1910 Australian federal election

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1910 Australian federal election
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
  1906 13 April 1910 (1910-04-13) 1913  

All 75 seats in the House of Representatives
38 seats were needed for a majority in the House
18 (of the 36) seats in the Senate
Registered2,267,482 Increase2.svg7.49%
Turnout1,349,626 (59.52%) [lower-alpha 1]
(Increase2.svg12.04 pp)
 First partySecond party
  Andrew Fisher 1912 (b&w).jpg AlfredDeakin.jpeg
Leader Andrew Fisher Alfred Deakin
Party Labor Liberal
Leader since 30 October 1907 26 May 1909
Leader's seat Wide Bay (Qld.) Ballaarat (Vic.)
Last election26 seatsNew party
Seats before27 seats42 seats
Seats won42 seats31 seats
Seat changeIncrease2.svg15Decrease2.svg11
Popular vote649,538591,248
Percentage49.12%44.71%
SwingIncrease2.svg13.33%Decrease2.svg8.01

1910 Australian federal election.svg
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.

Prime Minister before election

Alfred Deakin
Commonwealth Liberal

Subsequent Prime Minister

Andrew Fisher
Labor

The 1910 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 13 April 1910. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party (formed by the fusion of the Protectionist Party and the Anti-Socialist Party in 1909) led by Prime Minister Alfred Deakin was defeated by the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) led by Andrew Fisher.

Contents

The election represented a number of landmarks: it was Australia's first elected federal majority government; Australia's first elected Senate majority; the world's first labour party majority government at a national level; after the 1904 Chris Watson minority and Fisher's former minority government the world's third labour party government at a national level; the first time it controlled both houses of a bicameral legislature; and the first time that a prime minister, in this case Deakin, was defeated at an election. It also remains the only election in Australia's federal history to have occurred following expiration of a full three-year parliamentary term by the "effluxion of time". [1] This was the first time the Labor Party won a federal election.

Two referendums to approve proposed amendments to the Constitution were held on the same day. The State Debts referendum was carried, but the Surplus Revenue referendum was not carried.

Future Prime Minister James Scullin and future opposition leader Matthew Charlton both entered parliament at this election. Scullin lost his seat at the subsequent 1913 election and did not re-enter parliament until 1922.

Background

After the 1906 election, the House of Representatives first met on 20 February 1907. Prime Minister Alfred Deakin allowed the parliament to run to its maximum permissible length under section 28 of the constitution (three years). Its final meeting ended on 8 December 1909, and it was then prorogued until 19 February 1910 at which point it expired by "effluxion of time". This remains the only occasion to date where the House has been allowed to expire, rather than being dissolved earlier by the Governor-General. The writs for the election were issued on 28 February, producing the longest gap between federal elections in Australian history. [2]

Results

House of Representatives

.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Labor: 42 seats
Liberal: 31 seats
Independent: 2 seats Australian House of Representatives, 1910.svg
  Labor: 42 seats
   Liberal: 31 seats
  Independent: 2 seats
House of Reps 1910–13 (FPTP) — Turnout 62.80% (Non-CV) — Informal 2.00%
Australia House of Representatives 1910.svg
PartyVotes %SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 649,53849.12+12.4842Increase2.svg16
  Liberal 591,24844.71−8.0131Decrease2.svg11
  Socialist Labor 6280.05+0.050Steady2.svg
  Young Australia 5900.04+0.040Steady2.svg
  Independent 80,4786.09−2.222Decrease2.svg3
 Total1,322,482  75
  Labor Win42+16
  Liberal 31+31

Notes
Popular vote
Labor
49.12%
Liberal
44.71%
Independent/Other
6.17%
Parliament seats
Labor
56.00%
Liberal
41.33%
Independent
2.67%

Senate

Senate 1910–13 (FPTP BV) — Turnout 62.16% (Non-CV) — Informal N/A
Australian Senate 1910.svg
PartyVotes %SwingSeats wonSeats heldChange
  Labor 2,021,09050.30+11.571822+7
  Liberal 1,830,35345.55N/A014-6
  Independents 134,9763.36+2.46001
 Other31,7000.79000
 Total4,018,119  1836

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1910SwingPost-1910
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Bass, Tas  Liberal David Storrer 12.356.86.8 Jens Jensen Labor 
Batman, Vic  Liberal Jabez Coon 1.315.313.6 Henry Beard Labor 
Bendigo, Vic  Independent John Quick 1.70.41.3 John Quick Liberal 
Bourke, Vic  Liberal James Hume Cook 2.215.38.6 Frank Anstey Labor 
Brisbane, Qld  Liberal Justin Foxton 11.312.51.2 William Finlayson Labor 
Capricornia, Qld  Liberal Edward Archer 5.612.46.8 William Higgs Labor 
Corangamite, Vic  Liberal Gratton Wilson 24.729.44.7 James Scullin Labor 
Corio, Vic  Liberal Richard Crouch 100.054.44.4 Alfred Ozanne Labor 
Dalley, NSW  Liberal William Wilks 2.79.36.6 Robert Howe Labor 
Denison, Tas  Liberal Philip Fysh 6.518.68.1 William Laird Smith Labor 
East Sydney, NSW  Liberal George Reid 4.912.07.1 John West Labor 
Gippsland, Vic  Liberal George Wise 100.062.112.1 George Wise Independent 
Hume, NSW  Liberal William Lyne 100.066.416.4 William Lyne Independent 
Hunter, NSW  Liberal Frank Liddell 0.811.70.9 Matthew Charlton Labor 
Indi, Vic  Liberal Joseph Brown 11.014.13.1 Parker Moloney Labor 
Maribyrnong, Vic  Liberal Samuel Mauger 6.917.710.8 James Fenton Labor 
Nepean, NSW  Liberal Eric Bowden 10.614.81.5 George Cann Labor 
Perth, WA  Labor James Fowler 2.713.410.7 James Fowler Liberal 
Riverina, NSW  Liberal John Chanter 100.057.07.0 John Chanter Labor 
Robertson, NSW  Liberal Henry Willis 7.07.90.9 William Johnson Labor 

