SWING TO LABOUR

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29219, 1 June 1960, Page 12

SWING TO LABOUR

Queensland Election (NX. Preu Aesociation—Copyright) ’ CANBERRA, May 30. Although Voting in the Queensland State election on Saturday Showed a swing to Labour, a Jilnilar swing throughout the Commonwealth would not be sufficient to topple the Federal Liberal-Country Party coalition, political observers said here today. Because the Queensland State election system returns the candidate first pest the post, the pattern of Labour gains in Queensland would hot be dupliS fed in a Federal election where a preferential system operates, they said. In the Queensland election, the governing Country-Liberal Party coaUtioft was returned to power. < Tho proportions of the poll, With the 1957 figures in pafehtbeslsL were:— Country Psrty, 1848 per cent (30 per cent). Liberal Party, 24J per cent (23 per cent.). • Australian Labour Party, 40 per cent (29 per cent). Queensland Labour Party, 12 per cent (23 per cent). Independenta, Communists and others make up the remainder. The election has shown that the Queensland Labour Party, which broke away from the Australian Labour Party, is no longer strong enough to win more than an occasional seat in its own right, but in all the narrowly-held Federal electorates it retains a balance of power sufficient to be decisive in the final 1 count. In other States the breakaway Labour Party is called the Democratic Labour Party. Labour Recovery Political observers believe that while confirming all other indications that the Federal Government can expect another good win at the 1961 Federal election, the Queensland poll also supports evidence of a Labour recovery sufficient to recover at least eight Government seats won by a narrow margin in 1958. On present figures these are the likely party strengths in the new Queensland Parliament (there is no Upper House), which will meet in August:

Country Party 26 seats. Liberals 19 seats. A.L.P. 26 seats Q.L.P. 4 seats. Independents 3 seats.

In the old Parliament of 75 seats, the Country-Liberal coalition had a working majority of eight after providing a Speaker. Redistribution of electorates after the last election in 1957 increased the number of seats in the Parliament to 78. ’