1885 New South Wales colonial election
Appearance
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All 122 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 62 Assembly seats were needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||
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vote of no confidence which took place on 8 December 1885.[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
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The 1885 New South Wales colonial election was held between 16 October and 31 October 1885. This election was for all of the 122 seats in the
first past the post system. Suffrage was limited to adult male British subjects, resident in New South Wales. The previous parliament of New South Wales was dissolved on 7 October 1885 by the Governor, Lord Augustus Loftus, on the advice of the Premier, George Dibbs
.
There was no recognisable party structure at this election, the last election for which this was the case; instead the government was determined by a loose, shifting factional system. Dibbs had succeeded
Sir John Robertson
.
Key dates
Date | Event |
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7 October 1885 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
13 October to 24 October 1885 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed. |
16 October to 31 October 1885 | Polling days. |
17 November 1885 | Opening of new Parliament. |
Results
New South Wales colonial election, 16 – 31 October 1885 [3] | ||||||
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Enrolled voters | 232,390 | |||||
Votes cast | 129,888 | Turnout | 61.10 | +4.41 | ||
Informal votes | 2,669 | Informal | 2.01 | −0.09 | ||
Summary of votes by party | ||||||
Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
Total | 23,899 | 122 |
References
- ^ a b "LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 14, 867. New South Wales, Australia. 18 November 1885. p. 7. Retrieved 23 May 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b c "Votes", No. 10. VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS of the LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY, vol. 1, Sydney, New South Wales: Parliament of New South Wales, 2 December 1885, p. 41
- ^ Green, Antony. "1885 election totals". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
- "Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856-2006". New South Wales Parliament.
Notes
- a There was no discernable party structure in New South Wales at the time. Instead, this numbers are gathered from the ministerial and opposition benches at the start of Parliament, as well as the results of an 8 December 1885 attempted Vote of no confidence against Premier Dibbs. All candidates stood and were elected as independentsand their classification here into groups is intended only to give an easier assessment of the political situation in the colony.