The South Metropolitan Province was a two-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in metropolitan Perth. It was one of several metropolitan seats created following the enactment of the Constitution Acts Amendment Act (No.2) 1963, and became effective on 22 May 1965. The province was very safe for the Labor Party, which held most or all of the component Assembly seats.
In 1989, the province was abolished by the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, and with two others became part of the South Metropolitan Region under the new proportional voting system.
Geography The province was made up of several complete Legislative Assembly districts, which changed at each distribution.
RedistributionPeriodElectoral districtsElectors% of State 1963–64 22 May 1965 – 22 May 1968Cockburn, East Melville, Fremantle, Melville 41,082 11.09 1966 22 May 1968 – 22 May 1974 46,073 11.14 1972 22 May 1974 – 22 May 1977 63,251 11.48 1976 22 May 1977 – 22 May 1983 63,455 10.02 1982 22 May 1983 – 22 May 1989Cockburn, Fremantle, Melville, Rockingham 65,508 9.22
Representation Members Member 1 Party Term Member 2 Party Term Ron Thompson Labor 1965–1980 Frederick Lavery Labor 1965–1971 Des Dans Labor 1971–1989 Howard Olney Labor 1980–1981 Garry Kelly Labor 1982–1989
On 16 December 1981, Labor member Howard Olney resigned in order to be appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia. At the resulting by-election on 13 March 1982, Labor candidate Garry Kelly was elected.
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