The Country Party was a

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in the first part of the 20th century. It was formed out of the Farmers and Settlers Association in September 1917 to represent the association's interests in parliament. The party endorsed seven candidates in the 1918 election, with two elected. In the early years, their representatives were usually identified as Farmers and Settlers' Association representatives or as the parliamentary wing of the Farmers and Settlers' Association, but referred to in some sources as Country Party, Independent Country Party or independent members. The Country Party name was formally adopted after the 1921 election. The Country Party eventually merged with the

Liberal Federation The Liberal Federation was a South Australian political party from 16 October 1923 to 1932. It came into existence as a merger between the rival Liberal Union and National Party, to oppose Labor. Encouraged by the overwhelming success of the ...

to create the

Liberal and Country League Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...

(LCL) in 1932. As part of the merger agreement, state Country Party leader

Archie Cameron Archie Galbraith Cameron (22 March 18959 August 1956) was an Australian politician. He was a government minister under Joseph Lyons and Robert Menzies, leader of the Country Party from 1939 to 1940, and finally Speaker of the House of Represe ...

was handed the federal seat of Barker, and eventually became federal leader of the party in 1939. Despite the winding-up of the Country Party at state level, the federal Country Party remained active in South Australia until 1940, when Cameron was ousted in a party room coup. An independent Country Party, now

The Nationals South Australia The National Party of Australia (S.A.) Inc. is a political party in South Australia, and an affiliated state party of the National Party of Australia. Like the National Party of Western Australia, it is an independent party and not part of the Li ...

, was resurrected in 1962.

Elections contested

Through its life, the party contested five general elections. The

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

(lower house) is completely elected each time. Only half of the Legislative Council (upper house) faces election each time, and a term was normally for six years. The legislative Council consisted of five electorates each of which had four members, with two terms expiring at each election. *

1918 South Australian state election State elections were held in South Australia on 6 April 1918. All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Union government led by Premier of South Australia Archibald Peake defeated the o ...

::As Farmers and Settlers, winning 1 seat in the House of Assembly and one in the Legislative Council ::* John Chapman -

Flinders Flinders may refer to: Places Antarctica * Flinders Peak, near the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula Australia New South Wales * Flinders County, New South Wales * Shellharbour Junction railway station, Shellharbour * Flinders, New South Wa ...

::*

William George Mills William George James Mills (7 September 1859 – 20 September 1933), generally referred to as W. G. Mills, was a sheep breeder and politician in South Australia. History William was born at "Millbrae", Native Valley, near Nairne, South Australia, ...

- Northern - Legislative Council * 1921 South Australian state election ::As Farmers and Settlers, winning 4 seats in the House of Assembly (Mills continued in the Legislative Council) ::* John Chapman -

::*

Thomas Hawke Thomas Hawke (1 August 1873 – 27 June 1958) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of Burra Burra Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South ...

Burra Burra Burra is a pastoral centre and historic tourist town in the mid-north of South Australia. It lies east of the Clare Valley in the Bald Hills range, part of the northern Mount Lofty Ranges, and on Burra Creek. The town began as a single company ...

::*

Malcolm McIntosh Malcolm McIntosh may refer to: * Sir Malcolm McIntosh (public servant) (1945–2000), Australian scientist and public servant * Sir Malcolm McIntosh (politician) (1888–1960), Australian politician See also * Malcolm Mackintosh John Malc ...

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

::*

Frederick McMillan Frederick Murray McMillan (22 March 1884 – 20 December 1963) was an Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Albert from 1921 to 1933. He represented three different parties: the Country Party (1921- ...

- Albert *

1924 South Australian state election State elections were held in South Australia on 5 April 1924. All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Federation government led by Premier of South Australia Henry Barwell was defeated ...

::As the Country Party, winning two seats in the House of Assembly and two in the Legislative Council ::*

::*

- Albert ::*

Percy Blesing Albert Percy Blesing (9 September 1879 – 2 March 1949) was a farmer and politician from South Australia who served as Minister for Agriculture (1933–1944), for Local Government (1933–1938) and for Afforestation (1938–1944). He was a fou ...

- Northern - Legislative Council (elected for half-term) ::*

- Northern - Legislative Council (elected for half-term) *

1927 South Australian state election State elections were held in South Australia on 26 March 1927. All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party government led by Premier of South Australia Lionel Hill was defeate ...

::As part of a coalition of the

and the Country Party, known at the time as the ''Pact Party'' The coalition won back government with 28 of the 46 seats in the House of Assembly. The successful Country Party candidates were: ::*

- Wooroora ::* Reginald Carter -

::*

Edward Coles Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was an American planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, Coles as a young man was a neighbor and associate of presidents ...

::*

- Albert ::*

- Northern - Legislative Council ::*

- Northern - Legislative Council *

1930 South Australian state election State elections were held in South Australia on 5 April 1930. All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Federation government led by Premier of South Australia Richard L. Butler was defea ...

as the Country Party (Blesing and Mills continued in the Legislative Council) ::*

- Wooroora ::*

Samuel Dennison Samuel Dennison (12 December 1869 – 27 March 1953) was an Australian politician. He represented the South Australian House of Assembly multi-member seat of Wooroora from 1930 to 1938 for the Country Party and its successor the Liberal and ...

- Wooroora The membership transferred to the

(LCL) in 1932.

Election results

Leadership

(1921-1928)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nationals South Australia

Defunct political parties in South Australia Agrarian parties in Australia Defunct agrarian political parties