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Federal Election Results 1901–2016

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RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2016–17 31 MARCH 2017 Federal election results 1901–2016 Stephen Barber Statistics and Mapping Section Executive summary During the period 1901 to 2016, there have been 45 general elections for the House of Representatives and 43 Senate elections. This paper contains a brief commentary on each election along with statistical summary information and results for each state and territory at each election. Contents Executive summary ..................................................................................... 1 Election dates .............................................................................................. 2 Introduction ................................................................................................ 3 Statistical highlights of the elections ............................................................ 4 Comments on individual elections ................................................................ 5 Tables ........................................................................................................15 Party abbreviations and symbols ..................................................................... 15 Detailed results: House of Representatives ..................................................... 16 Detailed results: Senate .................................................................................... 61 State summaries: House of Representatives .................................................. 103 State summaries: Senate ................................................................................ 122 Senate compositions ...................................................................................... 138 Two-party preferred votes: House of Representatives 1949–2016 ............... 143 Informal votes: House of Representatives ..................................................... 145 Informal votes: Senate ................................................................................... 146 Turnout: House of Representatives ................................................................ 147 Turnout: Senate .............................................................................................. 148 Sources .................................................................................................... 149 ISSN 2203-5249 Election dates Unless otherwise specified, elections were held for the House of Representatives and half of the Senate on the following dates: 1901 29-30 March House of Representatives and Senate 1903 16 December 1906 12 December 1910 13 April 1913 31 May 1914 5 September Double dissolution 1917 5 May 1919 13 December 1922 16 December 1925 14 November 1928 17 November 1929 12 October House of Representatives 1931 19 December 1934 15 September 1937 23 October 1940 21 September 1943 21 August 1946 28 September 1949 10 December 1951 28 April Double dissolution 1953 9 May Half-Senate 1954 29 May House of Representatives 1955 10 December 1958 22 November 1961 9 December 1963 30 November House of Representatives 1964 5 December Half-Senate 1966 26 November House of Representatives 1967 25 November Half-Senate 1969 25 October House of Representatives 1970 21 November Half-Senate 1972 2 December House of Representatives 1974 18 May Double dissolution 1975 13 December Double dissolution 1977 10 December 1980 18 October 1983 5 March Double dissolution 1984 1 December 1987 11 July Double dissolution 1990 24 March 1993 13 March 1996 2 March 1998 3 October 2001 10 November 2004 9 October 2007 24 November 2010 21 August 2013 7 September 2014 5 April Half-Senate, Western Australia 2016 2 July Double dissolution Federal election results 1901–2016 2 Introduction This Research paper updates the Parliamentary Library’s Federal Election Results 1901–2014 paper published in 2014.1 It contains a summary of the federal elections—House of Representatives and Senate—held from 1901 to the latest in 2016. Brief comments on each election are provided in this paper, along with a series of statistical tables. Tables showing detailed state and territory results for each House of Representatives and Senate election contain: • figures for the number of electors enrolled • the number and percentage of votes received by party and • seats won by party. Votes received by party are expressed as a percentage of formal votes, while formal and informal votes are expressed as a percentage of total votes. Total votes are expressed as a percentage of electors enrolled in contested divisions. Enrolled figures represent the total number of electors enrolled in each state, while enrolled division figures represent the number of electors enrolled in contested divisions only. Other individual state and territory tables summarise the results for that state and territory at every House of Representatives and Senate election. These show, by party, the percentage of formal votes and seats won. Further tables showing Senate compositions, two-party preferred votes, informal votes and turnout at each Senate and House of Representatives election in the period are also included.2 This paper does not show by-election results. Information on by-elections since 1901 can be found in S Barber, 3 House of Representatives By-elections 1901–2015. 