1944 Queensland state election

Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 15 April 1944 to elect the 62 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.

1944 Queensland state election

← 1941 15 April 1944 1947 →

All 62 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
32 Assembly seats were needed for a majority
Registered655,984 Increase3.3%
Turnout512,768 (78.17%)
(Decrease6.44 pp)
  First party Second party
 
Leader Frank Arthur Cooper Frank Nicklin
Party Labor Country National
Leader since 9 September 1942 18 June 1941
Leader's seat Bremer Murrumba
Last election 41 seats, 49.74% 14 seats, 20.21%
Seats before 41 18[a]
Seats won 38 12
Seat change Decrease 3 Decrease 6
Popular vote 237,042 88,608
Percentage 46.23% 17.28%
Swing Decrease 3.51 Decrease 2.93

  Third party Fourth party
 
Leader J. B. Chandler Jack Henry
Party People's Party Communist
Leader since 27 October 1943 3 April 1937
Leader's seat Hamilton None
Last election New party 0 seats, 1.00%
Seats before 1 0
Seats won 7 1
Seat change Increase 6 Increase 1
Popular vote 124,573 12,467
Percentage 24.29% 2.43%
Swing Increase 24.29 Increase 1.43

Legislative Assembly after the election

Premier before election

Frank Arthur Cooper
Labor

Elected Premier

Frank Arthur Cooper
Labor

The election was the first that Labor had contested under Premier Frank Cooper, who had been in office for 19 months by the time of the poll.

From this election, the voting method was changed from contingency voting to First past the post voting. Queensland retained this method for state elections until Preferential Voting was restored by the Country/Liberal Coalition at the 1963 state election.

The election resulted in Labor receiving a fifth term in office, albeit with a reduced majority.

Key dates

edit
Date Event
23 February 1944 The Parliament was dissolved.[2]
24 February 1944 Writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election.[3]
3 March 1944 Close of nominations.
15 April 1944 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
27 April 1944 The Cooper Ministry was reconstituted.[4]
29 May 1944 The writ was returned and the results formally declared.
1 August 1944 Parliament resumed for business.[5]

Results

edit
Legislative Assembly (IRV) – Turnout: 84.61%[6]
 
Party Primary vote Seats
Votes % Swing (pp) Seats Change
  Labor 237,042 46.23 –3.51 38[b]   3
  People's Party 124,573 24.29 +24.29 7   7
  Country National 88,608 17.28 –2.93 12   6
  Communist 12,467 2.43 +1.43 1   1
  King O'Malley Labor 5,790 1.13 +1.13 1   1
  Hermit Park Labor 5,521 1.08 +1.08 1   1
  Frank Barnes Labor 4,180 0.82 –0.2 1  
  Democratic 999 0.19 -1.75 0   2
  All Services Association of Australia 325 0.06 +0.06 0  
  Christian Socialist 230 0.04 +0.04 0  
  Independent 23,680 4.62 +0.55 1   1
Total 512,768 100.00 62  
Invalid/blank votes 9,352 1.82 –0.29
Turnout 512,768 78.17 –6.44
Registered voters 655,984
Popular vote
Labor
46.23%
People's Party
24.29%
Country National
17.28%
Communist
2.43%
King O'Malley Labor
1.13%
Hermit Park Labor
1.08%
Andrew Fisher Labor
0.82%
Democratic
0.19%
ASAA
0.06%
Christian Socialist
0.04%
Independents
4.62%
Seats
Labor
61.29%
People's Party
11.29%
Country National
19.35%
Communist
1.61%
King O'Malley Labor
1.61%
Hermit Park Labor
1.61%
Andrew Fisher Labor
1.61%

Parties and independents

edit

Some ructions had developed between some sections of the Labor Party and the party's AWU-dominated executive, resulting in tiny splinter movements which were, however, locally effective. The Hermit Park branch in Townsville, which had dominated the Townsville City Council since 1939, was expelled from the ALP for alleged disloyalty in 1942,[7] possibly due to association with Communists. Tom Aikens won the seat of Mundingburra at the election. Similar forces saw sitting left-wing members George Taylor (Enoggera) and George Marriott (Bulimba) expelled from the party; the former lost his seat to a QPP candidate, while the latter retained his at the 1944 and 1947 elections. Frank Barnes, a colourful identity who supported social credit theories popular since the Great Depression and declared himself opposed to the Labor government, retained his seat of Bundaberg.

Various changes were taking place in conservative politics as well, with the dissolution of the United Australia Party and the formation of the Queensland People's Party (QPP), led by the mayor of Brisbane and member for Hamilton, John Beals Chandler. The two independent conservatives elected in 1941 were both out of parliament by the election — Bruce Pie had resigned to contest the 1943 federal election, whilst William Deacon had died. One of the former United Australia Party members, Louis Luckins (Maree), did not join the QPP originally and retained his seat in 1944 as an independent.

Apart from the above, numerous independent candidates contested with a range of banners, including Democrat, Christian Socialist, Servicemen's Association, People's Party and Independent Country Party, none of them achieving more than a few hundred votes.

Fred Paterson was elected in Bowen, the only member of the Communist Party of Australia to be elected to an Australian parliament.

Seats changing party representation

edit

This table lists changes in party representation at the 1944 election.

Seat Incumbent member Party New member Party
Bowen Ernest Riordan   Labor Fred Paterson   Communist
Bulimba George Marriott   Labor George Marriott   Independent Labor
Cunningham William Deacon*   Independent Country Malcolm McIntyre   Country
Enoggera George Taylor   Independent Labor Kenneth Morris   People's Party
Keppel David Daniel   Country Walter Ingram   Labor
Logan John Brown   Labor Thomas Hiley   People's Party
Maree Louis Luckins   People's Party Louis Luckins   Independent
Mundingburra John Dash   Labor Tom Aikens   Hermit Park Labor
Sandgate Eric Decker   Country Eric Decker   People's Party
Windsor Harry Moorhouse   Independent Democrat Bruce Pie   People's Party
Wynnum Bill Dart   Independent Bill Gunn   Labor
  • Members listed in italics did not recontest their seats.
  • The sitting Independent Country member for Cunningham, William Deacon died in 1943. No by-election was held due to the proximity of the state election.
  • In addition, Frank Barnes Labor held the seat of Cairns, which it had won from Labor at the 1942 by-election.

See also

edit

References

edit

Notes

  1. ^ Seats of both the Country and United Australia parties. Both parties merged in April 1941,[1] following the fourth election loss in a row for the Country Party and the Non-Labor opposition.
  2. ^ Includes George Marriott of Bulimba whom was listed as an Independent Labor candidate.

Citations

  1. ^ "UAP–CP Form New State Party". The Courier-Mail. No. 2386. Queensland, Australia. 28 April 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 13 October 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "A Proclamation". Queensland Government Gazette. 23 February 1944. p. 162:489.
  3. ^ "Untitled". Queensland Government Gazette. 24 February 1944. p. 162:493.
  4. ^ "Untitled". Queensland Government Gazette. 27 April 1944. p. 162:830.
  5. ^ "Untitled". Queensland Government Gazette. 6 July 1944. p. 163:33.
  6. ^ Hughes, CA; Graham, BD (1974). Voting for the Queensland legislative assembly, 1890-1964 (PDF). Australia National University (ANU). pp. 203–210.
  7. ^ "JCU Library Archives - A.D. Murgatroyd Collection". Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 20 December 2009.