# 1955 Victorian Legislative Council election

Elections were held in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday 18 June 1955 to elect 17 of the 34 members of the state's Legislative Council for six year terms. MLCs were elected in single-member provinces using preferential voting.

## Results
### Legislative Council

Victorian Legislative Council election, 18 June 1955 Legislative Council
<< 1952–1958 >> :
| Enrolled voters | Enrolled voters | 1,430,130 | | | | |
| Votes cast | Votes cast | 1,110,951 | | Turnout | 77.7 | +6.5 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 23,189 | | Informal | 2.1 | -0.2 |
| Summary of votes by party |||||||
| Party | Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Seats held |
| | Labor | 423,663 | 38.9 | +1.7 | 4 | 10 |
| | Liberal and Country | 331,609 | 30.5 | –6.7 | 9 | 10 |
| | Labor (A-C) | 179,319 | 16.5 | +16.5 | 0 | 5 |
| | Country | 66,826 | 6.1 | -4.9 | 4 | 8 |
| | Other | 86,345 | 7.9 | −6.7 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 1,087,762 | | | 17 | 34 |

## Retiring Members
### Country

* George Tuckett MLC (Northern)

## Candidates

Sitting members are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.
| Province | Held by | Labor candidates | LCP candidates | Country candidates | Labor (A-C) candidates | Other candidates |
| Ballarat | LCP | Harold Williams | Herbert Ludbrook | | | |
| Bendigo | LCP | John Murley | Thomas Grigg | | John Brosnan | |
| Doutta Galla | Labor | Bill Slater | | | Francis Williams | |
| East Yarra | LCP | Francis Cranston | Ewen Cameron | | Leonora Lloyd | Clifden Eager (Ind) |
| Gippsland | Country | | | William MacAulay | William Phelan | |
| Higinbotham | LCP | | Lindsay Thompson | | | |
| Melbourne | Labor | Fred Thomas | | | Frank McManus | |
| Melbourne North | Labor | John Galbally | | | Frederick Riley | Harold Harvie (Ind) |
| Melbourne West | Labor | Buckley Machin | | | Les Coleman | |
| Monash | LCP | Henry Peagram | Charles Gawith | | | |
| Northern | Country | | | Percy Feltham | | Stephen Donelan (Ind) Morton Garner (Ind) James Mosby (Ind) |
| North Eastern | Country | | | Keith Bradbury | | |
| North Western | Country | | | Arthur Mansell | | |
| Southern | LCP | Arthur Carpenter | Gilbert Chandler | | David Purcell | |
| South Eastern | LCP | | Charles Bridgford | | Jack Austin | Charles Gartside (VLP) |
| South Western | LCP | Edwin Morris | Gordon McArthur | | Michael Findley | |
| Western | LCP | Roy Cundy | Ronald Mack | | George Fitzgerald | Hugh MacLeod (VLP) |

## Results by province
### Ballarat

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Ballarat Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Herbert Ludbrook | 29,838 | 56.9 | +15.4 |
| | Labor | Harold Williams | 22,571 | 43.1 | −15.4 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 52,409 | 99.0 | −0.2 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 535 | 1.0 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,944 | 94.7 | −0.1 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | +15.4 | |

### Bendigo

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Bendigo Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Thomas Grigg | 24,610 | 45.1 | +0.7 |
| | Labor | John Murley | 21,629 | 39.7 | −15.9 |
| | Labor (A-C) | John Brosnan | 8,297 | 15.2 | +15.2 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 54,536 | 98.9 | −0.3 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 585 | 1.1 | +0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55,121 | 94.1 | −0.3 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal and Country | Thomas Grigg | 31,829 | 58.4 | +14.0 |
| | Labor | John Murley | 22,707 | 41.6 | −14.0 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | +14.0 | |

### Doutta Galla

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Doutta Galla Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Bill Slater | 68,905 | 70.5 | N/A |
| | Labor (A-C) | Francis Williams | 28,800 | 29.5 | +29.5 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 97,705 | 96.7 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 3,304 | 3.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 101,009 | 91.0 | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |

### East Yarra

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: East Yarra Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Ewen Cameron | 61,417 | 55.2 | +13.1 |
| | Labor | Francis Cranston | 23,705 | 21.3 | +21.3 |
| | Independent | Clifden Eager | 14,970 | 13.5 | +13.5 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Leonora Lloyd | 11,195 | 10.1 | +10.1 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 111,287 | 97.9 | +2.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,348 | 2.1 | −2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 113,635 | 91.4 | −0.2 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal and Country | Ewen Cameron | | 65.3 | +23.2 |
| | Labor | Francis Cranston | | 34.7 | +34.7 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Two party preferred vote was estimated.

