Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council, 1916–1918

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This is a list of members of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 22 May 1916 to 21 May 1918. The chamber had 30 seats made up of ten provinces each electing three members, on a system of rotation whereby one-third of the members would retire at each biennial election.

In March 1917, the Labor Party split over the matter of military conscription, with a number of Labor members of Parliament either resigning from the Party or being expelled. By May 1917, they had formed a new National Labor Party with a base in the Goldfields region, historically the heart of the Labor vote in Western Australia. In June 1917, they formed a coalition with the new Nationalist Party (which replaced the former Liberal Party) and the Country Party to form a governing coalition in the Legislative Assembly. With these arrangements, another Ministry was formed under new Premier Henry Lefroy.

Name Party Province Term
expires 		Years in office
Joseph Allen Lib. / Nat. West 1920 1914–1920
Richard Ardagh Labor / Nat. Lab. North-East 1918 1912–1924
Charles Baxter Country East 1920 1914–1950
Harry Boan[6] Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan 1920 1917–1918; 1922–1924
Henry Briggs Lib. / Nat. West 1922 1896–1919
Henry Carson Country Central 1920 1914–1920
Ephraim Clarke Lib. / Nat. South-West 1920 1901–1921
Hal Colebatch[3] Lib. / Nat. East 1918 1912–1923
Francis Connor[5] Independent North 1918 1906–1916
James Cornell Labor / Nat. Lab. South 1918 1912–1946
Joseph Cullen[7] Lib. South-East 1918 1909–1917
James Cunningham[2] Labor North-East 1922 1916–1922
Jabez Dodd Labor / Nat. Lab. South 1922 1910–1928
John Drew Labor Central 1918 1900–1918; 1924–1947
Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan-Suburban 1920 1914–1926
John Ewing[1] Lib. / Nat. South-West 1918 1916–1933
Country South-East 1920 1916–1925
James Griffiths[2] Labor North-East 1922 1916
Vernon Hamersley[4] Lib. / Nat. East 1922 1904–1946
James Hickey Labor Central 1922 1916–1928
Joseph Holmes Lib. / Ind. North 1920 1914–1942
[6] Lib. Metropolitan 1920 1898–1904; 1908–1917
Walter Kingsmill Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan 1922 1903–1922
John Kirwan Independent South 1920 1908–1946
Robert Lynn Lib. / Nat. West 1918 1912–1924
Cuthbert McKenzie Country South-East 1922 1910–1922
George Miles[5] Independent North 1918 1916–1950
Harry Millington Labor North-East 1920 1914–1920
John Nicholson[6] Nationalist Metropolitan 1920 1918–1941
Edwin Rose Lib. / Nat. South-West 1922 1916–1934
Archibald Sanderson Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan-Suburban 1918 1912–1922
Athelstan Saw Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan-Suburban 1922 1915–1929
Charles Sommers Lib. / Nat. Metropolitan 1918 1900–1918
Hector Stewart[7] Lib. / Nat. South-East 1918 1917–1931
Sir Edward Wittenoom Lib. / Nat. North 1922 1883–1884; 1885–1886;
1894–1898; 1902–1906;
1910–1934

Notes[]

1 On 19 February 1916, South-West Province Liberal MLC John Winthrop Hackett died. Liberal candidate John Ewing won the resulting by-election, which was called to coincide with the 1916 Council elections.
2 At the 13 May 1916 election, Labor candidate James Griffiths was elected to the North-East Province seat, but died on 21 June 1916 before he could be sworn in. Labor candidate James Cunningham was returned unopposed on 7 July 1916.
3 On 27 July 1916, East Province Liberal MLC Hal Colebatch was appointed Colonial Secretary and Minister for Education in the new Ministry led by Frank Wilson. He was therefore required to resign and contest a ministerial by-election, at which he was returned unopposed on 9 August 1916.
4 At the 13 May 1916 elections, the East Province election had resulted in a tie between Vernon Hamersley, the sitting member, and the Country Party candidate Michael McCabe, and Hamersley was declared elected on the casting vote of the returning officer. On 1 August 1916, the Court of Disputed Returns declared the election null and void, and a by-election was held on 2 September 1916 which resulted in Hamersley's return with a 324-vote majority on a significantly higher turnout.
5 On 25 July 1916, North Province Independent MLC Francis Connor died. Independent candidate George Miles was elected unopposed on 18 September 1916.
6 On 27 March 1917, Metropolitan Province Liberal MLC died. Liberal candidate Harry Boan was elected unopposed on 14 April 1917.
7 On 31 March 1917, South-East Province Liberal MLC Joseph Cullen died. Country Party candidate Hector Stewart won the resulting by-election on 19 May 1917.
8 On 21 February 1918, Metropolitan Province Nationalist MLC Harry Boan resigned after ten months in office. Nationalist candidate John Nicholson won the resulting by-election on 23 March 1918.

Sources[]

  • Black, David (1991). Legislative Council of Western Australia : membership register, electoral law and statistics, 1890-1989. Perth: Parliamentary History Project. ISBN 0-7309-3641-4.
  • Hughes, Colin A.; Aitkin, Don (1986). Voting for the Australian State Upper Houses, 1890-1984. Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 0-909779-18-X.
  • Black, David; Bolton, Geoffrey (2001). Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia, Volume One, 1870–1930 (Revised ed.). Parliament House: Parliament of Western Australia. ISBN 0730738140.
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