Charles Kingston Liberal Charles Kingston Liberal The 1896 South Australian colonial election was held on 25 April 1896 to elect all 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly.

[1] All 54 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election.

The incumbent liberal government led by Premier of South Australia Charles Kingston in an informal coalition with the United Labor Party (ULP) led by John McPherson defeated the conservative opposition.

The period after the 1893 election saw an increasing competition between the two new political parties – the ULP and the conservative National Defence League (NDL).

It also reflected a trend for the conservative members to gravitate to the NDL, and the progressive members to support Kingston, a strong advocate of progressive social policy and reform of the Legislative Council.