1958 Victorian Legislative Council election

Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday 21 June 1958 to elect 17 of the 34 members of the state's Legislative Council for six year terms. MLCs were elected in single-member provinces using preferential voting. This was the last time Legislative Council elections were held separately to those of the Legislative Assembly.

Results

Legislative Council

Victorian Legislative Council election, 21 June 1958[1] Legislative Council << 1955–1961 >>
Enrolled voters		1,488,293
Votes cast		1,283,665		Turnout	86.3	+8.6
Informal votes		22,085		Informal	1.7	-0.4
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held
	Labor	494,892	39.2	+0.3	5	9
	Liberal and Country	451,462	35.8	+5.3	8	17
	Democratic Labor	187,618	14.9	−1.6	0	0
	Country	69,028	5.5	-0.6	4	8
	Independent	58,580	4.6	−3.3	0	0
Total		1,261,580			17	34

Retiring Members

Democratic Labor

• Paul Jones MLC (Doutta Galla) — elected as Labor

Candidates

Sitting members are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.

Province	Held by	Labor candidates	LCP candidates	Country candidates	DLP candidates	Other candidates
Ballarat	Labor	Jack Jones	Murray Byrne		Maurice Calnin	David Milburn (Ind)
Bendigo	Labor	Arthur Smith	George Morison		Arthur White
Doutta Galla	Labor	Samuel Merrifield	Nicholas Dawe		Herbert Morris
East Yarra	Independent		Rupert Hamer		John Hoare	Sir Clifden Eager (Ind)
Gippsland	Country	Frederick Gregory		Bill Fulton	John Hansen
Higinbotham	LCP	Genevieve Mann	Sir Arthur Warner			Grace Stratton (Ind)
Melbourne	Labor	Jack O'Connell			Pat Sheehy
Melbourne North	Labor	John Walton	Gladys Brown		Jack Little
Melbourne West	Labor	Archie Todd			Bert Bailey
Monash	Labor	Gwendolyn Noad	Graham Nicol		Thomas Brennan
Northern	Country			Dudley Walters
North Eastern	Country			Ivan Swinburne
North Western	Country			Percy Byrnes		Albert Allnutt (Ind)
Southern	Labor	Roy Rawson	Raymond Garrett		Leo Mahony
South Eastern	Labor	George Tilley	Bill Mair		James Austin
South Western	Labor	Don Ferguson	Geoffrey Thom		Norman Smith
Western	Labor	David Arnott	Kenneth Gross		James Eveston

Results by province

Ballarat

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Ballarat Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Jack Jones	23,336	43.6	+0.5
	Liberal and Country	Murray Byrne	21,227	39.7	-17.2
	Democratic Labor	Maurice Calnin	5,692	10.7	+10.7
	Independent	David Milburn	3,214	6.0	+6.0
Total formal votes			53,649	98.7	-0.3
Informal votes			682	1.3	+0.3
Turnout			54,151	95.9	+1.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Murray Byrne	27,210	50.9	-6.0
	Labor	Jack Jones	26,259	49.1	+6.0
	Liberal and Country gain from Labor		Swing	-6.0

Bendigo

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Bendigo Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Arthur Smith	26,841	48.1	+8.4
	Liberal and Country	George Morison	21,591	38.7	-6.4
	Democratic Labor	Arthur White	7,368	13.2	-2.0
Total formal votes			55,800	99.0	+0.1
Informal votes			536	1.0	-0.1
Turnout			56,336	94.2	+0.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Arthur Smith	28,375	50.9	+9.3
	Liberal and Country	George Morison	27,425	49.1	-9.3
	Labor hold		Swing	+9.3

Doutta Galla

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Doutta Galla Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Samuel Merrifield	50,548	53.0	-17.5
	Liberal and Country	Nicholas Dawe	29,656	31.1	+31.1
	Democratic Labor	Herbert Morris	15,219	16.0	-13.5
Total formal votes			95,423	98.1	+1.4
Informal votes			1,858	1.9	-1.4
Turnout			97,281	92.0	+1.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Samuel Merrifield		56.2
	Liberal and Country	Nicholas Dawe		43.8
	Labor gain from Democratic Labor		Swing	N/A

• Two party preferred vote was estimated.

East Yarra

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: East Yarra Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Rupert Hamer	57,238	49.0	-6.2
	Independent	Clifden Eager	38,055	32.6	+32.6
	Democratic Labor	John Hoare	21,495	18.4	+8.3
Total formal votes			116,788	98.0	+0.1
Informal votes			2,350	2.0	-0.1
Turnout			119,138	92.5	+1.1
Two-candidate-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Rupert Hamer	75,174	64.4
	Independent	Clifden Eager	41,614	35.6
	Liberal and Country gain from Independent		Swing	N/A

Gippsland

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Gippsland Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Country	Bill Fulton	36,878	56.1	-16.1
	Labor	Frederick Gregory	19,645	29.9	+29.9
	Democratic Labor	John Hansen	9,191	14.0	-13.8
Total formal votes			65,714	98.7	+0.7
Informal votes			883	1.3	-0.7
Turnout			66,597	93.4	+2.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Bill Fulton		67.3
	Labor	Frederick Gregory		32.7
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

• Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Higinbotham

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Higinbotham Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Arthur Warner	64,984	59.3	-40.7
	Labor	Genevieve Mann	38,174	34.9	+34.9
	Independent	Grace Stratton	6,345	5.9	+5.9
Total formal votes			109,503	98.2
Informal votes			2,035	1.8
Turnout			111,538	92.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Arthur Warner		62.3
	Labor	Genevieve Mann		37.7
	Liberal and Country hold		Swing	N/A

• Two party preferred vote was estimated.

