1914 Australian federal election

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1914 Australian federal election
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
←  1913 5 September 1914 (1914-09-05) 1917  →
All 75 seats in the House of Representatives
38 seats were needed for a majority in the House
All 36 seats in the Senate
Registered2,811,515 Increase2.svg1.86%
Turnout1,726,906 (73.53%) [a]
(Increase2.svg0.04 pp)
 First partySecond party
  Andrew Fisher 1912 (b&w).jpg Joseph Cook - Crown Studios 03.jpg
Leader Andrew Fisher Joseph Cook
Party Labor Liberal
Leader since 30 October 1907 20 January 1913
Leader's seat Wide Bay (Qld) Parramatta (NSW)
Last election37 seats38 seats
Seats won42 seats32 seats
Seat changeIncrease2.svg5Decrease2.svg6
Popular vote858,451796,397
Percentage50.89%47.21%
SwingIncrease2.svg2.42%Decrease2.svg1.73%
1914 Australian federal election.svg
Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory.
Prime Minister before election

Joseph Cook
Commonwealth Liberal

Subsequent Prime Minister

Andrew Fisher
Labor

The 1914 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 September 1914. The election had been called before the declaration of war in August 1914. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives and all 36 seats in the Senate were up for election, as a result of the first double dissolution being granted. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Joseph Cook, was defeated by the opposition Labor Party under Andrew Fisher, who returned for a third term as prime minister.

Contents

The Cook government is one of only two non-Labor governments in Australian history that did not last longer than the Labor government it had replaced; the other was the Howard government, which was defeated in 2007.

Additionally this marks the only time that three consecutive elections resulted in changes of government. In fact, since this election there has only ever been a single instance of two consecutive elections resulting in changes of government - 1929 and 1931. It also marks the third overall time that an election resulted in a change in government.

Fisher is one of only two Opposition Leaders from the Labor party to become prime minister with previous federal ministerial experience, the other being Anthony Albanese. This election was the second time he accomplished this, the first being in 1910. [ citation needed ]

This election resulted in the highest ever primary vote percentage for the Labor party at 50.89% and was the first time that the Labor party achieved more than 50% of the primary vote. The only other time this happened was in 1954.

Background

The 1913 federal election had given Cook's Liberal Party a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives. As prime minister, Cook faced significant difficulties in passing legislation, controlling the House only through the casting vote of the speaker and dealing with a substantial ALP majority in the Senate. [1]

Double dissolution

Both the Liberals and ALP sought an early election with the aiming of breaking the political deadlock and securing majorities in both houses. In early 1914, the Senate twice rejected the Liberals' Government Preference Prohibition Bill 1914, which would have abolished the previous ALP government's policy of giving preference to trade union members in the Commonwealth Public Service. Cook used this as an opportunity to secure Australia's first double dissolution, a provision contained in section 57 of the constitution. [2]

Election dates

The parliament was dissolved and the writs for the election were formally issued on 30 July, with the close of nominations on 5 August. [3] [4]

Campaign

The election campaign encompassed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, the ensuing July Crisis and outbreak of World War I on 28 July, and the British Empire's entry into the war on 4 August. The campaign initially focused on the domestic matters which had been the source of the previous political deadlock, before Australia's role in the war and support for Britain became more pressing issues. [5]

Campaign launches and domestic agenda

Cook launched the Liberal Party's campaign on 14 July in Parramatta, New South Wales. He defended his decision to call an early election and accused the ALP of obstructionism. [6]

Fisher's campaign speech was delivered on 6 July in Bundaberg, Queensland. He announced that his priorities if returned to office would include solving industrial unrest, reducing the cost of living, and breaking trusts and monopolies. He promised to resubmit the ALP's proposed constitutional reforms – narrowly defeated at a 1913 referendum – to a further public vote and to legislate for citizen initiated referendums. Fisher defended the previous ALP government's legacy and promised to expand on its social reforms by increasing spending on health and pensions and introducing government-owned insurance and public sector superannuation schemes, as well as standardising rail gauge in Australia. He was critical of the Cook government's fiscal management and its policy of funding defence expenditure through borrowings rather than revenue. [7] [5]

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{} Labour: 42 seats Liberal: 32 seats Independent: 1 seat Australian House of Representatives, 1914.svg
  Labour: 42 seats
  Liberal: 32 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
House of Reps 1914–17 (FPTP) — Turnout 73.53% (Non-CV) — Informal 2.32%
Australia House of Representatives 1914.svg
PartyVotes%SwingSeatsChange
  Labor 858,45150.89+2.4242+5
  Liberal 796,39747.21−1.7332-6
  Independents 31,9151.89−0.701+1
 Total1,686,763  75
  Labor Win42+5
  Liberal 32−6

Notes

Popular vote
Labor
 
50.89%
Liberal
 
47.21%
Independent
 
1.89%
Parliament seats
Labor
 
56.00%
Liberal
 
42.67%
Independent
 
1.33%

Senate

Senate 1914–17 (FPTP BV) — Turnout 72.64% (Non-CV) — Informal N/A
Australia Senate 1914.svg
PartyVotes%SwingSeats wonSeats heldChange
  Labor 6,119,01852.15+3.433131+2
  Liberal 5,605,30547.77−1.6155−2
  Independents 9,7990.08–0.78000
 Total11,734,122  3636

