Results of the 1947 Western Australian state election (Legislative Assembly)

Western Australian state election, 15 March 1947 Legislative Assembly << 1943–1950 >>
Enrolled voters		194,270^[1]
Votes cast		166,905		Turnout	85.91%	–0.63%
Informal votes		3,415		Informal	2.05%	–0.43%
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor	64,377	39.38%	–3.90%	23	– 7
	Liberal	57,621	35.24%	+10.96%	13	+ 6
	Country	26,416	16.16%	+3.74%	12	+ 2
	Ind. Nat.^[2]	2,321	1.42%		1	± 0
	Communist	1,641	1.00%	+0.60%	0	± 0
	Progressive	701	0.48%	+0.48%	0	± 0
	Independent	10,324	6.31%	–4.07%	1	± 0
Total		163,490			50

This is a list of electoral district results of the 1947 Western Australian election.

Results by Electoral district

Albany

1947 Western Australian state election: Albany^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Leonard Hill	2,141	49.6	−5.0
	Labor	William Martin	2,090	48.4	+3.0
	Progressive (WA)	Egbert Shenton	89	2.1	+2.1
Total formal votes			4,320	99.2	+1.0
Informal votes			33	0.8	−1.0
Turnout			4,353	91.3	+7.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Leonard Hill	2,195	50.8	−3.8
	Labor	William Martin	2,125	49.2	+3.8
	Country hold		Swing	−3.8

Avon

1947 Western Australian state election: Avon
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	George Cornell	1,529	50.7	+1.0
	Labor	William Telfer	1,487	49.3	−1.0
Total formal votes			3,016	98.8	+1.0
Informal votes			38	1.2	−1.0
Turnout			3,054	85.7	−1.9
	Country gain from Labor		Swing	+1.0

Beverley

1947 Western Australian state election: Beverley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	James Mann	2,260	76.0	+16.4
	Independent	John Wilkinson	713	24.0	+15.8
Total formal votes			2,973	98.3	−0.2
Informal votes			52	1.7	+0.2
Turnout			3,025	84.0	−2.1
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

Boulder

1947 Western Australian state election: Boulder
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Philip Collier	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Brown Hill-Ivanhoe

1947 Western Australian state election: Brown Hill-Ivanhoe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Frederick Smith	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Bunbury

1947 Western Australian state election: Bunbury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Kirke	2,370	45.4	−10.1
	Liberal	James Murray	1,517	29.0	+29.0
	Country	Albert Scott	1,338	25.6	−18.9
Total formal votes			5,225	98.7	+0.5
Informal votes			69	1.3	−0.5
Turnout			5,294	90.9	+5.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	James Murray	2,658	50.9	+6.4
	Labor	John Kirke	2,567	49.1	−6.4
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	+6.4

Canning

1947 Western Australian state election: Canning
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	George Yates	7,278	56.0	+25.6
	Labor	Charles Cross	5,714	44.0	−6.1
Total formal votes			12,992	96.9	+0.2
Informal votes			388	3.1	−0.2
Turnout			13,380	87.1	−1.4
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	N/A

Claremont

1947 Western Australian state election: Claremont
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Charles North	5,092	65.0	+31.6
	Labor	William Carmody	2,736	35.0	+2.0
Total formal votes			7,828	98.6	+1.1
Informal votes			107	1.4	−1.1
Turnout			7,935	87.7	−4.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Collie

1947 Western Australian state election: Collie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Harry May	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

East Perth

1947 Western Australian state election: East Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Herb Graham	3,731	57.8	−42.2
	Independent Liberal	James Collins	2,321	36.0	+36.0
	Communist	Henry Mountjoy	398	6.2	+6.2
Total formal votes			6,450	96.9
Informal votes			209	3.1
Turnout			6,659	86.9
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Preferences were not distributed.