Melbourne

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Jack O'Connell	30,298	68.7	+5.4
	Democratic Labor	Maurie Sheehy	13,784	31.3	-5.4
Total formal votes			44,082	96.5	-0.1
Informal votes			1,603	3.5	+0.1
Turnout			45,685	88.3	-0.7
	Labor hold		Swing	+5.4

• Maurie Sheehy was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Melbourne North

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne North Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	John Walton	69,982	52.8	-12.5
	Liberal and Country	Gladys Brown	37,369	28.2	+28.2
	Democratic Labor	Jack Little	25,208	19.0	+3.2
Total formal votes			132,559	98.2	+0.3
Informal votes			2,359	1.8	-0.3
Turnout			134,918	92.9	-0.1
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	John Walton		56.6
	Liberal and Country	Gladys Brown		43.4
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

• Two party preferred vote was estimated.
• Jack Little was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Melbourne West

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Melbourne West Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labor	Archie Todd	64,209	71.3	+1.4
	Democratic Labor	Bert Bailey	25,797	28.7	-1.4
Total formal votes			90,006	97.6	+0.3
Informal votes			2,228	2.4	-0.3
Turnout			92,234	92.4	+0.1
	Labor hold		Swing	+1.4

• Bert Bailey was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Monash

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Monash Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Graham Nicol	43,317	49.6	-11.9
	Labor	Gwendolyn Noad	26,847	30.7	-7.8
	Democratic Labor	Thomas Brennan	17,249	19.7	+19.7
Total formal votes			87,411	97.8	-0.5
Informal votes			1,925	2.2	+0.5
Turnout			89,336	89.3	+3.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Graham Nicol	58,490	66.9	+5.4
	Labor	Gwendolyn Noad	28,921	33.1	-5.4
	Liberal and Country gain from Democratic Labor		Swing	+5.4

• Thomas Brennan was elected in 1952 as a member of Labor, then defected to the DLP in 1955.

Northern

Victorian Legislative Council Election, 1958: Northern Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Country	Dudley Walters	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

North-Eastern

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: North Eastern Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Country	Ivan Swinburne	unopposed
	Country hold		Swing

North-Western

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: North Western Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Country	Percy Byrnes	32,150	74.6	-25.4
	Independent	Albert Allnutt	10,966	25.4	+25.4
Total formal votes			43,116	98.4
Informal votes			699	1.6
Turnout			43,815	93.9
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

Southern

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Southern Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Raymond Garrett	68,095	46.9	-5.6
	Labor	Roy Rawson	60,691	41.8	+4.8
	Democratic Labor	Leo Mahony	16,372	11.3	+0.8
Total formal votes			145,158	98.5	+0.1
Informal votes			2,233	1.5	-0.1
Turnout			147,391	92.4	+0.8
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Raymond Garrett	82,395	56.8	-5.2
	Labor	Roy Rawson	62,763	43.2	+5.2
	Liberal and Country gain from Labor		Swing	-5.2

South-Eastern

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: South Eastern Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Bill Mair	51,103	50.7	+0.9
	Labor	George Tilley	34,896	34.6	+34.6
	Democratic Labor	James Austin	14,898	14.8	-11.8
Total formal votes			100,897	98.4	+0.9
Informal votes			1,608	1.6	-0.9
Turnout			102,505	92.6	+2.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Bill Mair		63.3	N/A
	Labor	George Tilley		36.7	N/A
	Liberal and Country gain from Labor		Swing	N/A

• Two party preferred vote was estimated.

South-Western

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: South Western Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Geoffrey Thom	31,878	46.4	-7.5
	Labor	Don Ferguson	28,510	41.5	+11.4
	Democratic Labor	Norman Smith	8,298	12.1	-4.0
Total formal votes			68,686	99.1	+0.2
Informal votes			645	0.9	-0.2
Turnout			69,331	93.6	+1.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Geoffrey Thom	38,909	56.6	-11.6
	Labor	Don Ferguson	29,777	43.4	+11.6
	Liberal and Country gain from Labor		Swing	-11.6

Western

Victorian Legislative Council election, 1958: Western Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal and Country	Kenneth Gross	25,004	47.2	-1.6
	Labor	David Arnott	20,917	39.5	+8.6
	Democratic Labor	James Eveston	7,047	13.3	+2.1
Total formal votes			52,968	99.2	+0.3
Informal votes			441	0.8	-0.3
Turnout			53,409	95.5	+4.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal and Country	Kenneth Gross	30,563	57.7	-8.9
	Labor	David Arnott	22,405	42.3	+8.9
	Liberal and Country gain from Labor		Swing	-8.9

See also

• 1958 Victorian state election

References

1. Carr, Adam. "Victorian Legislative Council election of 21 June 1958". Psephos.