Results of the 1971 Western Australian state election (Legislative Council)

Western Australian state election, 20 February 1971 Legislative Council
Enrolled voters		537,122
Votes cast		489,911		Turnout	91.21%	–1.08%
Informal votes		25,084		Informal	5.12%	+0.63%
Summary of votes by party
Party		Primary votes	%	Swing	Seats won	Seats held
	Labor	217,465	46.78%	+0.12%	4	10
	Liberal	127,191	27.36%	–9.64%	9	13
	Country	25,035	5.39%	–6.19%	2	7
	Democratic Labor	67,891	14.61%	+12.17%	0	0
	United Farmers	5,782	1.24%	+1.24%	0	0
	Independent	21,463	4.62%	+2.26%	0	0
Total		464,827			15	30

This is a list of electoral region results for the Western Australian Legislative Council in the 1971 Western Australian state election.

Results by Electoral province

Central

1971 Western Australian state election: Central Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Norm Baxter	6,089	36.8	−63.2
	Labor	Colin Paterson	5,036	30.5	+30.5
	Liberal	Mervyn Cornish	3,066	18.5	+18.5
	United Farmers	Frederick Keast	1,510	9.1	+9.1
	Democratic Labor	Jeoffry Carton	838	5.1	+5.1
Total formal votes			16,539	94.4
Informal votes			981	5.6
Turnout			17,520	87.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Norm Baxter	10,044	60.7	−39.3
	Labor	Colin Paterson	6,495	39.3	+39.3
	Country hold		Swing	N/A

Lower Central

1971 Western Australian state election: Lower Central Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ross Field	6,477	39.6	+12.1
	Country	Thomas Perry	5,159	31.5	−41.0
	Liberal	Byron Hardie	1,948	11.9	+11.9
	Democratic Labor	George Blake	967	5.9	+5.9
	United Farmers	Leon Day	884	5.4	+5.4
	Independent	Murray Ward	584	3.6	+3.6
	Independent	Samuel Crook	337	2.1	+2.1
Total formal votes			16,356	93.5	−2.9
Informal votes			1,134	6.5	+2.9
Turnout			17,490	94.3	+0.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Thomas Perry	8,239	50.4	−22.1
	Labor	Ross Field	8,117	49.6	+22.1
	Country hold		Swing	−22.1

Lower North

1971 Western Australian state election: Lower North Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Stan Dellar	1,929	47.4	+0.9
	Liberal	George Brand	1,839	45.2	−4.0
	Democratic Labor	George Jensen	298	7.3	+3.0
Total formal votes			4,066	95.7	−1.0
Informal votes			183	4.3	+1.0
Turnout			4,249	82.9	+1.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Labor	Stan Dellar	2,035	50.1	+1.1
	Liberal	George Brand	2,031	49.9	−1.1
	Labor gain from Liberal		Swing	+1.1

Lower West

1971 Western Australian state election: Lower West Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	John Dawkins	9,704	48.1	+48.1
	Liberal	Neil McNeill	9,071	44.9	−55.1
	Democratic Labor	Robert Burns	1,418	7.0	+7.0
Total formal votes			20,193	95.9	+0.2
Informal votes			865	4.1
Turnout			21,058	93.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Neil McNeill	10,184	50.4	−49.6
	Labor	John Dawkins	10,009	49.6	+49.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Metropolitan

1971 Western Australian state election: Metropolitan Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	John Williams	25,258	45.3	−54.7
	Labor	Garry Kelly	19,470	35.0	+35.0
	Independent	William Marks	5,689	10.2	+10.2
	Democratic Labor	Peter McGowan	5,281	9.5	+9.5
Total formal votes			55,698	95.4
Informal votes			2,706	4.6
Turnout			58,404	88.6
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	John Williams	32,601	58.5	−41.5
	Labor	Garry Kelly	23,097	41.5	+41.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

North

1971 Western Australian state election: North Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Bill Withers	2,783	44.7	−55.3
	Labor	Robert Archer	2,744	44.1	+44.1
	Democratic Labor	George Gaunt	697	11.2	+11.2
Total formal votes			6,224	94.3
Informal votes			374	5.7
Turnout			6,598	78.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Bill Withers	3,328	53.5	−46.5
	Labor	Robert Archer	2,896	46.5	+46.5
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

North Metropolitan

1971 Western Australian state election: North Metropolitan Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Gilbert Currie	32,126	45.9	−4.5
	Liberal	Arthur Griffith	29,694	42.4	−7.2
	Democratic Labor	Adrian Briffa	8,239	11.8	+11.8
Total formal votes			70,059	95.7	+0.2
Informal votes			3,138	4.3	−0.2
Turnout			73,197	91.6	−0.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Arthur Griffith	36,791	52.5	+2.9
	Labor	Gilbert Currie	33,268	47.5	−2.9
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.9

