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1979 Tasmanian state election

State election in Australia

Field	Value
election_name	1979 Tasmanian state election
country	Tasmania
type	parliamentary
ongoing	no
previous_election	1976 Tasmanian state election
previous_year	1976
next_election	1982 Tasmanian state election
next_year	1982
seats_for_election	All 35 seats to the House of Assembly
majority_seats	18
election_date	28 July 1979
image1
leader1	Doug Lowe
leader_since1	1 December 1977
party1	Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)
leaders_seat1	Franklin
last_election1	18 seats
seats1	20
seat_change1	2
percentage1	54.32%
swing1	1.84
image2
leader2	Max Bingham
leader_since2	4 May 1972
party2	Liberal Party of Australia (Tasmanian Division)
leaders_seat2	Denison
last_election2	17 seats
seats2	15
seat_change2	2
percentage2	41.31%
swing2	3.18
map_image	1979 Tasmanian state election.svg
map_size	350px
map_caption	Results of the election
title	Premier
before_election	Doug Lowe
before_party	Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)
after_election	Doug Lowe
after_party	Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch)

The 1979 Tasmanian state election was held on 28 July 1979 in the Australian state of Tasmania to elect 35 members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. The election used the Hare-Clark proportional representation system — seven members were elected from each of five electorates. The quota required for election was 12.5% in each division.

The incumbent Labor Party, led by Doug Lowe, won a third term in office against the opposition Liberal Party, led by Max Bingham.

Background

Bill Neilson, leader of the Labor Party and Premier of Tasmania, had retired on 1 December 1977 and been replaced by Doug Lowe.

The United Tasmania Group, which had contested the two previous elections, did not field any candidates for the 1979 election. Instead a new party, the Australian Democrats, founded by Don Chipp in 1977, emerged as the most significant minor party.

Results

The Labor Party won the election, increasing its majority in the House of Assembly from one seat to five.

Doug Lowe received the highest personal vote ever in the House of Assembly: 24,971 or 51.2% of the vote in the seat of Franklin.

Distribution of votes

Primary vote by division

Braddon	Denison	Franklin	Wilmot
Labor Party	50.3%	54.2%	50.7%	60.8%
Liberal Party	44.7%	42.7%	42.0%	33.9%
Other	5.0%	3.1%	7.4%	5.4%

Distribution of seats

Electorate	Seats won
	Bass	Labor}}
	Braddon
	Denison	Labor}}
	Franklin
	Wilmot

		Liberal

Aftermath

Max Bingham resigned as opposition leader after losing his second election, and was replaced by Geoff Pearsall.

The election of three Labor MPs for Denison (Julian Amos, John Devine and John Green) was ruled invalid, due to the enforcement of a previously ignored rule limiting campaign expenditure to $1,500. A by-election was arranged for Denison in February 1980. The placement of the Labor candidates on the ballot paper, which placed Deputy Premier Neil Batt fourth, was believed to have led to the introduction of the Robson Rotation method of randomising ballot ordering.

References

[http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/Backg/HAElections.htm House of Assembly Elections], [[Parliament of Tasmania]].
[http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/tpl/datasheets/hightop.htm Highest Individual Vote Winners Since 1959], [[Tasmanian House of Assembly]], 23 July 2002.
Bowe, William: [http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2006/03/13/tasmanian-election-denison-form-guide/ Tasmanian election: Denison form guide], [[Crikey.com.au]], 13 March 2006.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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