Guide 3 to NSW State Archives relating to Responsible Government - OCR - Flipbook - Page 168
A Guide to New South Wales State Archives relating to Responsible Government
The Parliamentary Electorates and Elections (Amendment) Act, 1928, which was
assented to on 4 January 1929, made a number of significant changes to the electoral
law. The long title of this Act shows how many important amendments were made to the
electoral system: "An Act to make further provisions relating to the Electoral Districts
Commissioners and the redistribution of electoral districts; to validate the non proclamation of the names and boundaries of the electoral districts as determined under
the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections (Further amendment) Act, 1927; to provide
for the appointment of an Electoral Commissioner; to provide for the compilation of a
joint roll for the purposes of Commonwealth elections and elections to the Legislative
Assembly; to provide for the compulsory expression of preferences in voting at elections
to the Legislative Assembly; to provide for compulsory voting at such elections; to
provide for the establishment of a Court of Disputed Returns; to repeal the provisions of
the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act, 1912, as amended by subsequent Acts
relating to the appointment and functions of the Committee of Elections and
Qualifications; ...". Part II of the Act relating to the redistribution of Electoral Districts
took effect from 16 April 1929; Part III re the Electoral Commissioner from 19 February
1929]; Part VII re the establishment of the Court of Disputed Returns (which replaced
the Legislative Assembly's Committee of Elections and Qualifications) from 22 February
1929; and Part VIII, the Miscellaneous Amendments section of the Act, from 22 March
1929.
Part II of the 1929 Act provided that the total number of Members to be elected to serve
in the Assembly would be 90 and that New South Wales would be divided into 90
Electoral Districts. It further stipulated that in carrying out the distribution of the
Electoral Districts New South Wales would be divided into three parts, the Sydney area,
the Newcastle area and the Country area. The Sydney area would be divided into 43
Electoral Districts, the Newcastle area into 5 Electoral Districts, and the Country area into
42. This artificial construct had the effect of strengthening the representation of the
country areas in the Parliament.
In 1949 the number of members of the Assembly was increased by four and the `types'
of electorates were reduced to two categories - the Sydney area and the Country area.
Newcastle was incorporated into the Country area and therefore benefited from the lower
quotas which applied in these Electorates.
A momentous Parliamentary event occurred in the 1930s when the Legislative Council
was reconstituted. From April 1934 the nominated Legislative Council was replaced by a
body elected by the proportional representation method by the Members of the
Legislative Assembly and non-retiring Members of the Legislative Council voting
together. The first ballots for the election of the 60 members of the reconstituted Council
were taken on 2 November 1933 (15 members to serve for 12 years), 16 November
1933 (15 members to serve for 9 years), 30 November 1933 (15 members to serve for 6
years), and 14 December 1933 (15 members to serve for 3 years). Thereafter one-fourth
of the members were to be elected every three years at an election to take place during
the period of six months immediately preceding the retirement of the 15 members whose
term of service was about to expire, and these members would serve for a term of 12
years.
There was one major State referendum during the first half of the twentieth century, the
one relating to the reconstitution of the Legislative Council. On 13 May 1933 electors
were asked "Do you approve of the Bill entitled 'A Bill to reform the constitution and alter
the Powers of the Legislative Council; to reduce and limit the number of Members of the
Legislative Council; to reconstitute the Legislative Council in accordance with the
reformed constitution; to amend the Constitution Act, 1902, and certain other Acts; and
for purposes connected therewith'." The electors responded in favour of the Bill.
166
State Records Authority of New South Wales
