The 1908 Victorian state election was held in the

Australian state The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

on 29 December 1908 to elect 40 of the 65 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. The other 25 seats were uncontested. The election was in single-member districts, using

first-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

Background

The

National Citizens' Reform League The National Citizens' Reform League, sometimes known as the Kyabram movement, was formed in Melbourne in April 1902. It sought to reduce the size of the Victorian government, following the recent creation of the Australian Government. Its cause ...

, led by

Thomas Bent Sir Thomas Bent (7 December 1838 – 17 September 1909) was an Australian politician and the 22nd premier of Victoria. Early life Bent was born in Penrith, New South Wales the eldest of four sons and two daughters of James Bent, a hotel-keepe ...

, had disbanded shortly after the 1904 state election, leading to the majority of Liberals and Conservatives sitting separately again for around three years. Bent formed the United Liberal Party in February 1907, two years before the federal

Commonwealth Liberal Party The Liberal Party was a parliamentary party in Australian federal politics between 1909 and 1917. The party was founded under Alfred Deakin's leadership as a merger of the Protectionist Party and Anti-Socialist Party, an event known as the Fu ...

was founded. However, after only a single year, Liberals John Murray and Alexander Peacock successfully moved a no confidence motion against him. This led to the ULP splitting and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

forming. The Labor side of politics was controlled by the Political Labor Council. In 1904,

George Prendergast George Michael "Mick" Prendergast (20 May 1854 – 28 August 1937) was an Australian politician who served as the 28th Premier of Victoria. He was born to Irish emigrant parents in Adelaide, but he grew up in Stawell, Victoria. He was apprent ...

became the first leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party.

Results

Despite winning the highest number of seats, the United Liberal Party was defeated. John Murray would be chosen as Premier on 6 January 1909 following a conference of both Murray's and Bent's supporters. 25 seats were uncontested.

Aftermath

On 8 January 1909, John Murray successfully moved a motion of no-confidence in Bent's government and succeeded him as Premier. Four months later, the federal

was formed, into which the Liberals merged.

References

1908 elections in Australia Elections in Victoria (state) 1900s in Victoria (state) December 1908 1908 Victorian state election {{Victoria-stub

Background

Results

Aftermath

See also

References