New South Wales state election, 1965
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All 94 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 48 Assembly seats were needed for a majority |
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Legislative Assembly after the election
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8
9Bob Askin
Liberal/Country coalition
The 1965 New South Wales state election was held on 1 May 1965. It was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and was held on boundaries created at a 1961 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
In May 1965, Labor had been in power for 24 years and 54-year-old Jack Renshaw, who had been seen as a generational change for the party leadership, had been premier for one year. However, Renshaw had difficulty adjusting to a televised campaign and his manner, the result of spending much of his early life in remote New South Wales, had not resonated with urban voters. The longevity of the government was an issue promoted by the opposition which described it as being composed of "tired old men"; indeed, six members of Renshaw's cabinet were 65 years old or older, and most of them had been in cabinet during Labor's entire 24-year run in government.
Continuing cost overruns and construction delays at the Sydney Opera House detracted from the government's economic management and accusations that the Speaker, Ray Maher, had indecently exposed himself to a staff member disrupted the start of the government's campaign. In addition, the government's keynote policy of releasing large tracts of land in Sydney for residential development was leaked to the opposition, which then claimed it as its own policy. Labor continued to have an ideological difficulty matching the Opposition's promises of state aid for non-government schools and this was the most decisive issue in the election. Other government policies included increased high school bursaries, measures to reduce unfair trading, reduced power costs, increased sick leave and reform of Workers' Compensation schemes.
In contrast to Labor the leader of the conservative coalition, Bob Askin, was skillful in his use of television and put forward a positive program. Promises for non-government schools included free transport, library grants, low interest loans, textbook subsidies and bursaries. Askin accused the state government of allowing the transport infrastructure of the state to decline and pledge his government to improve the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs rail lines. He promised to integrate the state's bus and train fares and reduce suburban rail costs. Motor registry costs would be reduced and better rent control was to be introduced for pensioners Askin also promised to recruit more police and give more resources for mental health and district hospitals.
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Wikipedia