Results of the 1978 New South Wales state election (Legislative Council)

The 1978 New South Wales state election was the first direct election for the Legislative Council since the council was reconstituted in 1856 and the creation of the Legislative Assembly. This was the result of the 1978 referendum which also reduced the number of members from 60 to 43 and that provided that members would serve for 3 terms of the Legislative Assembly. Under the transitional arrangements, 28 members had been indirectly elected by joint sittings of the New South Wales Parliament.

New South Wales state election, 7 October 1978
Legislative Council

Enrolled voters 3,085,661
Votes cast 2,862,616 Turnout 92.77  
Informal votes 115,995 Informal 4.05  
Summary of votes by party
Party Primary votes % Swing Seats
won		 Seats
held
  Labor 1,508,078 54.91   9 23
  Liberal/National Coalition 996,463 36.28   6 20
  Communist 79,794 2.91   0  
  Democrats 76,369 2.78   0  
  Family Action Movement 36,076 1.31   0  
  Marijuana 25,055 0.91   0  
  Independent 24,786 0.90   0  
Total 2,746,621     15  

Results
1978 New South Wales state election: Legislative Council [1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Quota 171,664
Labor 1. Joe Thompson (elected 1)
2. Dorothy Isaksen (elected 3)
3. Barrie Unsworth (elected 5)
4. Marie Fisher (elected 7)
5. Clive Healey (elected 9)
6. Deirdre Grusovin (elected 11)
7. Jim Kaldis (elected 12)
8. Norm King (elected 13)
9. Peter Watkins (elected 14)
10. Ron Dyer		 1,508,708 54.9
Liberal/National Coalition 1. Virginia Chadwick (elected 2)
2. Bob Rowland Smith (elected 4)
3. Frank Calabro (elected 6)
4. Lloyd Lange (elected 8)
5. Toby MacDiarmid (elected 10)
6. Peter Philips (elected 15)
7. Greg Percival
8. Jack Doohan
9. Diana Downie
10. Doug Moppett		 994,857 36.2
Communist 1. Jack Mundey
2. Melva Merletto
3. Darrell Dawson		 79,794 2.9
Democrats 1. Paul McLean
2. Ronald Mallett
3. Malcolm Hilbery
4. Charles Boag
5. Laurence Bourke
6. James Boow
7. Joan Kersey
8. Bruce Irwin
9. George Laron
10. Anita Stiller		 76,369 2.8
Family Movement 1. Frieda Brown
2. Malcolm Garvin		 36,076 1.3
Marijuana 1. Peter Livesey
2. James Billington		 25,055 0.9
Group C 1. Francesco Oliveri
2. Norman Young		 14,033 0.5
Independent Frank Arkell 3,188 0.1
Independent Ross Green 3,160 0.1
Independent Allen Hands 1,262 0.05
Independent Judith Courtney 1,107 0.04
Independent Rudolph Dezelin 910 0.03
Independent William Whitby 584 0.02
Independent Brian Brady 542 0.02
Total formal votes 2,746,621 96.0
Informal votes 115,995 4.0
Turnout 2,862,616 92.8

Continuing Members

28 members retained their seats in the council, with 14 of those members to retire at the next general election,[lower-alpha 1] held in 1981, and the remaining 14 members would retire at the following general election,[lower-alpha 2] held in 1984.[2]

NamePartyEnd termYears in office
Kath Anderson   Labor 1981 1973–1981
Peter Baldwin   Labor 1984 1976–1982
Don Burton   Labor 1984 1976–1984
John Ducker   Labor 1984 1972–1979
Barney French   Labor 1981 1973–1991
Jack Hallam   Labor 1981 1973–1991
Johno Johnson   Labor 1984 1976–2001
Delcia Kite   Labor 1984 1976–1995
Paul Landa   Labor 1981 1973–1984
Peter McMahon   Labor 1981 1973–1981
Herb McPherson   Labor 1981 1964–1981
Robert Melville   Labor 1981 1973–1981
John Morris   Labor 1984 1976–1984
Roy Turner   Labor 1984 1976–1984
Roger de Bryon-Faes   Liberal 1981 1961–1981
Fergus Darling   Liberal 1984 1976–1981
Fred Duncan   Liberal 1984 1972–1984
Derek Freeman   Liberal 1981 1973–1981, 1981–1984
John Holt   Liberal 1984 1972–1984
Vi Lloyd   Liberal 1981 1973–1981
Nathanael Orr   Liberal 1984 1976–1984
Ted Pickering   Liberal 1981 1976–1988
Bill Sandwith   Liberal 1984 1976–1984
Max Willis   Liberal 1981 1970–1999
Leo Connellan   National Country 1981 1969–1970, 1970–1981
Jack Doohan [lower-alpha 3]   National Country 1981 1978–1981
Bill Kennedy   National Country 1984 1971–1984
Adrian Solomons   National Country 1984 1969–1991
  1. Of the 15 members whose terms were due to expire in 1985, Greg Percival (Liberal) did not retain a seat.
  2. Of the 15 members whose terms were due to expire in 1988, Ronald Raines (National Country) did not retain a seat.
  3. Sir John Fuller (National Country) resigned on 1 August 1978, prior to the election. Jack Doohan was the first National Country candidate not elected at the 1978 Legislative Council election, and was declared to have been elected to the resulting casual vacancy on 6 December 1978.[3]

See also

References
  1. Green, Antony. "Electing the Legislative Council 1978-1995" (PDF). ABC Election Archives.
  2. Page, Barbara (1990). "The Legislative Council of New South Wales: Past Present and Future". Briefing Paper No. 01/1990. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. "Jack Doohan declared elected to the Legislative Council". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (171). 8 December 1978. p. 5059. Retrieved 8 December 2020 – via Trove.
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