West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 16 May 1932, page 13


VICTORIAN ELECTIONS

ABSOLUTE U.A.P. MAJORITY. LABOUR ROUTED. FOUR MINISTERS DEFEATED. PREMIER BLAMES TRADES HALL.

The Labour Government suffered a severe defeat In the Victorian elections on Saturday. It appears that the party Is likely to be returned with only 17 members (Including Mr. Hogan and Mr. Bond, who stood without the party's endorsement) out of a

previous total of 30. Four Ministers— Messrs. Slater, Bailey, Webber and Pollard— seem certain to be defeated. Throughout Australia the result of the election has been accepted as an emphatic endorsement of the Premiers' Plan. It Is expected that the Hogan Ministry will resign on Monday, and that the Leader of the Opposition (Sir Stanley Argyle) will then be commissioned to form a Government. The Country Party may be given two portfolios In the new Cabinet, although the United Australia Party alone Is expected to have an absolute majority. I '?- THE STATE OF PARTIES. j § The tabfo below shows the probable state of parties In the new Par. } g liament, compared with the old Parliament. The table is not final, but I ft is based on the figures so far available. | 5 The large figures show the strength of the Ministerial (Labour) and * g Opposition groups, and the smaller figures give the strength of the see- 5 S tlons within those groups. 3 I New Old \ I MINISTERIAL— Parliament. Parliament. ? I Official Labour ? 15 1 24 ] | I Labour Supporters of r 1 7 I QA 5 I Premiers' Plan .... 2 j X' 6 [ & ' \ I OPPOSITION— 1 I . U.A.P. ? 33 1 18 I I I Country Party ? 14 f ^JJ 14 I Q EJ | I Independent ... s .... 1 J 3 | I PREMIERS' PLAN ENDORSED. j 5 Of the 636,906 votes counted up to last night 411,511 were east for sup- i 1 T01'!!' °.f the Premlers' Pla'« «nd 225-395 for Labour candidates opposed f g to the Plan. The votes in favour of the Plan were made up as follows:- ! I ' U-A-P. ? 281,287 S £ COUNTRY PARTY ? 78810 \ I LABOUR ? ,^29 j I UNATTACHED ? 35fW5 | I TOTAL ? 411,511 j

MELBOURNE, May 15.— In a manner too less striking than at the Federal election in December, the electors of Victoria yesterday rejected the policy of the official Labour Party and declared uncompromisingly for the carrying-out of the Premiers' Plan. Seldom at an. election for the Legislative Assembly has the will of the people been conveyed by so overwhelming a vote. The United Australia Party, [which has been firm in its advocacy of the Premiers' PJan, has almost doubled its representation in the House. The party held 18 seats in the old Parliament, and will have at least 32 seats in the newlyelected Assembly. If Mr. Slater, the Attorney-General loses Dundas to Mr. Cooper (U.A.P.), as seems certain, the United Australia Party will have an absolute majority over aJl other parties in the House. Of the 14 new Beats of the United Australia Party — the party suffered no losses — 12 were won from Labour, one from the Country Party (Mornington), and one from an Independent, Mr. Burnett Gray (St. Kilda). The Country Party will probably win Ouyen from Mr. Glowrey .(Independent). Three Ministers have been defeated, iamonc them being the Minister for Lauds (Mr. Bailey), who Btood behind the Premier (Mr. Hogan) in support of the Plan. The Assistant Minister' for Labour (Mr. Webber) was defeated in Heidelberg, snd the Assistant Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Pollard) appears certain to lose BuLlaDalhousie. The Heidelberg electorate forms part of the Federal division of Batman, in which Mr. Frank Brennan, who was then Commonwealth Attorney-General, was defeated at the last Federal election. Mr. Slater is 119 votes behind Mr. Cooper. There are about 150 absentee votes to be accounted for, and his position is precarious. Mr. Burnett Gray, who gave consistent support to the Labour Ministry in the last Parliament, was soundJy defeated at St. Kilda. Mr. Jackson, who resigned from the Labour Party to support the Premiers' Plan, was at the bottom of the poll m Prahran as an Independent Labour candidate. Mr. 'Ellis lUJLP.) polled move than 12,000 votes and has an absolute maJ'ority. of nearly 4,000 votes over the two .labour candidates. The election has been disastrous in all aspects for the Labour Party. Other notable Labour losses were in Geelong, represented by Mr. Brownbill;' in Essendon, where Mr.' Drakeford was defeated, and in Albert Park, where Mr. Drew (U.A.P.) scored one of the most remarkable successes in the election. Mr. Bond, ?who remained loyal to Mr. Hogan and was ' refused the Labour endorsement, has an absolute majority in Port Fairy and Glenelg. Mr. Groves, a former Nationalist Minister, regained Dandenong from Mr. Cremean (Labour). The youngest of all candidates, Mr. Holhvay (UJLJ?.) had a comfortable win in Ballarat against the sitting Labour member (Mr. McAdam). In the Melbourne electorate, the Communist candidate scored only 863 votes in 15,500. In the country, Labour also lost Castlemain-Kyneton and Grant. Although interest attaches now to the question whether the United Australia Party will obtain an absolute majority— the principal issue — the vindication of .the Premiers' Plan and the ejection of Labour from office is beyond all doubt. One of the most noteworthy features of the election is the number of younz men who -have' been returned to Parliament as representatives of the United Australia Party. There were only 44 contests, 21 candidates being returned unopposed. No time will be lost by the Hogan Ministry in vacating office. An assurance to this effect was given to-night by the Acting Premier (Mr. Tunnecliffe), who said that, in view of the defeat which the party had suffered, the Ministry would ^eot attempt to meet Parliament when ,rthe new session began. Mr. Tunneclife, it is -understood, would prefer that the Ministry should resign immediately, but he proposes to wait for advice from Mr. Hogan, who is in London. The -Ministry - wiU probably be out of office on Wednesday morning, and it is expected that the Leader of the Opposition (Sir Stanley Argyle) will be commissioned on the same day to form a Ministry. A . meeting of the United Australia Party will be held before the. portfolios are allotted, and opportunity wijl be taken at the meeting to discuss the advisability of inviting probably two members of the United Country Party to join the Ministry f although it now appears' that the United Australia Party will have an absolute majority over all other parties in the Legislative Assembly. It is felt that, as the United Australia Party and the

United Country Party presented a united front on all important questions both in the last Parliament and during the election campaign, the Country Party should have representation in the new Ministry if it desires it.