Parliament of New South Wales, Legislative Assembly election
Election of 13 February 1971
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 13 February 1971
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 | 1,007,538 | 45.02 | +1.93 | 45 | 1 | 46.88 |
| Liberal Party | 799,801 | 35.74 | -2.73 | 32 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Country Party | 193,509 | 8.65 | -1.98 | 17 | 1 | 17.71 |
| Independents | 129,321 | 5.78 | +0.53 | 2 | 0 | 2.08 |
| Democratic Labor Party | 71,050 | 3.17 | +0.89 | 0 | ||
| Australia Party | 23,689 | 1.06 | * | 0 | ||
| Communist Party | 2,098 | 0.09 | -0.18 | 0 | ||
| Votes for other than listed parties | 10,850 | 0.48 | +0.48 | |||
| Totals | 2,237,856 | 100.00 | 96 | 2 | 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
Redistribution: The was a major change to the method of redrawing of electoral district boundaries before this election, see Harwin, pp. 46-48 (see 'Reference', below).
Party Organization: Both the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal Party were undergoing significant changes to their organization and leadership; see Harwin, pp. 37-42 (see 'Reference', below).
Australia Party: This party was '... a small 'l' Liberal splinter group which attracted significant support on the North Shore', Harwin, p. 50 (see 'Reference', below). For a brief survey of the history and organization of the Australia Party, see Keith Richmond, 'Minor Parties in Australia', pp. 335-375 at pp. 344-351, in Graeme Starr, Keith Richmond and Graham Maddox, Political Parties in Australia, (Richmond, Vic.: Heinemann Educational Australia, 1978, ISBN 0858591782).
Reference: For a comprehensive survey of this election and the preceding period, see Don Harwin, '1971', in Michael Hogan and David Clune (editors), The People's Choice: Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, vol. 3 (1968-1999), pp. 37-69, (Sydney: Parliament of New South Wales and University of Sydney, 2001, ISBN 0909907412).
Sources
Colin A Hughes, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1965-1974, pp. 105-108, (Canberra; Australian National University Press, 1977, ISBN 0708113400); 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).