Forrest

1947 Western Australian state election: Forrest
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Alfred Reynolds	1,572	48.9	−51.1
	Liberal	David Johnstone	1,209	37.6	+37.6
	Country	Keith Porteous	437	13.6	+13.6
Total formal votes			3,218	98.0
Informal votes			65	2.0
Turnout			3,283	81.8
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Alfred Reynolds	1,644	51.1	−48.9
	Liberal	David Johnstone	1,574	48.9	+48.9
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Fremantle

1947 Western Australian state election: Fremantle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Joseph Sleeman	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Gascoyne

1947 Western Australian state election: Gascoyne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Frank Wise	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Geraldton

1947 Western Australian state election: Geraldton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Sewell	1,874	47.7	−22.7
	Country	Edmund Hall	1,154	29.4	+29.4
	Liberal	Harold Daffen	903	23.0	+23.0
Total formal votes			3,931	99.2	+1.2
Informal votes			32	0.8	−1.2
Turnout			3,963	87.7	+0.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Edmund Hall	1,971	50.1	+50.1
	Labor	Bill Sewell	1,960	49.9	−20.5
	Country gain from Labor		Swing	N/A

Greenough

1947 Western Australian state election: Greenough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	David Brand	2,601	66.9	+66.9
	Labor	Thomas Shanahan	1,286	33.1	−19.7
Total formal votes			3,887	99.1	+0.5
Informal votes			34	0.9	−0.5
Turnout			3,921	82.6	+1.7
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	+19.7

The Liberal candidate David Brand had won the seat from Labor at the 1945 Greenough state by-election.

Guildford-Midland

1947 Western Australian state election: Guildford-Midland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	William Johnson	3,058	46.5	−7.1
	Liberal	Arthur Thompson	2,272	34.6	+34.6
	Communist	Alexander Jolly	1,243	18.9	+18.9
Total formal votes			6,573	97.8	+0.1
Informal votes			150	2.2	−0.1
Turnout			6,723	86.8	−3.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	William Johnson	3,826	58.2
	Liberal	Arthur Thompson	2,747	41.8
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Hannans

1947 Western Australian state election: Hannans
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	David Leahy	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Irwin-Moore

1947 Western Australian state election: Irwin-Moore
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	John Ackland	1,443	52.3	+38.6
	Labor	Luke Travers	660	23.9	+2.6
	Independent	Horace Berry	658	23.8	−31.9
Total formal votes			2,761	99.2	+0.8
Informal votes			23	0.8	−0.8
Turnout			2,784	80.3	−1.4
	Country gain from Independent		Swing	N/A

Preferences were not distributed.

Kalgoorlie

1947 Western Australian state election: Kalgoorlie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Herbert Styants	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Kanowna

1947 Western Australian state election: Kanowna
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Emil Nulsen	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Katanning

1947 Western Australian state election: Katanning
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Watts	3,682	78.3	+6.2
	Labor	John Powell	1,018	21.7	+21.7
Total formal votes			4,700	98.7	+0.3
Informal votes			62	1.3	−0.3
Turnout			4,762	89.8	+4.9
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

Kimberley

1947 Western Australian state election: Kimberley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Aubrey Coverley	389	65.3	−12.0
	Independent	Kimberley Durack	207	34.7	+34.7
Total formal votes			596	98.5	+0.8
Informal votes			9	1.5	−0.8
Turnout			605	70.2	−4.7
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Leederville

1947 Western Australian state election: Leederville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Alexander Panton	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Maylands

1947 Western Australian state election: Maylands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent Liberal	Harry Shearn	unopposed
	Independent Liberal hold		Swing

Middle Swan

1947 Western Australian state election: Middle Swan
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Hegney	4,933	47.1	−2.0
	Liberal	Bill Grayden	4,180	39.9	+12.6
	Country	Mary Hamersley	1,370	13.1	+13.1
Total formal votes			10,483	97.9	+0.6
Informal votes			220	2.1	−0.6
Turnout			10,703	85.1	+0.6
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Bill Grayden	5,267	50.2	+8.3
	Labor	James Hegney	5,216	49.8	−8.3
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	+8.3

