Candidates of the 1955 Australian federal election

This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1955 Australian federal election. The election was held on 10 December 1955.

By-elections, appointments and defections

By-elections and appointments

• On 21 May 1955, Jim Cope (Labor) was elected to replace Tom Sheehan (Labor) as the member for Cook.
• On 11 October 1955, Nancy Buttfield (Liberal) was appointed a South Australian Senator to replace George McLeay (Liberal).

Defections

• In 1955, the Australian Labor Party split, with the right-wing Catholic faction forming the Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist). This latter group included Victorian Labor MPs Tom Andrews (Darebin), Bill Bourke (Fawkner), Bill Bryson (Wills), Jack Cremean (Hoddle), Bob Joshua (Ballaarat), Stan Keon (Yarra) and Jack Mullens (Gellibrand), together with Tasmanian Labor Senator George Cole.
• In 1955, Liberal Senator Agnes Robertson (Western Australia) lost preselection and defected to the Country Party.

Redistributions and seat changes

• Redistributions of electoral boundaries occurred in all states.
  • In New South Wales, the Labor-held seats of Cook and Martin were abolished, and the notionally Labor seat of Hughes was created. The Country-held seat of Lawson became notionally Labor.
    • The member for Cook, Jim Cope (Labor), contested Watson.
    • The member for Martin, William O'Connor (Labor), contested Dalley.
    • The member for Watson, Dan Curtin (Labor), contested Kingsford-Smith.
  • In Victoria, the Labor-held seats of Burke and Hoddle were abolished, and the notionally Liberal seat of Bruce and the notionally Labor seat of Scullin were created. The Liberal-held seat of Corio became notionally Labor, while the Labor-held seats of Fawkner and Wannon became notionally Liberal.
    • The member for Burke, Edward Peters (Labor), contested Scullin.
    • The member for Gellibrand, Jack Mullens (Anti-Communist), contested Melbourne.
    • The member for Hoddle, Jack Cremean (Anti-Communist), contested Scullin.
  • The changes in Queensland did not result in any changes of party status.
  • In Western Australia, the notionally Labor seat of Stirling was created. The Labor-held seat of Swan became notionally Liberal.
    • The member for Swan, Harry Webb (Labor), contested Stirling.
  • In South Australia, the notionally Labor seat of Bonython was created. The Labor-held seat of Sturt became notionally Liberal.
    • The member for Sturt, Norman Makin (Labor), contested Bonython.
  • In Tasmania, the Liberal-held seat of Darwin was renamed Braddon.
    • The member for Darwin, Aubrey Luck (Liberal), contested Braddon.

Retiring Members and Senators

Labor

• Gordon Anderson MP (Kingsford-Smith, NSW)
• Arthur Greenup MP (Dalley, NSW)
• Don McLeod MP (Wannon, Vic)

Liberal

• Josiah Francis MP (Moreton, Qld)
• Jo Gullett MP (Henty, Vic)

Country

• Senator George Rankin (Vic)

House of Representatives

Sitting members at the time of the election are shown in bold text. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk (*) is also used.

Australian Capital Territory

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Liberal candidate
Australian Capital Territory	Labor	Jim Fraser	Robert Greenish

