The 1917 Victorian state election was held in the
Australian state
The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...
of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
on Thursday 15 November 1917 for the state's
Legislative Assembly. 51 of the 65 Legislative Assembly seats were contested.
[Colin A Hughes, ''A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1890-1964'', Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1968 ().]
Background
By 1917,
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
was placing an enormous strain on the Victorian economy. While the
Liberal party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
had won the
1914 election with a large majority, many in the party were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the government's actions on difficulties in the rural areas. The
Victorian Farmers' Union
The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an "absolutely non-political" entity, the VFU became a political party in 1916 ...
emerged as a party, was gathering support and ran candidates for the first time.
The
Labor Party had undergone a split in 1916 over the
Conscription debate and some of its pro-conscription members led by
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Billy Hughes
William Morris Hughes (25 September 1862 – 28 October 1952) was an Australian politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Australia, in office from 1915 to 1923. He is best known for leading the country during World War I, but ...
left the party and joined with the Liberals to form the
Nationalist Party. At the state level, however, some of these members ran as
National Labor candidates.
The breaking point for the Nationalist government was
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Alexander Peacock
Sir Alexander James Peacock (11 June 1861 – 7 October 1933) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Premier of Victoria.
Early Years
Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born afte ...
's decision to increase rail fares to rural areas. The party split into a pro-Peacock Ministerial faction (mostly composed of city-based members), and an opposition faction led by
John Bowser
Sir John Bowser (2 September 1856 – 10 June 1936),
Australian politician, was the 26th Premier of Victoria. He was born in London, the son of an army officer, and arrived in Melbourne as a child with his family. He grew up at Bacchus Mar ...
, composed mostly of country members. The two factions ran candidates against each other in most Nationalist seats. This did not effectively split the vote, as Victoria had introduced compulsory
preferential voting {{short description, Election systems
Preferential voting or preference voting (PV) may refer to different election systems or groups of election systems:
* Ranked voting methods, all election methods that involve ranking candidates in order of pr ...
for this election, and most of the preferences resulting from multiple Nationalist candidates were kept within the party. After the election, on 29 November, the rural faction of the Nationalist government led by Bowser won control of the party, ousting Peacock.
Results
Legislative Assembly
Notes:
*While the Nationalist party was split into the Ministerialist
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
and Opposition
Bowser
, or King Koopa, is a fictional character, the primary antagonist in Nintendo's Mario (franchise), ''Mario'' franchise, and the arch-nemesis of Mario. In Japan, the character bears the title of . Bowser is the leader of the turtle-like Koopa ...
factions, statistical records show the Nationalist vote combined.
*Fourteen seats were uncontested at this election, and were retained by the incumbent parties:
**Nationalist (7):
Ballarat West,
Castlemaine and Maldon,
Gippsland West,
Gunbower,
Hawthorn
Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to:
Plants
* '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae
* ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
,
Lowan,
Wangaratta
Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...
**Labor (6):
Abbotsford,
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
,
Collingwood,
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
**National Labor(1):
Gippsland North
Aftermath
As the Bowser faction had won the most seats within the Nationalist party factions,
Alexander Peacock
Sir Alexander James Peacock (11 June 1861 – 7 October 1933) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Premier of Victoria.
Early Years
Peacock was born of Scottish descent at Creswick, the first Victorian Premier born afte ...
resigned as Premier and
John Bowser
Sir John Bowser (2 September 1856 – 10 June 1936),
Australian politician, was the 26th Premier of Victoria. He was born in London, the son of an army officer, and arrived in Melbourne as a child with his family. He grew up at Bacchus Mar ...
took his place. The previous government's increase on rail fares was reversed, but the issue of how the railways were to be financed remained unresolved. The opposition parties defeated a railway estimates bill in March 1918, and Bowser resigned as Premier in response, having little taste for the office. Bowser then eventually left the Nationalist party for the
Victorian Farmers' Union
The Victorian Farmers' Union (VFU) was an association of farmers and primary producers formed in 1914 in the Australian state of Victoria. Although initially formed as an "absolutely non-political" entity, the VFU became a political party in 1916 ...
. Peacock supporter
Harry Lawson Harry Lawson may refer to:
*Harry John Lawson (1852–1925), British bicycle designer, cyclist, motor industry pioneer and fraudster
*Harry Levy-Lawson, 1st Viscount Burnham (1862–1933)
*Sir Harry Lawson (politician) (1875–1952), Australian pol ...
became Premier, after which the factions reunited and formed majority government with 40 of the 65 seats.
See also
*
Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, 1917–1920
This is a list of members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly as elected at the 15 November 1917 election and subsequent by-elections up to the election of 6 August 1920:
: Elmslie died 11 May 1918; replaced by Joseph Hannan in June 1918; H ...
*
Candidates of the 1917 Victorian state election
References
{{Victorian elections
1917 elections in Australia
Elections in Victoria (Australia)
1910s in Victoria (Australia)
November 1917 events