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1953 South Australian state election

← 1950 7 March 1953 (1953-03-07) 1956 →
All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly 20 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Thomas Playford Mick O'Halloran Party Liberal and Country League Labor Leader since 5 November 1938 10 October 1949 Leader's seat Gumeracha Frome Last election 23 seats 12 seats Seats won 21 seats 14 seats Seat change 2 2 Percentage 47.0% 53.0% Swing 4.3 4.3
Premier before election Thomas Playford Liberal and Country League Elected Premier Thomas Playford Liberal and Country League

State elections were held in South Australia on 7 March 1953. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran.

Background

Labor won three seats, metropolitan Norwood and Prospect and rural Victoria from the LCL. The LCL won one seat, rural Murray from Labor. Neither major party contested the independent-held seat of Ridley.

The Labor opposition won 53 percent of the statewide two-party vote, but the LCL retained government with the assistance of the Playmander − an electoral malapportionment that also saw a clear majority of the statewide two-party vote won by Labor while failing to form government in 1944, 1962 and 1968.

Results

• The primary vote figures were from contested seats, while the state-wide two-party-preferred vote figures were estimated from all seats.

Post-election pendulum

See also

• Results of the South Australian state election, 1953 (House of Assembly)
• Candidates of the 1953 South Australian state election
• Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1953-1956
• Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1953-1956
• Playmander

Notes

1. ^ Jaensch, Dean (March 2007). "The 1953 General Election - Formed the 34th Parliament". History of South Australian elections 1857-2006: House of Assembly, Volume 1. State Electoral Office South Australia. pp. 270–273. ISBN 9780975048634. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2015 – via Electoral Commission of South Australia.
2. ^ Tilby Stock, Jenny (1996). "The 'Playmander', Its origins, operation and effect on South Australia". In O'Neil, Bernard; Raftery, Judith; Round, Kerrie (eds.). Playford's South Australia: essays on the history of South Australia, 1933-1968. Association of Professional Historians. pp. 73–90. ISBN 9780646290928 – via Professional Historians Association (South Australia).
3. "Fate of Govern. in Doubt in Swing to Labor: LCL Appears Certain to Lose at least Three Seats". The Mail. 7 March 1953. Retrieved 13 January 2016 – via Trove.
4. "Absolute Majority for Government: L.C.L. Candidate Wins Murray Seat". The Advertiser. 14 March 1953. Retrieved 13 January 2016 – via Trove.
5. "Summary of 1953 Election". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2015.

External links

• Two-party preferred figures since 1950, ABC News Online

• Elections in South Australia
• 1953 elections in Australia
• 1950s in South Australia
• March 1953 events in Australia