New South Wales

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Coalition candidate	Other candidates
Banks	Labor	Eric Costa	Harold Stalker (Lib)	Pat Clancy (CPA)
Barton	Labor	H. V. Evatt	Bill Arthur (Lib)	Eric Trembath (Ind)
Bennelong	Liberal	Harold Coates	John Cramer (Lib)
Blaxland	Labor	Jim Harrison	Reginald Allsop (Lib)
Bradfield	Liberal		Harry Turner (Lib)
Calare	Liberal	Lionel Wood	John Howse (Lib)
Cowper	Country		Sir Earle Page (CP)
Cunningham	Labor	Billy Davies	John Parkinson (Lib)	William Harkness (CPA)
Dalley	Labor	William O'Connor	Stanley Tyler (Lib)	Ernie Thornton (CPA)
Darling	Labor	Joe Clark	Ewen Martin (CP)
East Sydney	Labor	Eddie Ward	Joseph Landor (Lib)	Bill Brown (CPA)
Eden-Monaro	Labor	Allan Fraser	Mark Flanagan (Lib)	Royce Beavis (Ind)
Evans	Liberal	Sidney Pollard	Frederick Osborne (Lib)
Farrer	Liberal	Robert Garland	David Fairbairn (Lib)
Grayndler	Labor	Fred Daly	Ian Chisholm (Lib)	Hal Alexander (CPA) William McCristal (Ind)
Gwydir	Country	Austin Heffernan	Ian Allan (CP)
Hughes	Labor	Les Johnson	Keith Bates (Lib)	Robert Mackie (Ind) Alf Watt (CPA)
Hume	Labor	Arthur Fuller	Charles Anderson (CP)
Hunter	Labor	Rowley James	Edward Farrell (Lib)	Evan Phillips (CPA)
Kingsford-Smith	Labor	Dan Curtin	John McGirr (Lib)	Hubert O'Connell (Ind)
Lang	Labor	Frank Stewart	Wallace Peacock (Lib)
Lawson	Labor	Jack Williamson	Laurie Failes (CP)
Lowe	Liberal	Edward Davies	William McMahon (Lib)
Lyne	Country	Jack Collins	Philip Lucock (CP)	Joe Cordner (Ind)
Macarthur	Liberal	Claude Allen	Jeff Bate (Lib)
Mackellar	Liberal	Norman McAlpine	Bill Wentworth (Lib)	Frank Hardy (CPA)
Macquarie	Labor	Tony Luchetti	Norman Leven (Lib)	Vernon Moffitt (CPA)
Mitchell	Liberal	Doug Bowd	Roy Wheeler (Lib)
New England	Country	Frederick Cowley	David Drummond (CP)
Newcastle	Labor	David Watkins	Eric Cupit (Lib)	Sidney Monroe (Ind) Doug Olive (CPA)
North Sydney	Liberal	Joseph McNally	William Jack (Lib)
Parkes	Labor	Les Haylen	John Spicer (Lib)
Parramatta	Liberal	John Heazlewood	Howard Beale (Lib)
Paterson	Liberal	William Harvey	Allen Fairhall (Lib)
Phillip	Labor	Joe Fitzgerald	William Aston (Lib)
Reid	Labor	Charles Morgan	George Walker (Lib)	Jack Hughes (CPA) Charles Tubman (Ind)
Richmond	Country		Larry Anthony (CP)
Riverina	Country	Oscar Washington	Hugh Roberton (CP)
Robertson	Liberal	Frank Spencer	Roger Dean (Lib)
St George	Labor	Nelson Lemmon	Bill Graham (Lib)
Shortland	Labor	Charles Griffiths	Gordon Greig (Lib)
Warringah	Liberal		Francis Bland (Lib)
Watson	Labor	Jim Cope	Jill Huxtable (Lib)	Harry Hatfield (CPA)
Wentworth	Liberal		Sir Eric Harrison (Lib)	Hal Lashwood (Ind)
Werriwa	Labor	Gough Whitlam	John Shannon (Lib)
West Sydney	Labor	Dan Minogue	Frank Weaver (Lib)	Lance Sharkey (CPA)

Northern Territory

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate
Northern Territory	Labor	Jock Nelson

