Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 17 May 1969 to elect the 78 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland.
The Country–Liberal Coalition won its fifth consecutive victory since it won government in 1957. It was also the Coalition's first victory under new leader Joh Bjelke-Petersen after the brief premierships of Gordon Chalk and Jack Pizzey, who in turn had succeeded Frank Nicklin when he had retired the previous year.
The election campaign was characterised by tension between the governing coalition partners.
Key dates
Date Event 8 April 1969 The Legislative Assembly was dissolved and writs were issued. 17 April 1969 Close of nominations. 17 May 1969 Polling day, between the hours of 8am and 6pm. 29 May 1969 The Bjelke-Petersen Ministry was reconstituted. 21 June 1969 The writ was returned and the results formally declared. 30 June 1969 Deadline for return of the writs. 5 August 1969 Parliament resumed for business.
Candidates
By the close of nominations on 17 April, 247 candidates had nominated—two more than at the 1966 election. The Courier-Mail reported the following split of candidates by party:
Party Candidates ALP 77 DLP 61 Liberal 44 Country 39 Social Credit 3 Communist 2 NQP (Aikens) 1 Independent 20
Six of the 78 seats—Albert, Bundaberg, Cairns, South Coast, Toowoomba West and Townsville North—had three-cornered contests between the Labor, Liberal and Country parties.
Results
The election resulted in another win for the Coalition, but a strengthening of the Country Party's position vis-a-vis the Liberal Party. Labor gained back two seats held by ex-Labor ministers who had defected in the 1957 split when both retired, and gained one seat off each of the coalition partners; however, the Country party gained the seat of Burdekin following the conservative independent incumbent's retirement. Labor retained Isis, which it had gained unexpectedly at a November 1968 by-election from the Country Party following Premier Jack Pizzey's death.
Seats changing hands Seat Pre-1969 Swing Post-1969 Party Member Margin Margin Member PartyBundaberg Independent Ted Walsh 3.5 v ALP N/A 8.1 v CP Lou Jensen Labor Burdekin Independent Arthur Coburn 8.5 v LIB N/A 4.2 v ALP Val Bird Country Cook Independent Bunny Adair 5.2 v ALP N/A 6.1 v CP Bill Wood Labor Logan Country Dick Wood 3.2 –4.8 1.6 Ted Baldwin Labor Rockhampton South Liberal Rex Pilbeam 6.7 –8.9 2.2 Keith Wright Labor
Members listed in italics did not recontest their seats. In addition, Labor retained the seat of Isis, which it had won from the Country party at the 1968 by-election.
Post-election pendulum
Country/Liberal seats (45)MarginalHawthorneBill KausLIB0.02%BowenPeter DelamotheLIB1.4%WindsorBob MooreLIB1.5%AshgroveDouglas ToothLIB2.8%BurdekinVal BirdCP4.2%MurrumbaDavid NicholsonCP4.2%MiraniTom NewberyCP4.5%WavellArthur CrawfordLIB4.8%KurilpaClive HughesLIB4.9%FlindersBill LongeranCP5.1%AspleyFred CampbellLIB5.5%Fairly safeCallideVincent JonesCP6.8%IthacaCol MillerLIB6.8%NundahWilliam KnoxLIB6.8%MerthyrRay RamsdenLIB7.3%Mount GravattGeoff ChinchenLIB7.8%YerongaNorm LeeLIB8.6%ChatsworthBill HewittLIB8.7%WhitsundayRon CammCP8.7%BalonneHarold HungerfordCP8.9%RedcliffeJim HoughtonCP9.3%MulgraveRoy ArmstrongCP9.8%SomersetHarold RichterCP9.9%SafeClayfieldJohn MurrayLIB10.3%WarwickDavid CoryCP10.5%MackenzieNeville HewittCP11.3%South CoastRuss HinzeCP12.4% v LIBGreenslopesKeith HooperLIB12.6%GregoryWally RaeCP12.7%FassifernSelwyn MullerCP13.4%SherwoodJohn HerbertLIB13.6%RomaKen TomkinsCP14.1%CarnarvonHenry McKechnieCP14.4%HinchinbrookJohn RowCP14.9%GympieMax HodgesCP15.3%BurnettClaude WhartonCP15.9%ToowongCharles PorterLIB17.3%CoorooraDavid LowCP17.6%Mount Coot-thaBill LickissLIB18.5%LandsboroughMike AhernCP18.7%CunninghamAlan FletcherCP19.2%Very safeLockyerGordon ChalkLIB20.7% v INDAlbertCec CareyCP25.2%CondamineVic SullivanCP25.2%BarambahJoh Bjelke-PetersenCP28.2% Labor seats (31)MarginalToowoomba WestRay BousenALP0.6%Townsville NorthPerc TuckerALP0.7%LoganTed BaldwinALP1.6%Rockhampton SouthKeith WrightALP2.2%TablelandsEdwin Wallis-SmithALP2.4%IsisJim BlakeALP4.4%WarregoJack AikenALP4.5%NormanFred BromleyALP4.6%Toowoomba EastPeter WoodALP4.6%Fairly safe CookBill WoodALP6.1% Ipswich WestVi JordanALP6.3% MourilyanPeter MooreALP6.9% MaryboroughHorace DaviesALP7.5% BundabergLou JensenALP8.1% BarcooEugene O'DonnellALP8.4% BelmontFred NewtonALP8.8% BrisbaneBrian DavisALP8.8% Ipswich EastEvan MarginsonALP9.5%Safe MackayEd CaseyALP10.5% KedronEric LloydALP11.6% South BrisbaneCol BennettALP12.3% BurkeAlex InchALP13.0% WynnumEdward HarrisALP13.2% NudgeeJack MelloyALP13.9% SandgateHarold DeanALP14.7% CairnsRay JonesALP15.5% BaroonaPat HanlonALP15.7% Rockhampton NorthMerv ThackerayALP17.4% BulimbaJack HoustonALP17.8% Very safeSalisburyDoug SherringtonALP20.5%Port CurtisMartin HansonALP31.3% v DLPCrossbench seats (2)Townsville SouthTom AikensIND9.2% v ALPAubignyLes DiplockDLP13.2% v CP
See also Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1966–1969 Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1969–1972 Bjelke-Petersen Ministry
References