Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Victorian Legislative Council" in English language version.
While earlier malapportionment had given way to a version of 'one-vote-one value' (with a ten per cent tolerance), the distinctive population distribution of metropolitan Melbourne continued to disadvantage the ALP as it stored up majorities in safe western and northern metropolitan provinces while losing to the Liberals where it mattered most. [...] the Liberals, due to the geographical dispersal of party support in the Melbourne metropolitan area, could secure upper house majorities even when they polled far fewer votes than the ALP, as in the period of the John Cain (junior) government, elected in 1982.
[...] before the 2002 election the Labor Party had enjoyed a majority in the Legislative Council for a grand total of three months (in 1985),
Through the 1980s, Labor actually managed to win a few state elections on the trot - but still without control of the upper house, except in 1985 when bizarre circumstances conspired to give a bare majority to Labor for a few short weeks, before normal service was resumed.