Queensland

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Coalition candidate	Other candidates
Bowman	Liberal	Hector Chalmers	Malcolm McColm (Lib)
Brisbane	Labor	George Lawson	Kevin Cairns (Lib)	Claude Jones (CPA)
Capricornia	Liberal	Colin Maxwell	George Pearce (Lib)	Eric Browne (CPA)
Darling Downs	Liberal		Reginald Swartz (Lib)
Dawson	Country	Stanley Dalton	Charles Davidson (CP)
Fisher	Country		Charles Adermann (CP)
Griffith	Labor	Wilfred Coutts	Doug Berry (Lib)
Herbert	Labor	Bill Edmonds	Arnold White (CP)	Frank Bishop (CPA)
Kennedy	Labor	Bill Riordan	Timothy Donnelly (CP)
Leichhardt	Labor	Harry Bruce	Tom Gilmore (CP)	Frank Falls (CPA)
Lilley	Liberal	Jack Melloy	Bruce Wight (Lib)
Maranoa	Country		Wilfred Brimblecombe (CP)	Paul Bauers (Ind) Charles Russell (Ind)
McPherson	Country	David Clarke	Sir Arthur Fadden (CP)	Thomas Green (Ind)
Moreton	Liberal	Allen Edwards	James Killen (Lib)	Max Julius (CPA)
Oxley	Liberal	Norman Thomas	Donald Cameron (Lib)	James Dwyer (Ind) Mervyn Welsby (CPA)
Petrie	Liberal	Noel Curran	Alan Hulme (Lib)
Ryan	Liberal	Norman Buchan	Nigel Drury (Lib)
Wide Bay	Country	Matthew Tallon	William Brand (CP)

South Australia

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Liberal candidate	Other candidates
Adelaide	Labor	Cyril Chambers	James Maitland	Olaf Alland (ALPAC) Jim Moss (CPA)
Angas	Liberal	Darcy Nielsen	Alick Downer	Frank Rieck (Ind)
Barker	Liberal	Ralph Dettman	Archie Cameron
Bonython	Labor	Norman Makin	John Mathwin
Boothby	Liberal	Rex Mathews	John McLeay	John Sutherland (ALPAC)
Grey	Labor	Edgar Russell	George Bockelberg
Hindmarsh	Labor	Clyde Cameron	Frank Potter	Francis Moran (ALPAC)
Kingston	Labor	Pat Galvin	Jim Forbes
Port Adelaide	Labor	Albert Thompson		Peter Symon (CPA)
Sturt	Liberal	Frederick Hansford	Keith Wilson
Wakefield	Liberal	Robert Bruce	Sir Philip McBride	Hector Henstridge (Ind)

Tasmania

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Liberal candidate	Other candidates
Bass	Labor	Lance Barnard	Frederick White	Leslie Duke (ALPAC)
Braddon	Liberal	Reg Murray	Aubrey Luck
Denison	Liberal	Brian Miller	Athol Townley	Max Bound (CPA)
Franklin	Liberal	Brian Crawford	Bill Falkinder	Henry Roberts (ALPAC)
Wilmot	Labor	Gil Duthie	Robert Bethell	Owen Doherty (ALPAC)

