Tasmanian state election, 1969

Tasmanian state election, 1969

10 May 1969
All 35 seats to the House of Assembly
First party Second party Third party   120px 110px 102px Leader Angus Bethune Eric Reece Kevin Lyons Party Liberal Labor Centre Leader since 19 March 1960 26 August 1958 1969 Leader's seat Wilmot Braddon Braddon Last election 16 seats 19 seats 0 seats Seats won 17 seats 17 seats 1 seats Seat change 1 2 1 Percentage 43.98% 47.68% 4.31% Swing 5.49 3.64 0.94
Premier before election Eric Reece Labor Resulting Premier Angus Bethune Liberal

A general election for the Tasmanian House of Assembly was held on 10 May 1969. The incumbent Labor Party, which had been in power continuously since 1934, was led by Eric Reece, who had been premier of Tasmania since 1958. The opposition Liberal Party was led by Angus Bethune.

The election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Labor and Liberal parties on 17 seats each (out of 35). The balance of power was held by Kevin Lyons, a former Liberal who had quit the party in 1966 after a dispute over preselection and formed the Centre Party. Lyons approached Bethune with an offer for a coalition government with himself as Deputy Premier. Bethune agreed, allowing him to form government by one seat—thus consigning Labor to opposition for the first time in 35 years.

Results

Main article: Results of the Tasmanian state election, 1969

Tasmanian state election, 10 May 1969 House of Assembly << 1964 — 1972 >>
Enrolled voters		210,268
Votes cast		198,571		Turnout	94.44	–0.99
Informal votes		9,248		Informal	4.66	+0.34
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Labor	90,278	47.68	–3.64	17	– 2
	Liberal	67,971	43.98	+5.49	17	+ 1
	Centre Party	8,160	4.31	–0.94	1	+ 1
	Labor (Anti-Communist)	3,258	1.72	–0.07	0	± 0
	Independent	4,366	2.31	–0.79	0	± 0
Total		189,323			35

¹ The Centre Party was composed out of the former Country Party organisation in Tasmania, and was supported by federal Country MHRs.

Distribution of Seats

Electorate Seats won Bass               Braddon               Denison               Franklin               Wilmot

Labor   Liberal   Centre

Aftermath

The Liberal-Centre coalition lasted for one term, with Lyons dissolving the partnership in 1972. The resulting instability triggered an election, which was easily won by Eric Reece and the Labor Party.

See also

• Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1969–1972
• Candidates of the Tasmanian state election, 1969