Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Assembly election
Election of 8 October 1927
Government in office and parliamentary support before and after the election
Government in office at election
Government in office after election
Enrolment and voting
New South Wales, Legislative Assembly votes and seats won
Election held on 8 October 1927
Criteria for the inclusion of parties in this table are set out in the Glossary under 'listed party'
| Party Name | First preference vote n | First preference vote share % | Change from previous election % | Seats won n | Uncontested seats held n | Seat share % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 488,306 | 43.00 | -3.19 | 40 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Nationalist Party (Nationalists) | 437,050 | 38.48 | +0.56 | 33 | 0 | 36.67 |
| Country Party | 100,963 | 8.89 | * | 13 | 1 | 14.44 |
| Independents | 42,271 | 3.72 | -0.31 | 0 | ||
| Independent Nationalist Party | 30,061 | 2.65 | * | 2 | 0 | 2.22 |
| Independent Labor | 29,766 | 2.62 | * | 2 | 0 | 2.22 |
| Protestant Independent Labor Party | 7,264 | 0.64 | * | 0 | ||
| Votes for other than listed parties | 0 | 0.00 | -0.16 | |||
| Totals | 1,135,681 | 100.00 | 90 | 1 | 100.00 |
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* Party did not contest previous election or did not meet criteria for listing, or contested previous election under a different party name.
Notes
Electoral system: The Lang Labor government had changed the elected system from proportional representation by the single transferable vote system (PR-STV) with multimember electoral districts, to a preferential system of contingent voting using single member districts with optional preferences. For a description and discussion of contingent, see David M Farrell and Ian McAllister, The Australian Electoral System: Origins, Variations and Consequences, pp 25, 52-54 (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2006, ISBN 0868408581).
The government had wanted a first past the post (plurality) system (SMP), but had been forced to adopt a preferential system by the upper house of the New South Wales parliament, the Legislative Council; for details of the adoption of the new electoral system and its consequences, see Cosgrove, '1927', pp. 334-339, 366-367 (see 'Reference', below).
Country Party: Shortly after the 1925 election, the then leader of the Progressive Party, Bruxner, presided over the change of name of the party to the Country Party. Bruxner resigned from the party for personal reasons later in 1925, and the Country Party was led by Buttenshaw at the 1927 election; for details, see Cosgrove, '1927', pp. 353-354 (see 'Reference', below) and note Don Aitkin, The Country Party of New South Wales: A Study of Organisation and Survival, (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1972, ISBN 0708100333).
Reference: For a comprehensive survey of this election and the preceding period, see Kevin Cosgrove, '1927', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 1 (1901 to 1927), pp. 325-370, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907390).
Sources
Colin A Hughes and B D Graham, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1890-1964, pp. 423-460, (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1968, SBN 708102700); New South Wales, Parliament, The New South Wales Parliamentary Record: Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly, 1824-1999, vol. VI, pp. 7-15, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales, 1999).