# Results of the 1981 New South Wales state election (Legislative Council)

New South Wales state election, 19 September 1981 Legislative Council :
| Enrolled voters | Enrolled voters | 3,212,657 | | | | |
| Votes cast | Votes cast | 2,927,971 | | Turnout | 91.14 | –1.63 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | 200,367 | | Informal | 6.84 | +2.79 |
| Summary of votes by party |||||||
| Party | Party | Primary votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Seats held |
| | Labor | 1,412,426 | 51.78 | –3.13 | 8 | 24 |
| | Liberal/National Coalition | 921,081 | 33.77 | –2.49 | 5 | 18 |
| | Call to Australia | 248,425 | 9.11 | +7.80 | 1 | 1 |
| | Democrats | 109,939 | 4.03 | +1.25 | 1 | 1 |
| | Environmental Action | 18,056 | 0.66 | +0.66 | 0 | 0 |
| | Republican | 10,184 | 0.37 | +0.37 | 0 | 0 |
| | Progress | 3,121 | 0.11 | +0.11 | 0 | 0 |
| | Social Democrats | 2,512 | 0.09 | +0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | Independent | 24,786 | 0.07 | –0.83 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 2,727,604 | | | 15 | |
This is a list of results for the Legislative Council at the 1981 New South Wales state election.

## Results

1981 New South Wales state election: Legislative Council :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Quota | Quota | Quota | 170,476 | | |
| | Labor | 1. Paul Landa (elected 1) 2. Jack Hallam (elected 4) 3. Jack Garland (elected 6) 4. Barney French (elected 8) 5. Franca Arena (elected 10) 6. George Brenner (elected 12) 7. Ken Reed (elected 13) 8. Bryan Vaughan (elected 14) 9. Ann Symonds 10. Fred Hankinson | 1,412,426 | 51.8 | -3.1 |
| | Liberal/National Coalition | 1. Max Willis (elected 2) 2. Jack Doohan (elected 5) 3. Ted Pickering (elected 7) 4. John Matthews (elected 9) 5. Richard Killen (elected 11) 6. Derek Freeman 7. Judy Jakins 8. Bronwyn Bishop 9. John Hagan 10. Doug Moppett | 921,081 | 33.8 | -2.4 |
| | Call to Australia | 1. Fred Nile (elected 3) 2. Graham McLennan 3. Kevin Hume 4. Thomas Toogood 5. Percy Everingham | 248,425 | 9.1 | +9.1 |
| | Democrats | 1. Elisabeth Kirkby (elected 15) 2. Paul McLean 3. James Boow 4. Christine Townend 5. Laurence Bourke 6. Ray Griffiths 7. Ross McInnes 8. Richard Beazley 9. Joe Lake 10. Elizabeth Poppleton | 109,939 | 4.0 | +1.2 |
| | Environmental Action | 1. Keith Suter 2. Dudley Leggett 3. Jennifer Quealy 4. Quentin Jacobsen | 18,056 | 0.7 | +0.7 |
| | Republican | 1. Brian Buckley 2. Marie McKern | 10,184 | 0.4 | +0.4 |
| | Progress | 1. Henry Soper 2. Marjorie Wisby 3. William More | 3,121 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| | Social Democrats | 1. Walter Roach 2. Johann Liszikam | 2,152 | 0.1 | +0.1 |
| | Independent | Louis Patmoy | 994 | 0.04 | +0.04 |
| | Independent | Rudolph Dezelin | 866 | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 2,727,604 | 93.2 | −2.8 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 200,367 | 6.8 | +2.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,927,971 | 91.1 | −1.6 |

## Continuing members

The following MLCs were not up for re-election this year.
| Member | Party | Term |
| Roy Turner | Labor | 1976–1984 |
| Peter Baldwin | Labor | 1976–1982 |
| Don Burton | Labor | 1976–1984 |
| John Morris | Labor | 1976–1984 |
| Delcia Kite | Labor | 1976–1984 |
| Johno Johnson | Labor | 1976–1984 |
| Clive Healey | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Joe Thompson | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Peter Watkins | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Barrie Unsworth | Labor | 1978–1986 |
| Dorothy Isaksen | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Marie Fisher | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Norm King | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Deirdre Grusovin | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Jim Kaldis | Labor | 1978–1988 |
| Ron Dyer | Labor | 1979–1984 |
| Fred Duncan | Liberal | 1976–1984 |
| John Holt | Liberal | 1976–1984 |
| Bill Sandwith | Liberal | 1976–1984 |
| Nathanael Orr | Liberal | 1976–1984 |
| Virginia Chadwick | Liberal | 1978–1988 |
| Frank Calabro | Liberal | 1978–1988 |
| Lloyd Lange | Liberal | 1978–1986 |
| Peter Philips | Liberal | 1978–1988 |
| Derek Freeman* | Liberal | 1981–1984 |
| Adrian Solomons | National Country | 1976–1984 |
| Bill Kennedy | National Country | 1976–1984 |
| Bob Rowland Smith | National Country | 1978–1988 |
| Toby MacDiarmid | National Country | 1978–1988 |
* While Derek Freeman was not elected at the election, he was appointed as a casual vacancy following the death of Fergus Darling, whose term would have continued until 1984.