South Australian state election, 1947

South Australian state election, 1947

8 March 1947

All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly 20 seats were needed for a majority   First party Second party   Leader Thomas Playford Robert Richards Party Liberal and Country League Labor Leader since 5 November 1938 1938 Leader's seat Gumeracha Wallaroo Last election 20 seats 16 seats Seats won 23 seats 13 seats Seat change 3 3 Percentage 52.0% 48.0% Swing 5.3 5.3

Premier before election Thomas Playford Liberal and Country League Elected Premier Thomas Playford Liberal and Country League

State elections were held in South Australia on 8 March 1947. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League government led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Robert Richards.^[1][2][3]

House of Assembly (IRV) — Turnout 93.37% (CV) — Informal 3.63%^[4]

	Party	Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Australian Labor Party	133,959	48.64	+6.12	13	-3
	Liberal and Country League	111,216	40.38	-5.46	23	+3
	Communist Party of Australia	8,178	2.97	+0.90	0	0
	Independent	17,083	6.20	-0.43	3	0
	Independent Labor	4,963	1.80	-0.45	0	0
	Total	275,399			39
	Liberal and Country League	WIN	52.00	+5.30	23	+3
	Australian Labor Party		48.00	-5.30	13	-3

• The primary vote was counted on seats contested, while the two-party vote was estimated for all seats.

Background

The LCL won three seats, metropolitan Norwood, Prospect and Torrens from Labor.^[5] The LCL won back rural Victoria after losing it to Labor at a by-election in 1945.^[1][2][6]

See also

• Results of the South Australian state election, 1947 (House of Assembly)
• Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1947-1950
• Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1947-1950
• Playmander

Notes

1. Jaensch, Dean (March 2007). "The 1947 General Election - Formed the 32nd Parliament". History of South Australian elections 1857-2006: House of Assembly, Volume 1. State Electoral Office South Australia. pp. 263–265. ISBN 9780975048634 – via Electoral Commission of South Australia.
2. Tilby Stock, Jenny (1996). "The 'Playmander', Its origins, operation and effect on South Australia". In O'Neil, Bernard; Raftery, Judith; Round, Kerrie. Playford's South Australia: essays on the history of South Australia, 1933-1968. Association of Professional Historians. pp. 73–90. ISBN 9780646290928 – via Professional Historians Association (South Australia).
3. "Liberals Win: Gains in S.A. Elections". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 March 1947. Retrieved 12 January 2016 – via Trove.
4. "Electoral system and voting for the South Australian House of Assembly from 1890: Election held on 8 March 1947". Australian Politics and Elections Database. University of Western Australia. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
5. "Liberals win in SA: Gain Three Seats". The Mercury. 10 March 1947. Retrieved 12 January 2016 – via Trove.
6. "L.C.L Wins Victoria". The Border Watch. 15 March 1947. Retrieved 12 January 2016 – via Trove.