1976 Victorian state election

The 1976 Victorian state election, held on Saturday, 20 March 1976, was for the 47th Parliament of Victoria. It was held in the Australian state of Victoria to elect 81 members of the state's Legislative Assembly and 22 members of the 44-member Legislative Council. Since the previous election, there was an increase in the number of members of the Legislative Assembly by 8 and in the number of Council members by 8, though only 4 were elected at the 1976 election.

1976 Victorian state election

← 197320 March 1976 (1976-03-20)1979 →

All 81 seats in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
41 seats needed for a majority
and 22 (of the 44) seats in the Victorian Legislative Council
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
LeaderRupert HamerClyde HoldingPeter Ross-Edwards
PartyLiberalLaborNational
Leader since23 August 197215 May 196717 June 1970
Leader's seatKewRichmondShepparton
Last election46 seats18 seats8 seats
Seats won52 seats21 seats7 seats
Seat changeIncrease 6Increase 3Decrease 1
Popular vote939,481869,021144,818
Percentage45.87%42.43%7.07%
SwingIncrease 3.53Increase 0.82Increase 1.13
TPP55.77%44.23%
TPP swingIncrease 0.53Decrease 0.53

Results in each electorate.

Premier before election

Rupert Hamer
Liberal

Elected Premier

Rupert Hamer
Liberal

Since the last election, the number of Legislative Assembly members was increased from 73 to 81 and the number of seats in the Legislative Council was increased from 36 to 44.

The incumbent Liberal government led by Rupert Hamer was returned with an increased majority.

Results

Legislative Assembly

Victorian state election, 20 March 1976[1]
Legislative Assembly
<< 19731979 >>

Enrolled voters2,267,282
Votes cast2,101,414Turnout92.68-0.86
Informal votes53,417Informal2.54-0.36
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes%SwingSeatsChange
 Liberal939,48145.87+3.5352+6
 Labor869,02142.43+0.8221+3
 National144,8187.07+1.137-1
 Democratic Labor52,7652.58-5.220±0
 Independent35,4081.73+1.181±0
 Australia3,4300.17-1.450±0
 Workers3,0740.15+0.150±0
Total2,047,997  81 
Two-party-preferred
 Liberal1,142,26255.8+0.6
 Labor905,73544.2–0.6

Legislative Council

Victorian state election, 20 March 1976[2]
Legislative Council
<< 19731979 >>

Enrolled voters2,267,282
Votes cast2,102,674Turnout92.7–0.8
Informal votes65,997Informal3.1+0.7
Summary of votes by party
PartyPrimary votes%SwingSeats
won
Seats
held
 Liberal988,68148.3+5.21526
 Labor872,07642.6+1.859
 National160,7087.9+1.525
 Democratic Labor12,6010.6–8.100
 Australia2,6110.1–0.900
 Independent10,1270.5*00
Total2,046,804  2240

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1976SwingPost-1976
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Benambra NationalTom Mitchell19.9-21.71.8Lou LiebermanLiberal 
Knox Liberalnotional - new seat0.8-2.11.3Steve CrabbLabor 
Ripon Labornotional - new seat0.4-10.39.9Tom AustinLiberal 
Werribee Labornotional - new seat0.2-0.20.05Neville HudsonLiberal 

Post-election pendulum

Liberal seats (52)
Marginal
EssendonKenneth WheelerLIB0.05%
WerribeeNeville HudsonLIB0.05%
OakleighAlan ScanlanLIB1.3%
Geelong EastBruce EvansLIB1.5%
BenambraLou LiebermanLIB1.8% v NAT
GreensboroughMonte ValeLIB2.7%
BendigoDaryl McClureLIB3.6%
Ballarat SouthBill StephenLIB4.1%
SpringvaleNorman BillingLIB4.4%
Geelong WestHayden BirrellLIB5.2%
HeathertonLlew ReeseLIB5.4%
MitchamGeorge CoxLIB5.5%
PrahranSam LoxtonLIB5.7%
Fairly safe
Noble ParkPeter CollinsLIB6.1%
St KildaBrian DixonLIB6.1%
SyndalGeoff ColemanLIB6.1%
MonbulkBill BorthwickLIB6.6%
SandringhamMax CrellinLIB7.4%
GlenhuntlyJoe RaffertyLIB8.1%
RingwoodPeter McArthurLIB9.0%
BentleighBob SuggettLIB9.3%
Box HillDonald MackinnonLIB9.6%
EvelynJim PlowmanLIB9.6%
RiponTom AustinLIB9.9%
Safe
BennettswoodIan McLarenLIB10.1%
NarracanJim BalfourLIB10.2%
Swin HillAlan WoodLIB10.2% v NAT
WarrandyteNorman LacyLIB10.6%
HawthornWalter JonaLIB10.7%
MidlandsBill EberyLIB10.7%
MentoneBill TempletonLIB10.9%
IvanhoeBruce SkeggsLIB11.1%
LowanJim McCabeLIB11.7% v NAT
Ballarat NorthTom EvansLIB11.9%
FrankstonGraeme WeidemanLIB12.7%
DromanaRoberts DunstanLIB12.9%
South BarwonAurel SmithLIB13.0%
Forest HillJohn RichardsonLIB13.1%
GisborneAthol GuyLIB14.2%
BurwoodJeff KennettLIB14.6%
PortlandDon McKellarLIB14.7%
BerwickRob MaclellanLIB15.1%
WarrnamboolIan SmithLIB15.2%
CaulfieldCharles FrancisLIB15.3%
WantirnaGeoff HayesLIB15.8%
DoncasterMorris WilliamsLIB15.9%
WesternportDoug JenningsLIB16.3%
BrightonJeannette PatrickLIB18.1%
BalwynJim RamsayLIB19.3%
KewRupert HamerLIB20.0%
MalvernLindsay ThompsonLIB20.8%
PolwarthCec BurginLIB26.6%
Labor seats (21)
Marginal
KnoxSteve CrabbALP1.3%
NiddrieJack SimpsonALP2.0%
BundooraJohn CainALP3.3%
CarrumIan CathieALP5.0%
DandenongAlan LindALP5.2%
Fairly safe
GlenroyJack CulpinALP8.9%
Safe
KeilorJack GiniferALP10.2%
Geelong NorthNeil TreziseALP12.6%
WilliamstownGordon StirlingALP13.0%
Albert ParkVal DoubeALP13.1%
BroadmeadowsJohn WiltonALP13.2%
Ascot ValeTom EdmundsALP13.3%
MorwellDerek AmosALP13.6%
ReservoirJim SimmondsALP14.1%
NorthcoteFrank WilkesALP14.2%
BrunswickTom RoperALP14.7%
MelbourneBarry JonesALP14.8%
PrestonCarl KirkwoodALP15.8%
FootscrayRobert FordhamALP21.6%
SunshineBill FogartyALP21.6%
RichmondTheo SidiropoulosALP23.3%
National seats (7)
Gippsland SouthNeil McInnesNAT1.3% v LIB
BenallaTom TrewinNAT20.1%
Gippsland EastBruce EvansNAT20.7% v IND
Murray ValleyKen JasperNAT22.1%
MilduraMilton WhitingNAT24.2%
SheppartonPeter Ross-EdwardsNAT27.7%
RodneyEddie HannNAT33.1%
Crossbench seats (1)
CoburgJack MuttonIND5.3% v ALP

See also

References