List of New South Wales state elections
This article provides a summary of results for elections to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, the lower house in New South Wales's bicameral state legislative body, the Parliament of New South Wales, which came into being in 1856 when New South Wales achieved responsible government. New South Wales politics were initially non-partisan, with individual Members of Parliament choosing to align either with the Government or the Opposition. This changed at the 1887 election where, for the first time, candidates were members of official political parties. The first two major parties to form were the Free Trade Party and the Protectionist Party. The 1887 election saw the 79 members of the Free Trade Party elected form the government with the 37 elected Protectionist Party members form the opposition. The next election saw the Free Trade Party retain government but with a reduced majority. The 1891 saw the Australian Labor Party for the first time. These three parties then fought out the next two elections through to 1898. After Federation in 1901, the Free Trade Party changed their name to the Liberal Reform Party with the Protectionists becoming the Progressive Party.
The 1904 election saw a massive defeat of the Progressive government and for the first time Labor became the major opposition party. Most of the Progressive members stood as the Liberals at the next election and the party folded not long after that. Labor won an outright majority for the first time at the 1910 election and increased it further in 1913. The Liberal Reform Party became the Nationalist Party of Australia in 1917 and Labor's main opposition through to 1932 when the conservatives became the United Australia Party and then the Liberal Party of Australia in 1945.
General election dates
- New South Wales state election, 1901, held 3 July 1901
- New South Wales state election, 1904, held 6 August 1904
- New South Wales state election, 1907, held 10 September 1907
- New South Wales state election, 1910, held 14 October 1910
- New South Wales state election, 1913, held 6 December 1913
- New South Wales state election, 1917, held 24 March 1917
- New South Wales state election, 1920, held 20 March 1920
- New South Wales state election, 1922, held 25 February 1922
- New South Wales state election, 1925, held 30 May 1925
- New South Wales state election, 1927, held 8 October 1927
- New South Wales state election, 1930, held 25 October 1930
- New South Wales state election, 1932, held 11 June 1932
- New South Wales state election, 1935, held 11 May 1935
- New South Wales state election, 1938, held 26 March 1938
- New South Wales state election, 1941, held 10 May 1941
- New South Wales state election, 1971, held 13 February 1971
- New South Wales state election, 1973, held 17 November 1973
- New South Wales state election, 1976, held 1 May 1976
- New South Wales state election, 1978, held 7 October 1978
- New South Wales state election, 1981, held 19 September 1981
- New South Wales state election, 1984, held 24 March 1984
- New South Wales state election, 1988, held 19 March 1988
- New South Wales state election, 1991, held 25 May 1991
- New South Wales state election, 1995, held 25 March 1995
- New South Wales state election, 1999, held 27 March 1999
- New South Wales state election, 2003, held 22 March 2003
- New South Wales state election, 2007, held 24 March 2007
- New South Wales state election, 2011, held 26 March 2011
- New South Wales state election, 2015, held 28 March 2015
By-election dates
Summary of results
The table below shows the total number of seats won by the major political parties at each election. The totals of the winning party or coalition are shown in bold, while other parties in government are shown in bold italic. Full details on any election are linked via the year of the election at the start of the row.
Year | Total seats | Labor | Country Labor | Liberal | UAP | Nationalist | Progressive | Liberal Reform [A] | Protectionist [B] | Free Trade | Country/ National [C] | DLP | Lang Labor | Greens | Independent | Other Parties | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ind | Lab | Lib | UAP | Nat | Prog | LR | Prot | FTP | C/N | |||||||||||||||||||
2015 | 93 | 34 | 37 | 17 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | 93 | 20 | 51 | 18 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2007 | 93 | 50 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | 93 | 52 | 3 | 20 | 12 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | 93 | 55 | 20 | 13 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1995 | 99 | 50 | 29 | 17 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1991 | 99 | 46 | 32 | 17 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1988 | 109 | 43 | 39 | 20 | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1984 | 99 | 58 | 22 | 15 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1981 | 98 | 69 | 14 | 14 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1978 | 99 | 63 | 18 | 17 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1976 | 99 | 50 | 30 | 18 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1973 | 99 | 44 | 34 | 18 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1971 | 96 | 45 | 32 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1968 | 94 | 39 | 36 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1965 | 94 | 45 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1962 | 94 | 54 | 25 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1959 | 94 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1956 | 94 | 50 | 27 | 15 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1953 | 94 | 57 | 22 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1950 | 94 | 46 | 29 | 17 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1947 | 90 | 52 | 19 | 15 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1944 | 90 | 56 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1941 | 90 | 54 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1938 | 90 | 28 | 37 | 22 | 1 | 2 | Heffron Lab. | |||||||||||||||||||||
1935 | 90 | 38 | 23 | 29 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1932 | 90 | 43 | 23 | 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1930 | 90 | 55 | 23 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
1927 | 90 | 40 | 33 | 13 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1925 | 90 | 46 | 32 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Protestant Lab. | ||||||||||||||||||||
1922 | 90 | 36 | 41 | 9 | 2 | 1 1 |
Ind. Coalitionist Democratic | |||||||||||||||||||||
1920 | 90 | 43 | 28 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Socialist Lab | ||||||||||||||||||||
1917 | 90 | 33 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1913 | 90 | 49 | 28 | 11 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1910 | 90 | 46 | 37 | 1 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1907 | 90 | 32 | 5 | 45 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1904 | 90 | 25 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
1901 | 125 | 24 | 42 | 37 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1898 | 125 | 19 | 52 | 45 | 4 | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1895 | 125 | 18 | 42 | 58 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1894 | 125 | 15 | 37 | 50 | 8 | 4 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1891 | 141 | 35 | 52 | 44 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1889 | 137 | 66 | 71 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1887 | 124 | 37 | 79 | 4 | 4 |
Notes
- A At the 1913 election they dropped "and Reform" from their name and were known as simply as the Liberal Party.
- B At the 1898 election they were known as the National Federal Party.
- C Includes results for the Farmers and Settlers Association and the Country Party Association at the 1913 election as well for the second Progressive Party at the 1920, 1922 and 1925 elections. First contested as the Country Party at the 1927 election. At the 1981 election they were known as the National Country Party. From 1984 election onwards they been contesting as the National Party.