South Australian state election, 1973

South Australian state election, 1973

10 March 1973 (1973-03-10)

All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly 24 seats were needed for a majority 10 (of the 20) seats of the South Australian Legislative Council   First party Second party   Leader Don Dunstan Bruce Eastick Party Labor Liberal and Country League Leader since 1 June 1967 1972 Leader's seat Norwood Light Last election 27 seats 20 seats Seats won 26 seats 20 seats Seat change 1 0 Percentage 54.5% 45.5% Swing 1.2 1.2

Premier before election Don Dunstan Labor Elected Premier Don Dunstan Labor

State elections were held in South Australia on 10 March 1973. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Premier of South Australia Don Dunstan won a second term in government, defeating the Liberal and Country League led by Leader of the Opposition Bruce Eastick.

• The LCL and Labor both did not contest five seats each. The election was the last in South Australia where both major parties did not contest all lower house seats. The primary vote was counted on seats contested, while the two-party vote was estimated for all seats.

Background

Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of South Australia were held in South Australia in 1973, which saw Don Dunstan and the Australian Labor Party win a second successive term, against the Liberal and Country League (LCL) led by Bruce Eastick.

It was only the second time that a Labor government in South Australia had been re-elected for a second term, the first being the early Thomas Price Labor government. It would be the first five-year-incumbent Labor government however.

Moderate Liberal Movement forces within the LCL broke away to form its own party led by Steele Hall after the election in 1973. The LCL became the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia a year after the election.

The SA Nationals also won a seat for the first time in Flinders, and finished second after preferences with no Labor candidate in five LCL seats − Rocky River, Mallee, Alexandra, Goyder and Victoria.

A 1973 Semaphore by-election and a 1974 Goyder by-election were triggered. Labor and the Liberal Movement easily retained their respective seats.

Post-election pendulum

Legislative Council Results

See also

• Results of the South Australian state election, 1973 (House of Assembly)
• Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1973-1975
• Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1973-1975

References

• History of South Australian elections 1857-2006, volume 1: ECSA
• Historical lower house results
• Historical upper house results
• State and federal election results in Australia since 1890

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 by-elections
Referendums	1896 1898 1899 1911 1915 1965 1970 1982 1991