Metropolitan Province (Western Australia) Explained

The Metropolitan Province was a multi-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the metropolitan region of Perth. It was created by the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1893, and became effective on 22 May 1894 following the first council elections following the granting of responsible government to Western Australia. The seat was safe for the Liberal Party and its predecessors.

Until the 1950 elections, it covered Perth's central business district and nearby environs, but moved at that point to the western and northern suburbs while still extending to include Perth itself. In 1963–1964, electoral changes to the Legislative Council, which abolished the 10 three-member seats and created 15 two-member seats in their place, resulted in the seat shrinking into the wealthy western suburbs region. Thereafter, it was a safe seat for the Liberal Party. In 1989, the province was abolished by the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, and with two others became part of the North Metropolitan Region under the new proportional voting system.

Geography

The province was made up of several complete Legislative Assembly districts, which changed at each distribution. It had a more restrictive franchise than the Legislative Assembly, however, so not all voters in the corresponding Assembly districts were eligible to vote in the Council.

Redistribution	Period	Electoral districts	Electors	% of State
1893	22 May 1894 – 22 May 1898	width = 200	Perth, East Perth, West Perth	align=right		align=right
1896	22 May 1898 – 22 May 1900	width = 200	Perth, East Perth, North Perth, West Perth	align=right		align=right
1899	22 May 1900 – 22 May 1904	width = 200 rowspan=4	Perth, East Perth, North Perth, West Perth	align=right		align=right
1904	22 May 1904 – 22 May 1912	align=right		align=right
1911	22 May 1912 – 22 May 1930	align=right		align=right
1929	22 May 1930 – 22 May 1950	align=right		align=right
1948	22 May 1950 – 22 May 1956	width = 200	Claremont, Cottesloe, East Perth, Leederville, Nedlands, North Perth, Subiaco, Wembley Beaches, West Perth	align=right		align=right
1955	22 May 1956 – 22 May 1962	width = 200	Claremont, Cottesloe, East Perth, Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, Nedlands, North Perth, Subiaco, Wembley Beaches, West Perth	align=right		align=right
1961	22 May 1962 – 22 May 1965	width = 200	Balcatta, Claremont, Cottesloe, Karrinyup, Mount Hawthorn, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco, Wembley	align=right		align=right
1963–64	22 May 1965 – 22 May 1968	width = 200	Claremont, Cottesloe, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco	align=right		align=right
1966	22 May 1968 – 22 May 1974	width=200 rowspan=4	Cottesloe, Floreat, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco	align=right		align=right
1972	22 May 1974 – 22 May 1977	align=right		align=right
1976	22 May 1977 – 22 May 1983	align=right		align=right
1982	22 May 1983 – 22 May 1989	align=right		align=right

Representation

Members

Three-member seat

Member 1	Party		Term	Member 2	Party		Term	Member 3	Party		Term
Sir George Shenton		1894–1906	Stephen Henry Parker			1894–1897	Henry Saunders		1894–1902
	George Randell			1897–1910
			James Wright				1902–1908
Charles Sommers		Liberal	1906–1918	Walter Kingsmill		1903–1922	Arthur Jenkins			Liberal	1908–1917
	Harry Boan							Nationalist	1917–1918
Henry Saunders		Independent	1918–1919		John Nicholson			Nationalist	1918–1941
Arthur Lovekin			Nationalist	1919–1931		James Macfarlane					Nationalist	1922–1928
Leonard Bolton		Nationalist	1932–1945	James Franklin						Nationalist	1928–1940
	Sir Hal Colebatch					Nationalist	1940–1945	James Hislop			Nationalist	1941–1945
				Liberal	1945–1948				Liberal	1945–1948		Liberal	1945–1965
Keith Watson		Liberal	1948–1965	Harry Hearn			Liberal		1948–1956
	Reg Mattiske					Liberal	1956–1965

Two-member seat

Member 1	Party		Term	Member 2	Party		Term
James Hislop			Liberal	1965–1971	Keith Watson			Liberal	1965–1968
John Williams		Liberal	1971–1989	Ian Medcalf			Liberal	1968–1986
	Max Evans					Liberal	1986–1989

References

• Book: Black, David. Legislative Council of Western Australia : membership register, electoral law and statistics, 1890-1989. 1991. Parliamentary History Project. Perth. 0-7309-3641-4.