1973 Brisbane City Council election
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All 21 seats on the Brisbane City Council | ||||||||||||||||
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The 1973 Brisbane City Council election was held on 31 March 1973 to elect 21 aldermen to the City of Brisbane. The election was held as part of the statewide local government elections in Queensland, Australia.[1]
The Labor Party defeated the Brisbane Civic Party (BCP) in a landslide victory, winning 20 out of 21 wards. This was despite changes introduced by the Bjelke-Petersen state government before the election, which reduced the number of wards and removed the direct lord mayoral election.[2][3][4]
Background
Prior to the election, the Country Party state government reduced the number of wards from 28 to 21, and removed the direct election for lord mayor. This meant incumbent Clem Jones had to contest a ward, and the lord mayor was elected by a vote of aldermen after the election. The changes were aimed at Labor, who had controlled the mayoralty since 1961.
After another defeat in 1970, the Citizens' Municipal Organisation (CMO) was described as "moribund" and did not contest the election. Instead, the Brisbane Civic Party was formed and led by Mitchelton Ward councillor John Andrews.[5]
Results
The BCP won just one ward − Indooroopilly − while Andrews lost his seat in Mitchelton.[6]
Aftermath
Following the BCP's loss, the Liberal Party decided to endorse candidates, starting at the 1976 election. The CMO disbanded around this time.[7]
References
- ^ "ALP wins council election". The Canberra Times. 2 April 1973.
- ^ "Queensland Liberals leave the sinking party". The Canberra Times. 21 July 1984.
- ^ Hensley, Melissa; Mateo-Babiano, Derlie; Minnery, John; Pojani, Dorina (2020). "How Diverging Interests in Public Health and Urban Planning Can Lead to Less Healthy Cities". Journal of Planning History. 19 (2): 11. doi:10.1177/1538513219873591.
- ^ Green, Antony (17 March 2008). "Election Preview". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2008-03-17.
- ^ "Mr. K. J. HOOPER" (PDF). Queensland Parliament. p. 22.
- ^ "Australian Political Chronicle" (PDF). 1973. pp. 273–274.
- ^ John Cole (1985). Shaping A City – Making Greater Brisbane Work (1925–1985). William Brooks Queensland. pp. 98, 107–108.