7 March 1953 (1953-03-07) 1956 → 23 seats 12 seats 2 2 Date 7 March 1953 | 5 November 1938 10 October 1949 21 seats 14 seats 47.0% 53.0% | |
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Winner Thomas Playford IV | ||
State elections were held in South Australia on 7 March 1953. 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.
Background
Labor won three seats, metropolitan Norwood and Prospect and rural Victoria from the LCL. The LCL won one seat, rural Murray from Labor. Notably, neither major party contested the independent-held seat of Ridley.
The Labor opposition won 53 percent of the statewide two-party vote however the LCL retained government with the assistance of the Playmander − an electoral malapportionment that also saw a clear majority of the statewide two-party vote won by Labor while failing to form government in 1944, 1962 and 1968.