# 1930 New South Wales state election

The 1930 New South Wales state election was held on 25 October 1930. The election was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting. The election occurred at the height of the Great Depression and was a landslide victory for the expansionary monetary policies of Jack Lang.
As a result of the election, the Nationalist/Country Party coalition government of Thomas Bavin and Ernest Buttenshaw was defeated and the Labor party, led by Jack Lang, formed government with a parliamentary majority of 20. The Parliament first met on 25 November 1930, and had a maximum term of 3 years. However it was dissolved after only 18 months on 18 May 1932 when the Governor, Sir Philip Game dismissed the Premier Jack Lang and commissioned Bertram Stevens to form a caretaker government. Thomas Bavin was the Leader of the Opposition until 5 April 1932 when he was replaced by Bertram Stevens. Michael Bruxner replaced Buttenshaw as leader of the Country Party in early 1932.

## Key dates

| Date | Event |
| 18 September 1930 | The Legislative Assembly was dissolved, and writs were issued by the Governor to proceed with an election. |
| 2 October 1930 | Nominations for candidates for the election closed. |
| 25 October 1930 | Polling day. |
| 4 November 1930 | Third Lang ministry sworn in. |
| 21 November 1930 | Writs returned. |
| 23 June 1932 | Opening of 29th Parliament. |

## Results

New South Wales state election, 25 October 1930 Legislative Assembly
<< 1927–1932 >> :
| Enrolled voters | Enrolled voters | 1,428,648 | | | | |
| Votes cast | Votes cast | 1,325,945 | | Turnout | 94.94 | +12.4 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 30,478 | | Informal | 2.25 | +0.94 |
| Summary of votes by party |||||||
| Party | Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | 729,914 | 55.05 | +12.05 | 55 | +15 |
| | Nationalist | 404,405 | 30.50 | –7.98 | 23 | –10 |
| | Country | 126,779 | 9.56 | +0.67 | 12 | –1 |
| | Australian | 27,493 | 2.07 | +2.07 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Communist | 10,445 | 0.79 | +0.79 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Independent Labor | 7,186 | 0.54 | –2.30 | 0 | –2 |
| | Independent Country | 3,298 | 0.25 | –0.13 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Ind. Nationalist | 977 | 0.07 | –2.58 | 0 | –2 |
| | Independents | 15,448 | 1.17 | –1.95 | 0 | ±0 |
| Total | Total | 1,325,945 | | | 90 | |
Popular vote
Labor
55.05%
Nationalist
30.50%
Country
9.56%
Australian
2.07%
Others
2.82%
Parliamentary seats
Labor
55
Nationalist
23
Country
12 :

## Changing seats

Seats changing hands :
| Seat | 1927 | 1927 | 1927 | 1927 | 1930 | 1930 | 1930 |
| Seat | Party | Party | Member | Note | Member | Party | Party |
| Albury | | Nationalist | John Ross | Defeated as Independent. | Joseph Fitzgerald | United Australia | |
| Alexandria | | Labor | Bill Ratcliffe | District abolished, won Barwon. | District abolished, won Barwon. | District abolished, won Barwon. | District abolished, won Barwon. |
| Arncliffe | Arncliffe | Arncliffe | Arncliffe | New district | Joseph Cahill | Labor | |
| Ashburnham | | Nationalist | Edmund Best | Defeated | William Keast | Labor | |
| Balmain | | Independent Labor | H. V. Evatt | Appointed to the High Court. | John Quirk | Labor | |
| Barwon | | Nationalist | Walter Wearne | Retired | Bill Ratcliffe | Labor | |
| Bondi | | Ind. Nationalist | Harold Jaques | Defeated as Nationalist. | Abe Landa | Labor | |
| Botany | | Independent Labor | Thomas Mutch | Defeated | Bob Heffron | Labor | |
| Bulli | Bulli | Bulli | Bulli | New district | Andrew Lysaght | Labor | |
| Casino | Casino | Casino | Casino | New district | John Reid | Country | |
| Castlereagh | | Country | Harold Thorby | Defeated for Dubbo | Joseph Clark | Labor | |
| Cobar | Cobar | Cobar | Cobar | New district | Mat Davidson | Labor | |
| Concord | Concord | Concord | Concord | New district | Henry McDicken | Labor | |
| Drummoyne | | Nationalist | John Lee | Defeated | David McLelland | Labor | |
| Dubbo | Dubbo | Dubbo | Dubbo | New district | Alfred McClelland | Labor | |
| Dulwich Hill | | Nationalist | John Ness | Defeated | Frank Connors | Labor | |
| Eastwood | | Nationalist | David Anderson | District abolished, defeated for Ryde. | District abolished, defeated for Ryde. | District abolished, defeated for Ryde. | District abolished, defeated for Ryde. |
| Enmore | | Labor | Joe Lamaro | District abolished, won Petersham. | District abolished, won Petersham. | District abolished, won Petersham. | District abolished, won Petersham. |
| Georges River | Georges River | Georges River | Georges River | New district | Ted Kinsella | Labor | |
| Kahibah | | Labor | Hugh Connell | District abolished, woin Hamilton. | District abolished, woin Hamilton. | District abolished, woin Hamilton. | District abolished, woin Hamilton. |
| Kogarah | Kogarah | Kogarah | Kogarah | New district | Mark Gosling | Labor | |
| North Sydney | | Nationalist | Ernest Marks | Defeated | Ben Howe | Labor | |
| Parramatta | | Nationalist | Herbert Lloyd | Defeated | Joseph Byrne | Labor | |
| Oatley | | Labor | Mark Gosling | District abolished, won Kogarah. | District abolished, won Kogarah. | District abolished, won Kogarah. | District abolished, won Kogarah. |
| Petersham | Petersham | Petersham | Petersham | New district | Joe Lamaro | Labor | |
| Randwick | | Nationalist | Ernest Tresidder | Defeated | Jack Flanagan | Labor | |
| Rockdale | | Nationalist | Guy Arkins | District abolished, defeated for Waverley. | District abolished, defeated for Waverley. | District abolished, defeated for Waverley. | District abolished, defeated for Waverley. |
| Rozelle | | Labor | John Quirk | District abolished, won Balmain. | District abolished, won Balmain. | District abolished, won Balmain. | District abolished, won Balmain. |
| Ryde | | Nationalist | David Anderson | Defeated | Evan Davies | Labor | |
| St George | | Labor | Joseph Cahill | District abolished, won Arncliffe. | District abolished, won Arncliffe. | District abolished, won Arncliffe. | District abolished, won Arncliffe. |
| Surry Hills | | Labor | Tom Shannon | District abolished, won Phillip. | District abolished, won Phillip. | District abolished, won Phillip. | District abolished, won Phillip. |
| Wallsend | | Labor | Robert Cameron | District abolished, partly replaced by Waratah. | District abolished, partly replaced by Waratah. | District abolished, partly replaced by Waratah. | District abolished, partly replaced by Waratah. |
| Waratah | Waratah | Waratah | Waratah | New district | Robert Cameron | Labor | |
| Waverley | | Nationalist | Carl Glasgow | Retired | William Clementson | Labor | |
| Willoughby | | Ind. Nationalist | Edward Sanders | Joined Nationalist | Edward Sanders | Nationalist | |
| Wollongong | | Labor | Billy Davies | District abolished, won Illawarra. | District abolished, won Illawarra. | District abolished, won Illawarra. | District abolished, won Illawarra. |
| Yass | Yass | Yass | Yass | New district | George Ardill | Nationalist | |
| Young | | Country | Albert Reid | Defeated | Clarrie Martin | Labor | |