View source for 1959 Western Australian state election

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1959 Western Australian state election
| country = Western Australia
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1956 Western Australian state election
| previous_year = 1956
| next_election = 1962 Western Australian state election
| next_year = 1962
| seats_for_election = All 50 seats in the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly]]<br /><small>26 Assembly seats were needed for a majority</small>
| election_date = {{Start date|df=yes|1959|03|21}}

<!-- Liberal/Country coalition -->
| image1 = [[File:DavidBrand1963.jpg|150x150px]]
| leader1 = [[David Brand]]
| leader_since1 = 1 March 1957
| party1 = Liberal/Country coalition
| leaders_seat1 = [[Electoral district of Greenough|Greenough]]
| popular_vote1 =
| percentage1 = 44.03%
| swing1 = {{increase}}5.65
| last_election1 = 19 seats
| seats1 = 25 seats
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}6

<!-- Australian Labor Party -->
| image2 = [[File:Albert_Hawke_1965.jpg|150x150px]]
| leader2 = [[Albert Hawke]]
| leader_since2 = 3 July 1951
| party2 = Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)
| leaders_seat2 = [[Electoral district of Northam|Northam]] 
| popular_vote2 =
| percentage2 = 44.92%
| swing2 = {{decrease}}4.78
| last_election2 = 29 seats
| seats2 = 23 seats
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}6
| title = [[Premier of Western Australia|Premier]]
| posttitle = Resulting Premier
| before_election = [[Albert Hawke]] 
| before_party = Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)
| after_election = [[David Brand]]
| after_party = Liberal/Country coalition
}}Elections were held in the [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of [[Western Australia]] on 21 March 1959 to elect all 50 members to the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]. The result was a [[hung parliament]]—the two-term [[Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch)|Labor]] government, led by [[Premier of Western Australia|Premier]] [[Albert Hawke]], was defeated with an average swing against it of about 7 per cent, but the [[Liberal and Country League (Western Australia)|Liberal]]-[[National Party of Australia (WA)|Country Party]] coalition, led by [[Leader of the Opposition (Western Australia)|Opposition Leader]] [[David Brand]], won exactly half of the seats, and needed the support of at least one of the two Independent Liberal members to obtain a majority in the Assembly. The situation remained precarious throughout the term—while [[Bill Grayden]] joined the LCL the following year, giving the Coalition a one-seat majority, the other Independent Liberal, [[Edward Oldfield]], joined the Labor Party.

==Results==
{{see also|Results of the Western Australian state election, 1959 (Legislative Assembly)}}

{{Australian elections/Title row
| title        = Western Australian state election, 21 March 1959
| house        = [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]
| series       = Western Australian state election
| back         = 1956
| forward      = 1962
| enrolled     = 292,596{{ref label|cont|1|1}}
| total_votes  = 269,322
| turnout %    = 92.05%
| turnout chg  = –0.13%
| informal     = 6,937
| informal %   = 2.58%
| informal chg = –0.26%
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |party_id    = Labor WA
  |votes       = 117,861
  |votes %     = 44.92%
  |votes chg   = –4.78%
  |seats       = 23
  |seats chg   = – 6
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |government  = yes
  |party_id    = LCL WA
  |votes       = 98,335
  |votes %     = 37.48%
  |votes chg   = +4.34%
  |seats       = 17
  |seats chg   = + 6
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |government  = yes
  |party_id    = WA Country
  |votes       = 17,179
  |votes %     = 6.55%
  |votes chg   = +1.31%
  |seats       = 8
  |seats chg   = ± 0
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |party_id    = dlp
  |votes       = 13,436
  |votes %     = 5.12%
  |votes chg   = +5.12%
  |seats       = 0
  |seats chg   = ± 0
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |party_id    = Nationalist
  |party       = Ind. Lib.
  |votes       = 10,008
  |votes %     = 3.81%
  |votes chg   = –2.92%
  |seats       = 2
  |seats chg   = ± 0
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |party_id    = Communist
  |votes       = 2,216
  |votes %     = 0.84%
  |votes chg   = +0.35%
  |seats       = 0
  |seats chg   = ± 0
}}
{{Australian elections/Party summary|
  |party_id    = Independent
  |votes       = 3,350
  |votes %     = 1.28%
  |votes chg   = –3.42%
  |seats       = 0
  |seats chg   = ± 0
}}
{{Australian elections/Total row |
  |total_votes = 262,385
  |total_seats = 50
}}
|}

:{{note label|cont|1|1}} 362,629 electors were enrolled to vote at the election, but 11 seats (22% of the total) were uncontested—2 Labor seats (three less than 1956) representing 16,115 enrolled voters, 5 LCL seats (the same as 1956) representing 33,484 enrolled voters, and 4 Country seats (two less than 1956) representing 20,434 enrolled voters.

==See also==
* [[Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1956–1959]]
* [[Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1959–1962]]
* [[Candidates of the 1959 Western Australian state election]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Western Australian elections}}

[[Category:Elections in Western Australia]]
[[Category:1959 elections in Australia|Western Australian state election]]
[[Category:1950s in Western Australia|State election, 1959]]
[[Category:March 1959 events in Australia|Western Australian state election]]