1896 South Australian colonial election

1896 South Australian colonial election
All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly; 28 seats were needed for a majority
Premier before election; Charles Kingston; Independent	Elected Premier ; Charles Kingston; Independent

Colonial elections were held in South Australia on 25 April 1896, excepting the Northern Territory, which voted on 2 May.^[1] All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent liberal government led by Premier of South Australia Charles Kingston in an informal coalition with the United Labor Party (ULP) led by John McPherson defeated the conservative opposition. Each district elected multiple members, with voters casting multiple votes.

Background[]

The period after the 1893 election saw an increasing competition between the two new political parties – the ULP and the conservative National Defence League (NDL). It also reflected a trend for the conservative members to gravitate to the NDL, and the progressive members to support Kingston, a strong advocate of progressive social policy and reform of the Legislative Council. There was no "Liberal" or "Kingston" party, but there was a relatively cohesive Kingston group among both independent members and candidates. The Liberal and Democratic Union would not be formed until the 1906 election.

The election was held concurrently with the first referendum in Australia.^[2]

Women's suffrage in Australia took a leap forward – enacted in 1895 and taking effect from this election, South Australia was the first in Australia and only the second in the world after New Zealand to allow women to vote, and the first in the world to allow women to stand for election.^[3] However, the first female would not be elected to the Parliament of South Australia until the 1959 election when Jessie Cooper and Joyce Steele were elected for the Liberal and Country League, and the 1965 election for Labor with Molly Byrne.

Results[]

**House of Assembly (FPTP) — Turnout 66.3% (Non-CV) — Informal 1.6%**
Party	Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
National Defence League	49,200	30.6	+8.4	18	–2
United Labor Party	39,107	24.3	+5.5	12	+2
Independent	72,676	45.2	–13.8	24	±0
Total	160,983			54
Liberal/Labor coalition	Win
National Defence League

Notes[]

^ "Statistical Record of the Legislature, 1836-2009" (PDF). Parliament of South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
^ "South Australian Referenda" (PDF). State Electoral Office - South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
^ "Women's Suffrage Petition 1894: parliament.sa.gov.au" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

References[]

[1] "Statistical Record of the Legislature, 1836-2009" (PDF). Parliament of South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2016.

[South_Australian_Referenda-2] "South Australian Referenda" (PDF). State Electoral Office - South Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2010.

[3] "Women's Suffrage Petition 1894: parliament.sa.gov.au" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2016.

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v t Elections and referendums in South Australia
General elections	1851 1855 1857 1860 1862 1865 1868 1870 1871 1875 1878 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1896 1899 1902 1905 1906 1910 1912 1915 1918 1921 1924 1927 1930 1933 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1970 1973 1975 1977 1979 1982 1985 1989 1993 1997 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 by-elections
Referendums	1896 1898 1899 1991
Legislative Council elections	1882

1896 South Australian colonial election

Contents

Background[]

Results[]

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]