The 1944 Kearsley Shire Council election was held on 2 December 1944 to elect eight councillors to Kearsley Shire. The election was held as part of the statewide local government elections in New South Wales, Australia.^[1]

Quick Facts First party, Second party ...

1944 Kearsley Shire Council election

← 1941 2 December 1944 1947 →

First party Second party Third party   IND ALP Leader Bill Varty N/A A. Johnson Party Communist Independents Labor Seats won 5 seats 2 seats 1 seat Popular vote 4,149 3,084 703 Percentage 52.29% 38.66% 8.85% Swing 52.29

Close

The election was notable for resulting in five members of the Australian Communist Party being elected. According to the party's official newspaper, Tribune, this was the first time a communist party had won a local government majority in the English-speaking world.^[2][3]

As of 2024, this is the most seats won by a communist political party in Australia in a single LGA. The present-day Communist Party of Australia had one councillor elected to Auburn City Council from 2012 until 2016, which remains its only electoral victory.^[4]

Kearsley Shire was one of 138 shire councils in New South Wales in 1944. It was based in Cessnock, and also included the towns of Branxton, Greta and Kearsley. The council was split into four two-member wards (also known as ridings) − A Riding, B Riding, C Riding and D Riding.^[5][6]

During World War II, the party (although banned from 1940 to 1942) rose in popularity. Its membership rose to 20,000, it won control of a number of important trade unions, and a Communist candidate, Fred Paterson, was elected to the Queensland parliament in April 1944.^[7]

In late 1944, the party launched a campaign to get its members elected to councils. At the statewide local elections in December, a total of 16 Communist candidates won seats across six different LGAs, with its best results in Kearsley and neighbouring Cessnock.^[7]

Five Communist councillors were elected, giving the party a majority. The party's best result was in B Riding, where the Communist ticket had 74% of the vote. Both independent councillors in A Riding were re-elected unopposed.^[8][9][10]

More information Party, Votes ...

1944 New South Wales local elections: Kearsley^[11][12]

Party			Votes	%	Swing	Seats	Change
	Communist		4,149	52.29	+52.29	5	5
	Independent		3,084	38.86		2
	Labor		703	8.85		1
Formal votes			7,936	100.0

Close

Following the election, councillors voted for William "Bill" Varty to serve as shire president. Between 1930 and 1943, prior to running as a Communist, Varty had served in the position for four (yearly) terms, along with two years as deputy president.^[7] He was also a former Australian Labor Party (ALP) and State Labor Party member.^[3]

Reacting to the election of the Communists, other councils − including Albury, Maitland, Muswellbrook and Taree − accused Kearley of "deplorable action" and "disloyalty".^[7] However, Lake Macquarie (which itself had elected three Communist councillors) co-operated with Kearsley.^[13]

After the election, the council was committed to municipal socialism, advocating nationalisation of electricity and the expansion of the social wage, and was unique for its commitment to activism around federal and international affairs.^[7]