1. S Barber and S Johnson, Federal election results 1901–2014, Research paper, 2014–15, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 17 July 2014, accessed 31 January 2017. 2. Turnout is the proportion of enrolled electors that voted; calculated by expressing the total number of votes (formal and informal) as a percentage of enrolled electors. 3. S Barber, House of Representatives by-elections 1901–2015, Research paper, 2015–16, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 4 April 2016, accessed 31 January 2017. Federal election results 1901–2016 3 Statistical highlights of the elections Since 1901 there have been 45 House of Representatives Highlights elections and 43 Senate elections. The average length of time between House of Representatives elections has been 2 years Per cent Election and 7 months. Highest House of Representatives votes: Of the House of Representatives elections, non-Labor parties or ALP 50.9 1914 coalitions have won 31 and the Australian Labor Party (ALP) has LP 41.8 1975 won 14. Australian politics has been characterised by relatively NP 12.6 1922 long periods in government. Since 1930 there have been only DEM 11.3 1990 nine changes of government: 1932, 1941, 1949, 1972, 1975, GRN 11.8 2010 1983, 1996, 2007 and 2013. Lowest House of Representatives votes: Double dissolutions of both houses have occurred seven times, ALP 26.8 1934 resulting in full Senate elections being held in 1914, 1951, 1974, LP 28.1 1972 1975, 1983, 1987 and 2016. Half-Senate only elections were NP* 3.7 2010 held in 1953, 1964, 1967 and 1970. House of Representatives * Previously 5.3 per cent in 1998; 2010 result affected only elections were held in 1929, 1954, 1963, 1966, 1969 and by the NP and LP now running as a joint team, LNP, in 1972. Queensland. Since the introduction of proportional representation (PR) for Highest House of Representatives seats: Senate elections in 1949, the government of the day has only ALP 60.0 1983 had control (a majority) in the Senate during 1951–1956, 1959– LP 53.5 1975 1962, 1975–1981 and 2005–2007. On each occasion the NP 21.6 1937 Liberal/National (Country) Party Coalition was in government. An ALP government has not controlled the Senate since 1944– Government won with less than 50 per cent 1949, though the party did control the Senate during the period of the two-party preferred vote: 1949–1951 while in opposition. LP/NP 49.0 1998 LP/NP 49.3 1954 LP/NP 49.5 1961 LP/NP 49.8 1969 ALP 49.9 1990 Highest two-party preferred vote: ALP 53.2 1983 LP/NP 56.9 1966 Largest two-party preferred swing: ALP 7.1 1969 LP/NP 7.4 1975 Highest Senate votes (PR): ALP 50.6 1953 LP/NP 51.7 1975 DLP 11.1 1970 DEM 12.6 1990 GRN 13.1 2010 Lowest Senate votes (PR): ALP 29.6 2013 LP/NP 35.2 2016 Federal election results 1901–2016 4 Comments on individual elections (Simultaneous House of Representatives and half-Senate unless specified) 1901, 29 and 30 March Australia’s first Commonwealth election was essentially six separate elections held over two days, as each state conducted an election in accordance with its own electoral laws and practices. Three loosely-affiliated political groups contested the election: the Protectionists led by Edmund Barton, the Free Traders led by George Reid and a collection of Labor candidates. Of the 75 seats contested in the House of Representatives no one group attained the majority required to form government outright, with the Protectionists taking 32 seats, the Free Traders 26 seats, Labor candidates 15 seats and independents two seats. The Barton Protectionists formed government reliant upon the support of the Labor members. Reid and the Free Traders formed the official opposition. Labor candidates similarly held the balance of power in the Senate claiming eight seats to the Free Traders’ 17 seats and the Protectionists’ 11 seats. Labor’s general preference for Protectionist policy ensured a Senate that was generally supportive of the government. 1903, 16 December This was the first election held under Commonwealth electoral legislation. ‘First past the post’ was the electoral system. Once again no one political group gained a majority of Representative seats, with the Protectionists winning 26 seats, the Free Traders 25 seats and Labor 23 seats. One independent candidate also claimed a seat. The relative equality
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