Mount Hawthorn

1947 Western Australian state election: Mount Hawthorn
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Les Nimmo	5,594	45.3	+12.0
	Labor	William Beadle	5,400	43.8	−22.9
	Independent	Archibald Cruikshank	920	7.5	+7.5
	Country	Norman Hard	281	2.3	+2.3
		Arthur West	145	1.2	+1.2
Total formal votes			12,340	96.3	−0.7
Informal votes			479	3.7	+0.7
Turnout			12,819	85.6	−3.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Les Nimmo	6,313	51.2	+17.9
	Labor	William Beadle	6,027	48.8	−17.9
	Liberal gain from Labor		Swing	+17.9

Mount Magnet

1947 Western Australian state election: Mount Magnet
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Lucien Triat	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Mount Marshall

1947 Western Australian state election: Mount Marshall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Hugh Leslie	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Murchison

1947 Western Australian state election: Murchison
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	William Marshall	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Murray-Wellington

1947 Western Australian state election: Murray-Wellington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Ross McLarty	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Nedlands

1947 Western Australian state election: Nedlands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Norbert Keenan	9,210	73.5	+1.4
	Independent Labor	William Williams	3,318	26.5	+26.5
Total formal votes			12,528	97.9	+0.5
Informal votes			264	2.1	−0.5
Turnout			12,792	82.6	−1.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Nelson

1947 Western Australian state election: Nelson
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ernest Hoar	3,173	59.0	+8.8
	Liberal	Edward Cummins	2,204	41.0	−8.8
Total formal votes			5,377	98.9	+0.7
Informal votes			62	1.1	−0.7
Turnout			5,439	85.9	+2.3
	Labor hold		Swing	+8.8

Northam

1947 Western Australian state election: Northam
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Albert Hawke	2,245	56.2	−13.7
	Country	Norm Baxter	1,753	43.8	+13.7
Total formal votes			3,998	98.7	+0.3
Informal votes			53	1.3	−0.3
Turnout			4,051	80.0	−5.4
	Labor hold		Swing	+13.7

North Perth

1947 Western Australian state election: North Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Arthur Abbott	3,308	60.0	+19.6
	Labor	William Deal	2,203	40.0	−2.5
Total formal votes			5,511	97.7	+0.8
Informal votes			127	2.3	−0.8
Turnout			5,638	87.3	−7.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	+6.1

North-East Fremantle

1947 Western Australian state election: North-East Fremantle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Tonkin	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Perth

1947 Western Australian state election: Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ted Needham	3,418	52.7	−6.7
	Liberal	Stanley Perry	2,507	38.7	+17.1
	Independent	Carlyle Ferguson	556	8.6	+8.6
Total formal votes			6,481	96.8	+0.4
Informal votes			214	3.2	−0.4
Turnout			6,695	86.1	−0.6
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Preferences were not distributed.

Pilbara

1947 Western Australian state election: Pilbara
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Bill Hegney	235*	50.1	−14.6
	Independent	Leonard Taplin	234	49.9	+49.9
Total formal votes			468	97.5	+0.8
Informal votes			12	2.5	−0.8
Turnout			480	73.6	−5.3
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

Includes the casting vote of the returning officer. The result was challenged and resulted in the 1947 Pilbara state by-election.

Pingelly

1947 Western Australian state election: Pingelly
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Harrie Seward	2,108	70.2	+2.4
	Independent	Percy Munday	896	29.8	−2.4
Total formal votes			3,004	98.9	+0.2
Informal votes			34	1.1	−0.2
Turnout			3,038	77.6	−2.6
	Country hold		Swing	+2.4

Roebourne

1947 Western Australian state election: Roebourne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Alec Rodoreda	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

South Fremantle

1947 Western Australian state election: South Fremantle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Thomas Fox	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

Subiaco

1947 Western Australian state election: Subiaco
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Florence Cardell-Oliver	4,450	62.7	+4.0
	Labor	Percival Potter	2,651	37.3	−4.0
Total formal votes			7,101	98.2	+0.7
Informal votes			129	1.8	−0.7
Turnout			7,230	90.6	−3.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.0

