en Metropolitan Province (Western Australia)

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
1893	22 May 1894 – 22 May 1898	Perth, East Perth, West Perth
1896	22 May 1898 – 22 May 1900	Perth, East Perth, North Perth, West Perth
1899	22 May 1900 – 22 May 1904	Perth, East Perth, North Perth, West Perth
1904	22 May 1904 – 22 May 1912
1911	22 May 1912 – 22 May 1930
1929	22 May 1930 – 22 May 1950
1948	22 May 1950 – 22 May 1956	Claremont, Cottesloe, East Perth, Leederville, Nedlands, North Perth, Subiaco, Wembley Beaches, West Perth
1955	22 May 1956 – 22 May 1962	Claremont, Cottesloe, East Perth, Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, Nedlands, North Perth, Subiaco, Wembley Beaches, West Perth
1961	22 May 1962 – 22 May 1965	Balcatta, Claremont, Cottesloe, Karrinyup, Mount Hawthorn, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco, Wembley
1963–64	22 May 1965 – 22 May 1968	Claremont, Cottesloe, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco
1966	22 May 1968 – 22 May 1974	Cottesloe, Floreat, Nedlands, Perth, Subiaco
1972	22 May 1974 – 22 May 1977
1976	22 May 1977 – 22 May 1983
1982	22 May 1983 – 22 May 1989

Representation

Members

Three-member seat

Member 1		Term	Member 2		Term	Member 3		Term
Sir George Shenton		1894–1906	Stephen Henry Parker		1894–1897	Henry Saunders		1894–1902
			George Randell		1897–1910	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
Charles Sommers	Liberal	1906–1918				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
	Nationalist	1932–1945	Sir Hal Colebatch	Nationalist	1940–1945	James Hislop	Nationalist	1941–1945
	Liberal	1945–1948	Sir Hal Colebatch	Liberal	1945–1948		Liberal	1945–1965
Keith Watson	Liberal	1948–1965	Harry Hearn	Liberal	1948–1956
Keith Watson	Liberal	1948–1965	Reg Mattiske	Liberal	1956–1965

Two-member seat

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

References

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