Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Assembly election
Election of 14 February 1953
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 14 February 1953
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 | 852,276 | 55.03 | +8.28 | 57 | 9 | 60.64 |
| Liberal Party | 432,739 | 27.94 | -9.57 | 22 | 3 | 23.40 |
| Country Party | 179,680 | 11.60 | * | 14 | 1 | 14.89 |
| Independents | 62,761 | 4.05 | +1.04 | 1 | 0 | 1.06 |
| Communist Party | 21,421 | 1.38 | +0.50 | 0 | ||
| Votes for other than listed parties | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Totals | 1,548,877 | 100.00 | 94 | 13 | 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
Premier in office at election: There had been a change of Premier since the previous election; on 3 April 1952 '...an ailing and discredited James McGirr resigned as Premier.... Caucus elected John Joseph Cahill as his successor', Clune, '1953', pp. 299 (see 'Reference', below). Cahill became premier of a minority Labor government with the continuing support of the two Independent Labor Party members; see Clune, '1953', pp. 303-304 (see 'Reference', below).
Premier after election: Cahill led the Australian Labor Party to a resounding victory with a clear majority of votes and almost two thirds of the seats.
Reference: For a comprehensive survey of this election and the preceding period, see David Clune, '1953', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 2 (1930 to 1965), pp. 297-322, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907404).
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).