Sussex

1947 Western Australian state election: Sussex
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	William Willmott	2,531	64.3	+2.0
	Labor	Robert Hearne	1,407	35.7	−2.0
Total formal votes			3,938	98.9	+1.0
Informal votes			44	1.1	−1.0
Turnout			3,982	87.2	−0.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.0

Swan

1947 Western Australian state election: Swan
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Gerald Wild	2,765	44.8	+44.8
	Independent	Ray Owen	2,653	43.0	+43.0
	Country	Edward Parker	751	12.2	−50.5
Total formal votes			6,169	97.0	+0.6
Informal votes			193	3.0	−0.6
Turnout			6,362	85.4	−7.6
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Liberal	Gerald Wild	3,135	50.8	+50.8
	Independent	Ray Owen	3,034	49.2	+49.2
	Liberal gain from Country		Swing	N/A

Swan was won in a by-election by Independent candidate Ray Owen upon the death of sitting Country member Richard Sampson.

Toodyay

1947 Western Australian state election: Toodyay
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Lindsay Thorn	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

Victoria Park

1947 Western Australian state election: Victoria Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William Read	4,939	55.1	+55.1
	Labor	Charles Johnson	4,024	44.9	−21.3
Total formal votes			8,963	98.1	+0.7
Informal votes			171	1.9	−0.7
Turnout			9,134	88.9	−2.4
	Independent gain from Labor		Swing	N/A

Victoria Park was won by the Independent member William Read at the 1945 by-election upon the death of the sitting Labor member Howard Stirling.

Wagin

1947 Western Australian state election: Wagin
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Crawford Nalder	928	26.6	+26.6
	Labor	Eric Kealley	882	25.3	+0.8
	Country	Archibald Irving	851	24.4	+24.4
	Country	Gerald Piesse	830	23.8	+1.5
Total formal votes			3,491	97.3	−0.7
Informal votes			96	2.7	+0.7
Turnout			3,587	86.0	−0.9
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Country	Crawford Nalder	1,953	55.9	+55.9
	Country	Archibald Irving	1,538	44.1	+44.1
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

West Perth

1947 Western Australian state election: West Perth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Robert McDonald	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Williams-Narrogin

1947 Western Australian state election: Williams-Narrogin
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Victor Doney	1,939	70.5	+3.9
	Labor	Moses Mowday	813	29.5	−3.9
Total formal votes			2,752	99.2	+0.6
Informal votes			21	0.8	−0.6
Turnout			2,773	84.5	−0.3
	Country hold		Swing	+3.9

Yilgarn-Coolgardie

1947 Western Australian state election: Yilgarn-Coolgardie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Lionel Kelly	unopposed
	Labor hold		Swing

York

1947 Western Australian state election: York
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Charles Perkins	1,621	67.1	+32.5
	Labor	Colin Thorn	794	32.9	+5.5
Total formal votes			2,415	99.0	+0.2
Informal votes			25	1.0	−0.2
Turnout			2,440	85.0	−6.2
	Country hold		Swing	+8.9

References

^ Prescott, David Black with the assistance of Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.

[1] Prescott, David Black with the assistance of Valerie (1997). Election statistics : Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, 1890-1996. Perth, [W.A.]: Western Australian Parliamentary History Project and Western Australian Electoral Commission. ISBN 0730984095.

[1]

Results by Electoral district

Albany

Avon

Beverley

Boulder

Brown Hill-Ivanhoe

Bunbury

Canning

Claremont

Collie

East Perth

Forrest

Fremantle

Gascoyne

Geraldton

Greenough

Guildford-Midland

Hannans

Irwin-Moore

Kalgoorlie

Kanowna

Katanning

Kimberley

Leederville

Maylands

Middle Swan

Mount Hawthorn

Mount Magnet

Mount Marshall

Murchison

Murray-Wellington

Nedlands

Nelson

Northam

North Perth

North-East Fremantle

Perth

Pilbara

Pingelly

Roebourne

South Fremantle

Subiaco

Sussex

Swan

Toodyay

Victoria Park

Wagin

West Perth

Williams-Narrogin

Yilgarn-Coolgardie

York

See also

References