregory 19,645 29.9 +29.9
Democratic Labor John Hansen 9,191 14.0 −13.8
Total formal votes 65,714 98.7 +0.7
Informal votes 883 1.3 −0.7
Turnout 66,597 93.4 +2.4
Two-party-preferred result
Country Bill Fulton 67.3
Labor Frederick Gregory 32.7
Country hold Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Higinbotham

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Higinbotham Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Arthur Warner 64,984 59.3 −40.7
Labor Genevieve Mann 38,174 34.9 +34.9
Independent Grace Stratton 6,345 5.9 +5.9
Total formal votes 109,503 98.2
Informal votes 2,035 1.8
Turnout 111,538 92.0
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Arthur Warner 62.3
Labor Genevieve Mann 37.7
Liberal and Country hold Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Melbourne

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Jack O'Connell 30,298 68.7 +5.4
Democratic Labor Maurie Sheehy 13,784 31.3 −5.4
Total formal votes 44,082 96.5 −0.1
Informal votes 1,603 3.5 +0.1
Turnout 45,685 88.3 −0.7
Labor hold Swing +5.4
  • Maurie Sheehy was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Melbourne North

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne North Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor John Walton 69,982 52.8 −12.5
Liberal and Country Gladys Brown 37,369 28.2 +28.2
Democratic Labor Jack Little 25,208 19.0 +3.2
Total formal votes 132,559 98.2 +0.3
Informal votes 2,359 1.8 −0.3
Turnout 134,918 92.9 −0.1
Two-party-preferred result
Labor John Walton 56.6
Liberal and Country Gladys Brown 43.4
Labor hold Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.
  • Jack Little was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Melbourne West

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne West Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labor Archie Todd 64,209 71.3 +1.4
Democratic Labor Bert Bailey 25,797 28.7 −1.4
Total formal votes 90,006 97.6 +0.3
Informal votes 2,228 2.4 −0.3
Turnout 92,234 92.4 +0.1
Labor hold Swing +1.4
  • Bert Bailey was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Monash

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Monash Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Graham Nicol 43,317 49.6 −11.9
Labor Gwendolyn Noad 26,847 30.7 −7.8
Democratic Labor Thomas Brennan 17,249 19.7 +19.7
Total formal votes 87,411 97.8 −0.5
Informal votes 1,925 2.2 +0.5
Turnout 89,336 89.3 +3.0
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Graham Nicol 58,490 66.9 +5.4
Labor Gwendolyn Noad 28,921 33.1 −5.4
Liberal and Country gain from Democratic Labor Swing +5.4
  • Thomas Brennan was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Northern

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Victorian Legislative Council Election, 1958: Northern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Dudley Walters unopposed
Country hold Swing

North-Eastern

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: North Eastern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Ivan Swinburne unopposed
Country hold Swing

North-Western

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: North Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Country Percy Byrnes 32,150 74.6 −25.4
Independent Albert Allnutt 10,966 25.4 +25.4
Total formal votes 43,116 98.4
Informal votes 699 1.6
Turnout 43,815 93.9
Country hold Swing N/A

Southern

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Southern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Raymond Garrett 68,095 46.9 −5.6
Labor Roy Rawson 60,691 41.8 +4.8
Democratic Labor Leo Mahony 16,372 11.3 +0.8
Total formal votes 145,158 98.5 +0.1
Informal votes 2,233 1.5 −0.1
Turnout 147,391 92.4 +0.8
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Raymond Garrett 82,395 56.8 −5.2
Labor Roy Rawson 62,763 43.2 +5.2
Liberal and Country gain from Labor Swing −5.2

South-Eastern

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: South Eastern Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Bill Mair 51,103 50.7 +0.9
Labor George Tilley 34,896 34.6 +34.6
Democratic Labor Jack Austin 14,898 14.8 −11.8
Total formal votes 100,897 98.4 +0.9
Informal votes 1,608 1.6 −0.9
Turnout 102,505 92.6 +2.0
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Bill Mair 63.3 N/A
Labor George Tilley 36.7 N/A
Liberal and Country gain from Labor Swing N/A
  • Two party preferred vote was estimated.

South-Western

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: South Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Geoffrey Thom 31,878 46.4 −7.5
Labor Don Ferguson 28,510 41.5 +11.4
Democratic Labor Norman Smith 8,298 12.1 −4.0
Total formal votes 68,686 99.1 +0.2
Informal votes 645 0.9 −0.2
Turnout 69,331 93.6 +1.2
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Geoffrey Thom 38,909 56.6 −11.6
Labor Don Ferguson 29,777 43.4 +11.6
Liberal and Country gain from Labor Swing −11.6

Western

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Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Western Province
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal and Country Kenneth Gross 25,004 47.2 −1.6
Labor David Arnott 20,917 39.5 +8.6
Democratic Labor James Eveston 7,047 13.3 +2.1
Total formal votes 52,968 99.2 +0.3
Informal votes 441 0.8 −0.3
Turnout 53,409 95.5 +4.2
Two-party-preferred result
Liberal and Country Kenneth Gross 30,563 57.7 −8.9
Labor David Arnott 22,405 42.3 +8.9
Liberal and Country gain from Labor Swing −8.9

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Carr, Adam. "Victorian Legislative Council election of 21 June 1958". Psephos.