Improving democracy through elite power struggle: the introduction of proportional representation in the Western Australian Legislative Council

[Truncated] The 1970s were years of dissatisfaction and instability in the WA Parliament. Labor was angry that despite the introduction of adult franchise in 1963, it could not win a Legislative Council majority, and the National Party was concerned about its declining influence in the coalition. Their problems were caused by an electoral system biased toward the Liberals and more basically by the Council's loss of role after universal franchise made it a part of democracy rather than a curb on democracy. Labor began to campaign, divisively and ultimately in vain, for one vote one value in the mistaken belief that its problem was rural malapportionment. A couple of National MLAs campaigned for proportional representation.

Interactions of personalities and opportunities led to the introduction of PR in the Council in 1987. Crusading by Arthur Tonkin and Mai Bryce got Labor to support reform; hostility between Sir Charles Court and Matt Stephens led to National schism and later takeover of the National Party by the cross-bench faction; weak leadership after Court's retirement made the Liberal Party impotent; luck and expedience saw the Nationals win the Council balance of power in 1986. The Labor and National parties then collaborated to end the century-long conservative hegemony in the Council.