Post-election pendulum

Government seats
Australian Labor Party
Marginal
Robertson (NSW) William Johnson ALP00.9
Brisbane (Qld) William Finlayson ALP01.2
Nepean (NSW) George Cann ALP01.5
New England (NSW) Frank Foster ALP02.7
Indi (Vic) Parker Moloney ALP03.1
Calare (NSW) Thomas Brown ALP03.6
Wide Bay (Qld) Andrew Fisher ALP04.1
Corio (Vic) Alfred Ozanne ALP04.4
Werriwa (NSW) David Hall ALP04.6
Corangamite (Vic) James Scullin ALP04.7
Wannon (Vic) John McDougall ALP05.0
Fairly safe
Macquarie (NSW) Ernest Carr ALP06.5
Dalley (NSW) Robert Howe ALP06.6
Capricornia (Qld) William Higgs ALP06.8
Bass (Tas) Jens Jensen ALP06.8 vs IND
East Sydney (NSW) John West ALP07.1
Denison (Tas) William Laird Smith ALP08.1
Riverina (NSW) John Chanter ALP08.5
Bourke (Vic) Frank Anstey ALP08.6
Gwydir (NSW) William Webster ALP09.6
Safe
Maribyrnong (Vic) James Fenton ALP10.8
Hunter (NSW) Matthew Charlton ALP10.9
Herbert (Qld) Fred Bamford ALP11.0
Adelaide (SA) Ernest Roberts ALP13.3
Darwin (Tas) King O'Malley ALP13.3
Batman (Vic) Henry Beard ALP13.6
Boothby (SA) Lee Batchelor ALP13.8 vs IND
Cook (NSW) James Catts ALP14.1
Darling (NSW) William Spence ALP14.7
Kennedy (Qld) Charles McDonald ALP14.8
Melbourne (Vic) William Maloney ALP17.0
Melbourne Ports (Vic) James Mathews ALP19.6
Very safe
Maranoa (Qld) Jim Page ALP21.0
West Sydney (NSW) Billy Hughes ALP21.5
South Sydney (NSW) Edward Riley ALP24.1
Coolgardie (WA) Hugh Mahon ALP25.4
Yarra (Vic) Frank Tudor ALP26.1
Newcastle (NSW) David Watkins ALP26.7
Kalgoorlie (WA) Charlie Frazer ALP31.4
Barrier (NSW) Josiah Thomas ALP35.8
Grey (SA) Alexander Poynton ALPunopposed
Hindmarsh (SA) William Archibald ALPunopposed
Non-government seats
Liberal Party
Marginal
Echuca (Vic) Albert Palmer LIB00.4 vs IND
Grampians (Vic) Hans Irvine LIB00.4
Laanecoorie (Vic) Carty Salmon LIB00.8
Wakefield (SA) Richard Foster LIB00.8
Lang (NSW) Elliot Johnson LIB01.0
Ballaarat (Vic) Alfred Deakin LIB01.1
Bendigo (Vic) John Quick LIB01.3
Mernda (Vic) Robert Harper LIB01.8
Illawarra (NSW) George Fuller LIB02.0
Franklin (Tas) William McWilliams LIB03.4
Richmond (NSW) Walter Massy-Greene LIB04.2 vs IND
Fremantle (WA) William Hedges LIB04.5
Parkes (NSW) Bruce Smith LIB05.1
Fairly safe
Kooyong (Vic) William Knox LIB06.3 vs IND
Wilmot (Tas) Llewellyn Atkinson LIB06.6
Flinders (Vic) William Irvine LIB08.1
Fawkner (Vic) George Fairbairn LIB08.9
Barker (SA) John Livingston LIB09.5
Safe
Swan (WA) John Forrest LIB10.2
Perth (WA) James Fowler LIB10.7
Wentworth (NSW) Willie Kelly LIB11.0
Moreton (Qld) Hugh Sinclair LIB11.1
Balaclava (Vic) Agar Wynne LIB12.0
Oxley (Qld) Richard Edwards LIB12.2 vs IND
North Sydney (NSW) George Edwards LIB15.8
Wimmera (Vic) Sydney Sampson LIB16.0
Parramatta (NSW) Joseph Cook LIB18.0
Cowper (NSW) John Thomson LIB19.5
Darling Downs (Qld) Littleton Groom LIB19.9
Very safe
Angas (SA) Paddy Glynn LIBunopposed
Eden-Monaro (NSW) Austin Chapman LIBunopposed
Independents
Gippsland (Vic) George Wise IND12.1 vs LIB
Hume (NSW) William Lyne IND16.4 vs LIB

See also

Notes

Notes

  1. Turnout in contested seats was 62.80%.

Citations

  1. Dissolution
  2. "A Parliament". House of Representatives Practice (7th ed.). Parliament of Australia. 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

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References