# 1898 New South Wales colonial election

The 1898 New South Wales colonial election was held on 27 July 1898 for all of the 125 seats in the 18th New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in single-member constituencies with a first past the post voting system. Section 23 (1) of the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act of 1893 conferred a right to vote on 'every male person, being a natural born [British] subject, who shall have resided or had his principal place of abode in New South Wales for a continuous period of one year'. The 18th parliament of New South Wales was dissolved on 8 July 1898 by the Governor, Lord Hampden, on the advice of the Premier, George Reid.
The Protectionist Party, the main Opposition, contested this election under the name "National Federal Party", reflecting the party's focus on Federation as an issue at the election.

## Key dates

| Date | Event |
| 8 July 1898 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 18 – 22 July 1898 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed at noon. |
| 27 July 1898 | Polling day. |
| 16 August 1898 | Opening of 18th Parliament. |

## Results

New South Wales colonial election, 27 July 1898  Legislative Assembly
<< 1895–1901 >> :
| Enrolled voters | Enrolled voters | 301,989 | | | | |
| Votes cast | Votes cast | 176,998 | | Turnout | 58.61 | −1.31 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,638 | | Informal | 0.92 | +0.04 |
| Summary of votes by party |||||||
| Party | Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | National Federal | 76,161 | 43.03 | +9.60 | 52 | +10 |
| | Free Trade | 58,214 | 32.89 | −4.26 | 45 | −13 |
| | Labour | 21,556 | 12.18 | −1.02 | 19 | +1 |
| | Independent Federalist | 12,443 | 7.03 | +2.71 | 4 | +2 |
| | Independent | 5,290 | 2.99 | −0.38 | 4 | +4 |
| | Ind. Free Trade | 3,325 | 1.88 | −5.44 | 1 | −3 |
| | Independent Labour | 9 | 0.01 | −1.21 | 0 | −1 |
| Total | Total | 176,998 | | | 125 | |
Popular vote
Nat. Federal
43.03%
Free Trade
32.89%
Labor
12.18%
Ind. Federalist
7.03%
Independent
2.99%
Ind. Free Trade
1.88%
Ind. Labor
0.01%
Parliamentary seats
Nat. Federal
52
Free Trade
45
Labor
19
Ind. Federalist
4
Independent
4
Ind. Free Trade
1 :

## Retiring members
### National Federal

* Michael Phillips MLA (Cowra)

### Free Trade

* George Greene MLA (Grenfell)
* Leslie Hollis MLA (Goulburn)
* Adrian Knox MLA (Woollahra)

### Labor

* Thomas Davis MLA (Sydney-Pyrmont)
* George Smailes MLA (Granville)

## Changing seats

Seats changing hands :
| Seat | 1895 | 1895 | 1895 | 1898 | 1898 | 1898 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Party | Party | Member |
| Albury | | Free Trade | Richard Ball | | National Federal | Thomas Griffith |
| Armidale | | Free Trade | Edmund Lonsdale | | National Federal | Charles Wilson |
| Ashfield | | Free Trade | Thomas Bavister | | National Federal | Bernhard Wise |
| Bathurst | | Free Trade | Sydney Smith | | National Federal | Francis Suttor |
| Bourke | | Free Trade | Edward Millen | | National Federal | William Davis |
| Burwood | | Free Trade | William McMillan | | Ind. Free Trade | William Archer |
| Camden | | Free Trade | Charles Bull | | National Federal | John Kidd |
| Cobar | | National Federal | Thomas Waddell | | Labour | William Spence |
| Darlington | | National Federal | William Schey | | Free Trade | Thomas Clarke |
| Durham | | National Federal | Herbert Brown | | Independent Federalist | Walter Bennett |
| Granville | | Labour | George Smailes | | Free Trade | John Nobbs |
| Grenfell | | Ind. Free Trade | George Greene | | Labour | William Holman |
| Mudgee | | Free Trade | Robert Jones | | National Federal | Edwin Richards |
| Narrabri | | Free Trade | Charles Collins | | Labour | Hugh Ross |
| The Nepean | | National Federal | Thomas Smith | | Free Trade | Samuel Lees |
| Northumberland | | Free Trade | Henry Wheeler | | National Federal | Richard Stevenson |
| Parramatta | | Free Trade | Dowell O'Reilly | | Independent Federalist | William Ferris |
| Petersham | | Free Trade | Llewellyn Jones | | National Federal | John Cohen |
| Ryde | | Free Trade | Frank Farnell | | Independent Federalist | Edward Terry |
| Sherbrooke | | Free Trade | Jacob Garrard | | National Federal | Broughton O'Conor |
| The Shoalhaven | | Ind. Free Trade | Philip Morton | | Independent Federalist | David Davis |
| Singleton | | Free Trade | Albert Gould | | National Federal | Charles Dight |
| Sydney-Bligh | | Free Trade | James Harvey | | National Federal | Patrick Quinn |
| Sydney-Fitzroy | | Ind. Free Trade | John McElhone | | Free Trade | Henry Chapman |
| Sydney-Gipps | | Labour | George Black | | National Federal | Wilfred Spruson |
| Tamworth | | Free Trade | Albert Piddington | | National Federal | William Sawers |
| Tumut | | National Federal | Travers Jones | | Independent | Robert Donaldson |
| The Tweed | | National Federal | Joseph Kelly | | Independent | Richard Meagher |
| Members changing party |||||||
| Seat | 1895 | 1895 | 1895 | 1898 | 1898 | 1898 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Party | Party | Member |
| Bega | | Independent Federalist | Henry Clarke | | National Federal | Henry Clarke |
| Paddington | | Ind. Free Trade | John Neild | | Free Trade | John Neild |
| Quirindi | | National Federal | Robert Levien | | Independent | Robert Levien |
| Raleigh | | Independent Federalist | John McLaughlin | | Independent | John McLaughlin |
| Uralla-Walcha | | Free Trade | William Piddington | | National Federal | William Piddington |
| Warringah | | Free Trade | Dugald Thomson | | National Federal | Dugald Thomson |
| Woronora | | Independent Labour | John Nicholson | | Free Trade | John Nicholson |