Seats changing hands

SeatPre-1914SwingPost-1914
PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
Corio, Vic  Liberal William Kendell 1.43.01.2 Alfred Ozanne Labor 
Gippsland, Vic  Liberal James Bennett 5.06.01.0 George Wise Independent 
Grampians, Vic  Liberal Hans Irvine 3.94.20.3 Edward Jolley Labor 
Indi, Vic  Liberal Cornelius Ahern 1.83.01.0 Parker Moloney Labor 
Riverina, NSW  Liberal Franc Falkiner 1.03.12.1 John Chanter Labor 
Werriwa, NSW  Liberal Alfred Conroy 5.95.90.0 John Lynch Labor 

Post-election pendulum

Government seats
Australian Labor Party
Marginal
Werriwa (NSW) John Lynch ALP00.0
Grampians (Vic) Edward Jolley ALP00.3
Indi (Vic) Parker Moloney ALP01.0
Corio (Vic) Alfred Ozanne ALP01.2
Ballaarat (Vic) Charles McGrath ALP01.2
Riverina (NSW) John Chanter ALP02.1
Macquarie (NSW) Ernest Carr ALP03.3
Gwydir (NSW) William Webster ALP03.8
Grey (SA) Alexander Poynton ALP04.0
Illawarra (NSW) George Burns ALP04.2
Hunter (NSW) Matthew Charlton ALP04.6
Bendigo (Vic) John Arthur ALP05.1
Boothby (SA) George Dankel ALP05.3
Denison (Tas) William Laird Smith ALP05.9
Fairly safe
Bass (Tas) Jens Jensen ALP06.0
Darwin (Tas) King O'Malley ALP06.1
Fremantle (WA) Reginald Burchell ALP06.3
Oxley (Qld) James Sharpe ALP06.8
East Sydney (NSW) John West ALP07.3
Fawkner (Vic) Joseph Hannan ALP09.3
Safe
Brisbane (Qld) William Finlayson ALP10.3
Darling (NSW) William Spence ALP10.5
Dalley (NSW) Robert Howe ALP11.3
Cook (NSW) James Catts ALP11.7
Wide Bay (Qld) Andrew Fisher ALP14.3 vs QFU
Maribyrnong (Vic) James Fenton ALP14.3
Herbert (Qld) Fred Bamford ALP14.4
Bourke (Vic) Frank Anstey ALP15.9
Adelaide (SA) George Edwin Yates ALP16.4
Capricornia (Qld) William Higgs ALP17.4
South Sydney (NSW) Edward Riley ALP18.8
Melbourne (Vic) William Maloney ALP19.3
Very safe
Hindmarsh (SA) William Archibald ALP24.4
West Sydney (NSW) Billy Hughes ALP25.3
Barrier (NSW) Josiah Thomas ALP29.7
Batman (Vic) Frank Brennan ALPunopposed
Kalgoorlie (WA) Hugh Mahon ALPunopposed
Kennedy (Qld) Charles McDonald ALPunopposed
Maranoa (Qld) Jim Page ALPunopposed
Melbourne Ports (Vic) James Mathews ALPunopposed
Newcastle (NSW) David Watkins ALPunopposed
Yarra (Vic) Frank Tudor ALPunopposed
Non-government seats
Liberal Party
Marginal
Hume (NSW) Robert Patten LIB01.0
Calare (NSW) Henry Pigott LIB01.2
Corangamite (Vic) Chester Manifold LIB01.6
Lilley (Qld) Jacob Stumm LIB02.3
Wakefield (SA) Richard Foster LIB02.4
Flinders (Vic) William Irvine LIB02.7
Nepean (NSW) Richard Orchard LIB02.7
Robertson (NSW) William Fleming LIB03.4
Lang (NSW) Elliot Johnson LIB03.5
Wannon (Vic) Arthur Rodgers LIB03.6
Dampier (WA) Henry Gregory LIB03.9
Perth (WA) James Fowler LIB05.8
Fairly safe
Wentworth (NSW) Willie Kelly LIB06.5
New England (NSW) Percy Abbott LIB06.7
Barker (SA) John Livingston LIB06.7
Darling Downs (Qld) Littleton Groom LIB06.9
Moreton (Qld) Hugh Sinclair LIB07.3
Henty (Vic) James Boyd LIB07.7
Echuca (Vic) Albert Palmer LIB08.2
Balaclava (Vic) William Watt LIB08.4
Parkes (NSW) Bruce Smith LIB08.5
Eden-Monaro (NSW) Austin Chapman LIB09.2
Swan (WA) John Forrest LIB09.2
Safe
Wilmot (Tas) Llewellyn Atkinson LIB10.9
Kooyong (Vic) Robert Best LIB13.3 vs IND
North Sydney (NSW) Granville Ryrie LIB17.6
Very safe
Angas (SA) Paddy Glynn LIBunopposed
Cowper (NSW) John Thomson LIBunopposed
Franklin (Tas) William McWilliams LIBunopposed
Parramatta (NSW) Joseph Cook LIBunopposed
Richmond (NSW) Walter Massy-Greene LIBunopposed
Wimmera (Vic) Sydney Sampson LIBunopposed
Independents
Gippsland (Vic) George Wise IND01.0 vs LIB

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Turnout in contested seats

References

  1. ↑ Crowley, F. K. (1981). "Sir Joseph Cook (1860–1947)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. Melbourne University Press.
  2. ↑ Irving 2014, pp. 26–27.
  3. ↑ "Election dates (1901 to Present) – House of Representatives". Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ↑ "Election dates (1901 to Present) – Senate". Australian Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  5. 1 2 Day 2008, pp. 286–287.
  6. ↑ "1914: Joseph Cook". Election Speeches. Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "1914: Andrew Fisher". Election Speeches. Museum of Australian Democracy. Retrieved 20 October 2025.

Sources

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