Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1914–1917

On 27 July 1916, the Scaddan Ministry was defeated and the Liberals' Frank Wilson became the new premier.

In March 1917, the Labor Party split ahead of the 1917 federal election.

The federal party had split a year earlier over military conscription, and in Western Australia, where conscription was widely supported, all of the Labor Senators up for election had joined Billy Hughes's Nationalist Party.

A number of state Labor members, including former Premier John Scaddan, either resigned from the Party or were expelled for supporting them.

With these arrangements, another Ministry was formed under new Premier Henry Lefroy.