Talk:Australian federal election, 1974

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[edit] Independent Senator?

Does anyone know who the independent Senator was? I'd like to complete a table at Australian_Senate#Historical, and of course it's interesting to know how s/he voted in the events of 1975. Rocksong 10:11, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Done. Michael Townley, an independent who was admitted to the Liberals in Feb 1975. http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/senate/ should be of assistance to you. Timeshift 01:16, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Thank you! Peter Ballard 06:00, 11 June 2007 (UTC) (formerly Rocksong)

So counting Townley, the Coalition had 30 out of 60 senators, enough to block supply, as soon as Townley joined the Liberals in Feb 1975. But I always thought that the Coalition didn't have the numbers to block supply until Albert Field was appointed to replace a Qld Labor senator who died in June 1975. What am I missing? Peter Ballard 06:14, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

If the coalition didn't have the numbers, then surely there wouldn't have been a need for the joint sitting to pass the 6 key bills continually blocked by the senate?

Hmm, just read on Mal Colston's page that indeed it was Field who gave the coalition the numbers... Timeshift 10:09, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

http://www.whitlam.org/dismissal/september.html ALP 27 seats? We're getting somewhere here... Timeshift 10:51, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

http://www.whitlam.org/chronology/19750227.html Wtf? Two ALP senators replaced by Libs? This ain't the bloody US where if that Democrat guy dies then then he gets replaced with a Republican... not happy jan. Timeshift 10:51, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

It's all here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Australian_constitutional_crisis - i'm suprised i've never taken the time to read this page indepth before. Timeshift 11:17, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Your original question. Isn't 31 from 60 required for a majority, therefore able to block supply? Like now for example, the coalition has 39 of 76 seats - a 1 seat majority. When Barnaby has one of his moral wobblies, Fielding has stepped up to the bat. Timeshift 11:53, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Yeah but in the case of a tie (38-38 now, 30-30 back then) legislation isn't passed. So Libs didn't need a majority (31) to block supply, they only needed 30. At least that's my line of thinking. Peter Ballard 11:55, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Ah I see what you mean. I'm not sure to be honest. Timeshift 12:06, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

p.s. You've jumped the gun with your edits to Australian federal election, 1975. The replacements weren't Coalition members. Cleaver Bunton was an Independent, not Coalition, and actually supported Labor on supply (rather like Steele Hall did). Albert Field was not Coalition either - he was an ALP member who didn't like Whitlam. Peter Ballard 12:09, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

Ta. Might as well have been tho! Timeshift 12:16, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

I've the question again at Talk:1975 Australian constitutional crisis#Senate Numbers, where I've found a partial answer. Peter Ballard 00:30, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

I was always under the impression that Albert Field was sworn in as a Senator, but never actually sat in the Senate, as his appointment was under challenge in the High Court for the entire duration of his term (3 September - 11 November 1975), and he was on leave from the Senate from Day 1 for that very reason. If that is so, he never voted on anything, and his publicly expressed views on any issue would have been irrelevant. Am I mistaken? -- JackofOz 06:00, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

I just looked at this (find "The Field Affair"), which tells me that Field's leave of absence started on 1 October 1975, so I was wrong on that score. But did anything significant happen between 3 September and 1 October that Field's presence might have influenced? -- JackofOz 06:06, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

See 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. Field's appointment came under challenge in the High Court. Field was on leave from the Senate, and unable to exercise a vote, for the period of the crisis. This left the Senate numbers at 30 Coalition, 27 Labor, and 2 independents (Bunton and Steele Hall, both of whom supported Labor on the supply votes). Timeshift 08:10, 11 September 2007 (UTC)