State elections were held in South Australia on 3 March 1956. All 39 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal and Country League led by Premier of South Australia Thomas Playford IV defeated the Australian Labor Party led by Leader of the Opposition Mick O'Halloran.
A redistribution occurred in 1955 based upon the results of the census held in June 1954.
Background Labor won one seat, rural Murray from the LCL. The LCL won two seats, rural Wallaroo from Labor and rural Chaffey from an independent. An independent won one seat, rural Burra from the LCL.
Results
The primary vote figures were from contested seats, while the state-wide two-party-preferred vote figures were estimated from all seats.Two-party preferred figures since 1950, ABC News Online
Post-election pendulum LCL seats (21)Marginal WallarooLeslie HeathLCL2.0%ChaffeyHarold KingLCL5.2% v INDFairly safeGlenelgBaden PattinsonLCL8.0%TorrensJohn CoumbeLCL8.2%SafeUnleyColin DunnageLCL10.2%VictoriaLeslie HardingLCL11.7%OnkaparingaHoward ShannonLCL20.1% v INDGougerRufus GoldneyLCL 20.5% v INDAngasBerthold TeusnerLCL27.6% v INDGumerachaThomas PlayfordLCL38.6% v COMEyreGeorge BockelbergLCLundistributedAlbertMalcolm McIntoshLCLunopposedAlexandraDavid BrookmanLCLunopposedBarossaCondor LauckeLCLunopposedBurnsideGeoffrey ClarkeLCL unopposedFlindersGlen PearsonLCLunopposedLightGeorge HambourLCLunopposedMitchamRobin MillhouseLCLunopposedRocky RiverJames HeaslipLCLunopposedStirlingWilliam JenkinsLCLunopposedYorke PeninsulaCecil HincksLCLunopposed Labor seats (15)Marginal MurrayGabe BywatersALP1.4% West TorrensFred WalshALP1.4% MillicentJim CorcoranALP2.3% FromeMick O'HalloranALP4.3%Fairly safe NorwoodDon DunstanALP7.2%SafeEnfieldJoe JenningsALP17.9% EdwardstownFrank WalshALP24.3% v DLPAdelaideSam LawnALP31.7% v DLPPort AdelaideJames StephensALP32.1% v DLP GawlerJohn ClarkALPunopposedHindmarshCyril HutchensALPunopposed Port PirieCharles DavisALP unopposedSemaphoreHarold TappingALPunopposedStuartLindsay RichesALP unopposedWhyallaRon LovedayALPunopposedCrossbench seats (3)BurraPercy QuirkeIND1.2% v LCL Mount GambierJohn FletcherIND6.1% v ALPRidleyTom StottIND11.0% v LCL
See also Results of the South Australian state election, 1956 (House of Assembly) Candidates of the 1956 South Australian state election Members of the South Australian House of Assembly, 1956-1959 Members of the South Australian Legislative Council, 1956-1959 Playmander
Notes