North-East Metropolitan

1971 Western Australian state election: North-East Metropolitan Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Lyla Elliott	43,865	66.8	−33.2
	Liberal	Walter Staniforth	21,839	33.2	+33.2
Total formal votes			65,704	93.6
Informal votes			4,519	6.4
Turnout			70,223	91.4
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

South

1971 Western Australian state election: South Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Sydney Hatfield	6,757	33.9	+33.9
	Liberal	David Wordsworth	6,095	30.6	−69.4
	Country	Marshall Hood	4,554	22.9	+22.9
	Democratic Labor	Brian Burns	1,285	6.5	+6.5
	United Farmers	Thomas Oakey	1,233	6.2	+6.2
Total formal votes			19,924	95.0
Informal votes			1,050	5.0
Turnout			20,974	93.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	David Wordsworth	11,429	57.4	−42.6
	Labor	Sydney Hatfield	8,495	42.6	+42.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

South Metropolitan

1971 Western Australian state election: South Metropolitan Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Des Dans	28,878	52.8	−6.2
	Independent	Shirley de la Hunty	13,887	25.4	+25.4
	Democratic Labor	Yvonne Van Wees	11,897	21.8	+21.8
Total formal votes			54,662	94.9	−0.6
Informal votes			2,946	5.1	+0.6
Turnout			57,608	92.1	−0.4
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

• Preferences were not distributed.

South East Province

1971 Western Australian state election: South-East Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Ron Leeson	11,540	66.0	−34.0
	Democratic Labor	Leo McGuire	5,704	34.0	+34.0
Total formal votes			17,244	93.8
Informal votes			1,147	6.2
Turnout			18,391	89.7
	Labor hold		Swing	N/A

South-East Metropolitan

1971 Western Australian state election: South-East Metropolitan Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Donald Bennewith	24,755	45.0	−2.0
	Liberal	Clive Griffiths	23,749	43.2	−0.2
	Democratic Labor	Alan Crofts	6,457	11.8	+2.2
Total formal votes			54,961	95.6	−0.2
Informal votes			2,553	4.4	+0.2
Turnout			57,514	91.2	−0.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Clive Griffiths	29,264	53.2	+5.4
	Labor	Donald Bennewith	25,697	46.8	−5.4
	Liberal hold		Swing	+5.4

South West

1971 Western Australian state election: South-West Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	George Smart	6,531	38.2	+38.2
	Liberal	Vic Ferry	5,954	34.8	−65.2
	Country	Keith Nix	2,481	14.5	+14.5
	United Farmers	Rex Newbold	1,148	6.7	+6.7
	Democratic Labor	Leslie Ramsay	788	4.6	+4.6
	Independent	Doris Callow	187	1.1	+1.1
Total formal votes			17,089	94.2
Informal votes			1,050	5.8
Turnout			18,139	93.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Vic Ferry	8,586	50.2	−49.8
	Labor	George Smart	8,503	49.8	+49.8
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

Upper West

1971 Western Australian state election: Upper West Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Jack Heitman	7,268	37.0	+37.0
	Labor	Jeff Carr	6,176	31.4	+31.4
	Country	Ronald Elphick	3,386	17.2	−82.8
	Democratic Labor	Daniel Carney	1,038	5.3	+5.3
	United Farmers	John Norris	1,007	5.1	+5.1
	Independent	John Walton	779	4.0	+4.0
Total formal votes			19,654	94.0
Informal votes			1,245	6.0
Turnout			20,899	92.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Jack Heitman	11,791	60.0	+60.0
	Labor	Jeff Carr	7,863	40.0	+40.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

West Province

1971 Western Australian state election: West Province

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	Clifford Hunt	11,477	43.4	−0.3
	Liberal	Charles Abbey	10,466	39.6	+39.6
	Country	George Spriggs	3,366	12.7	−43.6
	Democratic Labor	Johannes Jutte	1,145	4.3	+4.3
Total formal votes			26,454	95.5	+1.8
Informal votes			1,193	4.5	−1.8
Turnout			27,647	91.4	−3.4
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Charles Abbey	14,055	53.1	+53.1
	Labor	Clifford Hunt	12,399	46.9	+3.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	N/A

See also

• Results of the Western Australian state election, 1971 (Legislative Assembly)
• 1971 Western Australian state election
• Candidates of the Western Australian state election, 1971
• Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council, 1971–1974