### Gippsland

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Gippsland Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country | William MacAulay | 43,963 | 72.2 | +41.1 |
| | Labor (A-C) | William Phelan | 16,973 | 27.8 | +27.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 60,936 | 98.0 | −0.8 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,230 | 2.0 | +0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 62,166 | 91.0 | −0.2 |
| | Country hold | Country hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Higinbotham

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Higinbotham Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Lindsay Thompson | unopposed | | |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | | |

### Melbourne

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Fred Thomas | 32,212 | 63.3 | N/A |
| | Labor (A-C) | Frank McManus | 18,691 | 36.7 | +36.7 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 50,903 | 96.6 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,786 | 3.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,689 | 89.0 | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |

### Melbourne North

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne North Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | John Galbally | 80,962 | 65.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | Harold Harvie | 23,413 | 18.9 | +18.9 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Frederick Riley | 19,592 | 15.8 | +15.8 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 123,967 | 97.9 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,590 | 2.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 126,557 | 93.0 | |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Preferences were not distributed.

### Melbourne West

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Melbourne West Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labor | Buckley Machin | 63,098 | 69.9 | −16.9 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Les Coleman | 27,218 | 30.1 | +30.1 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 90,316 | 97.3 | +1.8 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,517 | 2.7 | −1.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 92,833 | 92.3 | +0.6 |
| | Labor hold | Labor hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Sitting MLC Les Coleman was elected in 1949 as a Labor member, but defected to Anti-Communist Labor in the 1955 split.

### Monash

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Monash Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Charles Gawith | 55,564 | 61.5 | +14.6 |
| | Labor | Henry Peagram | 34,791 | 38.5 | −14.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 90,355 | 98.3 | −0.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,512 | 1.7 | +0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 91,867 | 86.3 | −3.4 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | +14.6 | |

### Northern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Northern Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country | Percy Feltham | 22,863 | 49.8 | −9.5 |
| | Independent | James Mosby | 11,201 | 24.4 | +24.4 |
| | Independent | Morton Gardner | 6,601 | 14.4 | +14.4 |
| | Independent | Stephen Donelan | 5,286 | 11.5 | +11.5 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 45,951 | 96.9 | −0.7 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,472 | 3.1 | +0.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,423 | 92.5 | −1.3 |
| | Country | Percy Feltham | 26,867 | 58.5 | N/A |
| | Independent | James Mosby | 11,749 | 25.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Morton Garner | 7,335 | 16.0 | N/A |
| | Country hold | Country hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Preferences were not fully distributed.

### North-Eastern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: North Eastern Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country | Keith Bradbury | unopposed | | |
| | Country hold | Country hold | Swing | | |

### North Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: North Western Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Country | Arthur Mansell | unopposed | | |
| | Country hold | Country hold | Swing | | |

### Southern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Southern Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Gilbert Chandler | 57,862 | 52.5 | +12.8 |
| | Labor | Arthur Carpenter | 40,710 | 37.0 | −15.8 |
| | Labor (A-C) | David Purcell | 11,609 | 10.5 | +10.5 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 110,181 | 98.4 | +0.4 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,752 | 1.6 | −0.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 111,933 | 91.6 | −0.4 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal and Country | Gilbert Chandler | | 62.0 | +17.8 |
| | Labor | Arthur Carpenter | | 38.0 | −17.8 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | +17.8 | |
* Two party preferred vote was estimated.

### South Eastern

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: South Eastern Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Charles Bridgford | 42,838 | 49.8 | +18.2 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Jack Austin | 22,884 | 26.6 | +26.6 |
| | Victorian Liberal | Charles Gartside | 20,252 | 23.6 | +23.6 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 85,974 | 97.5 | −0.6 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,244 | 2.5 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 88,218 | 90.6 | −1.6 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal and Country | Charles Bridgford | 60,872 | 70.8 | +21.2 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Jack Austin | 25,102 | 29.2 | +29.2 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Charles Gartside had been elected as a Liberal party MLC in 1949, but was expelled from the party in 1952.

### South Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: South Western Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Gordon McArthur | 34,802 | 53.9 | +12.6 |
| | Labor | Edwin Morris | 19,430 | 30.1 | −21.0 |
| | Labor (A-C) | Michael Findley | 10,395 | 16.1 | +16.1 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 64,627 | 98.9 | 0.0 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 739 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65,366 | 92.4 | −1.3 |
| Two-party-preferred result ||||||
| | Liberal and Country | Gordon McArthur | | 68.4 | +21.4 |
| | Labor | Edwin Morris | | 31.6 | −21.4 |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | +21.4 | |
* Two party preferred vote was estimated.

### Western

1955 Victorian Legislative Council election: Western Province :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal and Country | Ronald Mack | 24,678 | 48.8 | +11.1 |
| | Labor | Roy Cundy | 15,650 | 30.9 | −19.3 |
| | Labor (A-C) | George Fitzgerald | 3,665 | 11.2 | +11.2 |
| | Victorian Liberal | Hugh MacLeod | 4,622 | 9.1 | +9.1 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 48,615 | 98.9 | −0.1 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 575 | 1.1 | +0.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,190 | 91.3 | −3.2 |
| | Liberal and Country | Ronald Mack | 28,178 | 55.7 | N/A |
| | Labor | Roy Cundy | 16,330 | 32.3 | N/A |
| | Labor (A-C) | George Fitzgerald | 6,107 | 12.1 | N/A |
| | Liberal and Country hold | Liberal and Country hold | Swing | N/A | |
* Hugh MacLeod had been elected as a Liberal party MLC in 1949, but was expelled from the party in 1952.