Victoria

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Coalition candidate	Anti-Communist candidate	Communist candidate
Balaclava	Liberal	George Smith	Percy Joske (Lib)	Rex Keane
Ballaarat	Labor	Austin Dowling	Dudley Erwin (Lib)	Bob Joshua
Batman	Labor	Alan Bird	Fred Capp (Lib)	Tom Walsh
Bendigo	Labor	Percy Clarey	Bill Day (Lib)	Jim Brosnan
Bruce	Liberal	Keith Ewert	Billy Snedden (Lib)	Reginald Kearney
Chisholm	Liberal	John Stewart	Wilfrid Kent Hughes (Lib)	Leonora Lloyd
Corangamite	Liberal	Edwin Morris	Dan Mackinnon (Lib)	Leo O'Brien
Corio	Labor	Charles Loader	Hubert Opperman (Lib)	Francis Singleton
Darebin	Labor	Robert Holt	Charles White (Lib)	Tom Andrews
Deakin	Liberal	Norm Griffiths	Frank Davis (Lib)	Terence Collins
Fawkner	Labor	Patrick Thompson	Peter Howson (Lib)	Bill Bourke
Flinders	Liberal	Francis Cranston	Robert Lindsay (Lib)	Jack Austin
Gellibrand	Labor	Hector McIvor	John Bown (Lib)	James Eudey	Frank Johnson
Gippsland	Country	Clement Little	George Bowden (CP)	Frank Burns
Henty	Liberal	Percy Treyvaud	Max Fox (Lib)	Henry Moore
Higgins	Liberal	Andrew Hughes	Harold Holt (Lib)	John Fitzgerald
Higinbotham	Liberal	Les Coates	Frank Timson (Lib)	Frank Gaffy
Indi	Liberal	Carl Reeves	William Bostock (Lib)	William Findlay
Isaacs	Liberal	Barry Jones	William Haworth (Lib)	John Hughes
Kooyong	Liberal	Dolph Eddy	Robert Menzies (Lib)	Kevin Gregson	Gerry O'Day
La Trobe	Liberal	Bill Webber	Richard Casey (Lib)	George Noone
Lalor	Labor	Reg Pollard	Peter Kemp (Lib)	William Lloyd
Mallee	Country	William Nicholas	Winton Turnbull (CP)	Edwin Leyden
Maribyrnong	Labor	Arthur Drakeford	Philip Stokes (Lib)	David Purcell
McMillan	Liberal	Horace Hawkins	Alex Buchanan (Lib)	Desmond Devlin
Melbourne	Labor	Arthur Calwell	James Moloney (Lib)	Jack Mullens
Melbourne Ports	Labor	Frank Crean	Harold Sher (Lib)	Stan Corrigan	Alex Dobbin
Murray	Country	James Cameron	John McEwen (CP)	Michael Reilly
Scullin	Labor	Ted Peters	Phillip Lynch (Lib)	Jack Cremean
Wannon	Liberal	Roy Cundy	Malcolm Fraser (Lib)	Terence Callander
Wills	Labor	Gordon Bryant	Alfred Wall (Lib)	Bill Bryson
Wimmera	Liberal	Winston Lamb	William Lawrence (Lib)	Bernard Flanagan
Yarra	Labor	Jim Cairns	James Wilkie (Lib)	Stan Keon	Ken Miller

Western Australia

Electorate	Held by	Labor candidate	Coalition candidate	Other candidates
Canning	Country		Len Hamilton (CP)
Curtin	Liberal		Paul Hasluck (Lib)
Forrest	Liberal		Gordon Freeth (Lib)
Fremantle	Labor	Kim Beazley	Vernon Hubbard (Lib)	Paddy Troy (CPA)
Kalgoorlie	Labor	Herbert Johnson		Harold Illingworth (Ind)
Moore	Country		Hugh Leslie (CP)
Perth	Labor	Tom Burke	Fred Chaney (Lib)
Stirling	Labor	Harry Webb	Frederick Payne (Lib)
Swan	Liberal	Thomas Williams	Richard Cleaver (Lib)

Senate

Sitting Senators are shown in bold text. Tickets that elected at least one Senator are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are identified by an asterisk (*).

New South Wales

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal-Country Coalition was defending three seats. Senators Stan Amour (Labor), Ken Anderson (Liberal), James Arnold (Labor), Donald Grant (Labor) and Alister McMullin (Liberal) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Coalition candidates	Communist candidates	Ungrouped candidates
Bill Ashley* John Armstrong* Lindsay North	Bill Spooner* (Lib) Albert Reid* (CP) John McCallum* (Lib)	Jim Healy Cecil Connors Flo Davis	Donald Skelton Stanley Allen Harry Sawkins Wal Campbell Vincent Scott

Queensland

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal-Country Coalition was defending three seats. Senators Gordon Brown (Labor), Condon Byrne (Labor), Roy Kendall (Liberal), Ted Maher (Country) and Ian Wood (Liberal) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Coalition candidates	Communist candidates
Archie Benn* Ben Courtice* Edward Ashmore	Walter Cooper* (CP) Neil O'Sullivan* (Lib) Annabelle Rankin* (Lib)	Tom Millar Warren Bowden Albert Robinson

