AUSTRALIAN SENATE

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29718, 11 January 1962, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN SENATE

Govt. Loses Majority (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) CANBERRA, Jan. 10. The Australian Labour Party has won the fifth New South Wales seat in the Federal Senate by 3412 votes. The Labour victory means the Government will lose its outright majority in the Senate after June 30. The third A.LP. Senate candidate for New South Wales, Mr D. McCleland, a court reporter, won the seat in a close final battle with the Democratic Labour Party candidate, Mr J. T. Kane. Final figures were: Mr McClelland, 298,826; Mr Kane, 295.414.

The Senaite position until June 30 will be:—-Govern-ment, 32, ALP., 26, and D.LP., two. When the 31 senators elected on December 9 take their seats after June 30, the position will be: Liberal -Country Party. 30, ALP., 28, D.LP., one. Independent, one. This means the Government will not have a majority in its own right. But the support of D.L.P. Senator Cole, or the independent Dr. R. J. D. Turnbull—a former Tasmanian Labour Government MEiMSter—would give it a majority. The December 9 Federal elections cut the Government’s majority of 32 in the Lower House down to two—an effective majority of only one after providing the Speaker. A major test for both the Government and the ALP. Opposition will come in the second half of the year when the Senate will be deadlocked if the one D.LP. and one independent vote with the Opposition. When the vote is equad in the Senate the question is resolved in the negative.