1915 South Australian state election

1915 South Australian state election

← 1912 27 March 1915 (1915-03-27) 1918 →

All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly
24 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Crawford Vaughan Archibald Peake
Party Labor Liberal Union
Leader since 1913 5 June 1909
Leader's seat Sturt Alexandra
Last election 16 seats 24 seats
Seats won 26 seats 20 seats
Seat change Increase10 Decrease4
Percentage 45.90% 51.58%
Swing Decrease0.88 Increase0.17

Premier before election

Archibald Peake
Liberal Union

Elected Premier

Crawford Vaughan
Labor

State elections were held in South Australia on 27 March 1915. All 46 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Union government led by Premier of South Australia Archibald Peake was defeated by the opposition United Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Crawford Vaughan. Each district elected multiple members, with voters casting multiple votes.

A redistribution in 1913 was forced by the enlargement of the House of Assembly to 46 members. The state was divided into 19 electoral districts: eight 3-member, eleven 2-member. The redistribution's intention failed as it was meant to assist the Liberal Union.[1]

The United Labor Party became the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) on 14 September 1917.[2]

The National Labor Party, a splinter group of the ALP, formed in 1917 state and federally over the issue of conscription. The ALP had elected 26 of 46 Assembly members at the 1915 election, all but seven ALP MPs defected to National Labor. The ALP had 7 of 20 Council members, four defected. Seven MPs of the renamed National Party were re-elected at the 1918 election.

House of Assembly (FPTP) — Turnout 75.0% (Non-CV) — Informal 1.1%
  Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Liberal Union 171,993 51.58 +0.17 20 -4
  United Labor Party 153,034 45.90 -0.88 26 +10
  Independent 8,405 2.52 +0.71 0 0
  Total 333,432     46 +6
  United Labor Party Win 26 +10
  Liberal Union 20 -4