South Australia

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal Party was defending three seats. Senators Jack Critchley (Labor), Keith Laught (Liberal), Rex Pearson (Liberal), John Ryan (Labor) and Jim Toohey (Labor) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Liberal candidates	Anti-Communist candidates	Communist candidates
Sid O'Flaherty* Theo Nicholls* Joe Sexton	Ted Mattner* Clive Hannaford* Nancy Buttfield*	Francis Boylan Daniel Smith Norman Vowles	Alan Finger Edward Robertson James Doyle

Tasmania

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending one seat. The Liberal Party was defending four seats. Senators Bill Aylett (Labor), George Cole (Labor), John Marriott (Liberal), Justin O'Byrne (Labor) and Robert Wordsworth (Liberal) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Liberal candidates	Anti-Communist candidates	Ungrouped candidates
Nick McKenna* Bob Poke* Bert Lacey	Denham Henty* Reg Wright* Allan Guy Arthur Smith Robert Wardlaw*	Virgil Morgan Edward Vickers Lawrence O'Keeffe	Bill Wedd

Victoria

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending three seats. The Liberal-Country Coalition was defending two seats. Senators Jack Devlin (Labor), John Gorton (Liberal), Bert Hendrickson (Labor), Pat Kennelly (Labor) and Ivy Wedgwood (Liberal) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Coalition candidates	Anti-Communist candidates	Communist candidates	HGJP candidates	Ungrouped candidates
Don Cameron* Jim Sheehan* Charles Sandford	John Spicer* (Lib) Harrie Wade* (CP) Magnus Cormack (Lib)	Frank McManus* John Cameron Thomas Carter	Ralph Gibson Laurence Troy Agnes Doig	Leslie Bawden William Pitt	John Dunstan

Western Australia

Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party was defending two seats. The Liberal Party was defending three seats (although Senator Agnes Robertson had defected to the Country Party). Senators Joe Cooke (Labor), James Fraser (Labor), John Harris (Labor), Malcolm Scott (Liberal) and Harrie Seward (Country) were not up for re-election.

Labor candidates	Liberal candidates	Country candidates	Anti-Communist candidates	Communist candidates
Dorothy Tangney* Don Willesee* Charlie Golding	Shane Paltridge* Seddon Vincent* George Branson	Agnes Robertson* Reginald Davies	Ian Handcock Olive Anstey	John Gandini Annette Aarons Jack Marks
PEP candidates	Ungrouped candidates
Claude Swaine Robert Salter	Carlyle Ferguson (APA)

Summary by party

Beside each party is the number of seats contested by that party in the House of Representatives for each state, as well as an indication of whether the party contested Senate elections in each state.

Party	NSW		Vic		Qld		WA		SA		Tas		ACT	NT	Total
	HR	S	HR	S	HR	S	HR	S	HR	S	HR	S	HR	HR	HR	S
Australian Labor Party	42	*	33	*	15	*	5	*	11	*	5	*	1	1	113	6
Liberal Party of Australia	38	*	30	*	10	*	6	*	10	*	5	*	1		100	6
Australian Country Party	9	*	3	*	8	*	2	*							22	4
Australian Labor Party (Anti-Communist)			33	*				*	3	*	3	*			39	4
Communist Party of Australia	14	*	4	*	6	*	1	*	2	*	1				28	5
Henry George Justice Party				*												1
Progress Enterprise Party								*								1
All Parties Administration								*								1
Independent and other	8				1		1		2						12

See also

• 1955 Australian federal election
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1954–1955
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1955–1958
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1953–1956
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1956–1959
• List of political parties in Australia

References

• Adam Carr's Election Archive - House of Representatives 1955
• Adam Carr's Election Archive - Senate 1955