Australian federal election, 1980

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Australian federal election, 1980
Flag of Australia.svg
  1977 18 October 1980 1983  

All 125 seats in the House of Representatives
63 seats were needed for a majority in the House
34 (of the 64) seats in the Senate

 First partySecond party
  MalcolmFraser1982.JPEG Bill Hayden on 29.5.1990.jpg
Leader Malcolm Fraser Bill Hayden
Party Liberal/NCP coalition Labor
Leader since21 March 197522 December 1977
Leader's seat Wannon (Vic.) Oxley (Qld.)
Last election86 seats38 seats
Seats won74 seats51 seats
Seat changeDecrease2.svg12Increase2.svg13
Popular vote3,853,5493,749,565
Percentage50.37%49.63%
SwingDecrease2.svg4.23Increase2.svg4.23

Prime Minister before election

Malcolm Fraser
Liberal/NCP coalition

Subsequent Prime Minister

Malcolm Fraser
Liberal/NCP coalition

Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal–NCP coalition government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, was elected to a third term, defeating the opposition Labor Party led by Bill Hayden.

Elections in Australia discussion of elections conducted in Australia

Elections in Australia take place periodically to elect the legislature of the Commonwealth of Australia, as well as for each Australian state and territory. Elections in all jurisdictions follow similar principles, though there are minor variations between them. The elections for the Australian Parliament are held under the federal electoral system, which is uniform throughout the country, and the elections for state and territory Parliaments are held under the electoral system of each state and territory.

Australian House of Representatives Lower house of Australia

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.

Australian Senate upper house of the Australian Parliament

The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. There are a total of 76 Senators: 12 are elected from each of the six states regardless of population and 2 from each of the two autonomous internal territories. Senators are popularly elected under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation.

Contents

Future Prime Minister Bob Hawke and future opposition leader Kim Beazley both entered parliament at this election.

Bob Hawke Australian politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Australia

Robert James Lee Hawke, is an Australian former politician who was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and the Leader of the Labor Party from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving Labor Party Prime Minister.

Kim Beazley Australian politician, academic, diplomat, and viceroy

Kim Christian Beazley, AC, is an Australian politician who is currently serving as the Governor of Western Australia. A former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Leader of the Opposition, Beazley has also held various ministerial portfolios in the Hawke and Keating Governments before later serving as Ambassador to the United States.

Issues and significance

The Fraser Government had lost a degree of popularity within the electorate by 1980. The economy had been performing poorly since the 1973 oil shock. However, Hayden was not seen as having great electoral prospects. [1] Perhaps as evidence of this, then ACTU President Bob Hawke (elected to Parliament in the election as the Member for Wills) and then Premier of New South Wales Neville Wran featured heavily in the campaign, almost as heavily as Hayden.

Australian Council of Trade Unions

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions and nine trades and labour councils. The ACTU is a member of the International Trade Union Confederation.

Division of Wills Australian federal electoral division

The Division of Wills is an Australian electoral division of Victoria. It is currently represented by Peter Khalil of the Australian Labor Party.

Premier of New South Wales head of government for the state of New South Wales, Australia

The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature. The Premier is appointed by the Governor of New South Wales, and by modern convention holds office by virtue of his or her ability to command the support of a majority of members of the lower house of Parliament, the Legislative Assembly.

Results

House of Representatives

Government (74)
Coalition
Liberal (54)
NCP (19)
CLP (1)

Opposition (51)
Labor (51) Australian House of Representatives elected members, 1980.svg
Government (74)
Coalition
     Liberal (54)
     NCP (19)
     CLP (1)

Opposition (51)
     Labor (51)
    House of Reps (IRV) — 1980–83—Turnout 94.35% (CV) — Informal 2.45%
    PartyVotes%SwingSeatsChange
      Liberal–NCP coalition 3,853,58546.40–1.7174–12
      Liberal 3,108,51737.43−0.6654−13
      National Country  726,2638.74−1.0719+1
      Country Liberal 18,8050.23+0.0210
      Labor 3,749,56545.15+5.5051+13
      Democrats 546,0326.57−2.8100
      Democratic Labor 25,4560.31−1.1200
      Progress 17,0400.21−0.3900
      Socialist Workers 16,9200.20+0.2000
      Communist 11,3180.14−0.0400
      Socialist Labour 10,0510.12+0.1200
      NPWA 8,9150.11+0.1100
      Progressive Conservative 3,6200.04+0.0400
      United Christian 2,0500.02+0.0200
      Imperial British Conservative 1,5150.02+0.0200
      Australia 7010.01+0.0100
      Marijuana 4860.01+0.0100
      Independent 58,3380.70+0.0700
     Total8,305,633  125+1
    Two-party-preferred (estimated)
      Coalition WIN50.40−4.2074−12
      Labor  49.60+4.2051+13
    Popular Vote
    Labor
    45.15%
    Liberal
    37.43%
    National
    8.97%
    Democrats
    6.57%
    Other
    1.88%
    Two Party Preferred Vote
    Coalition
    50.40%
    Labor
    49.60%
    Parliament Seats
    Coalition
    59.20%
    Labor
    40.80%

    Senate

    Government (31)
Coalition
Liberal (27)
NCP (3)
CLP (1)

Opposition (27)
Labor (27)

Crossbench (6)
Democrats (5)
Independent (1) Australian Senate elected members, 1980.svg
    Government (31)
    Coalition
         Liberal (27)
         NCP (3)
         CLP (1)

    Opposition (27)
         Labor (27)

    Crossbench (6)
         Democrats (5)
         Independent (1)
      Senate (STV) — 1980–83—Turnout 94.35% (CV) — Informal 9.65%
      PartyVotes%SwingSeats WonSeats HeldChange
        Liberal–NCP coalition 3,352,52143.58–1.981531–3
       Liberal–NCP joint ticket1,971,52825.63−8.634**
        Liberal 1,011,28913.15+2.559270
        National Country 341,9784.45+3.9513–3
        Country Liberal 19,1290.25+0.04110
        Labor 3,250,18742.25+5.4915270
        Democrats 711,8059.25−1.8835+3
        Call to Australia 118,5351.54+0.42000
        Democratic Labor 31,7660.41–1.26000
        Marijuana 28,3370.37–0.23000
        Australia 27,4040.36+0.25000
        Socialist 15,4120.20–0.38000
        Progress 8,2520.11–1.08000
        NPWA 7,5970.10+0.10000
       Other56,1280.73+0.73000
        Independent 86,7701.13–0.60110
       Total7,692,364  3464
      Notes

        Seats changing hands

        SeatPre-1980SwingPost-1980
        PartyMemberMarginMarginMemberParty
        Ballarat, Vic  Liberal Jim Short 7.58.20.7 John Mildren Labor 
        Brisbane, Qld  Liberal Peter Johnson 3.25.01.8 Manfred Cross Labor 
        Canberra, ACT  Liberal John Haslem 1.06.75.7 Ros Kelly Labor 
        Henty, Vic  Liberal Ken Aldred 2.75.52.8 Joan Child Labor 
        Holt, Vic  Liberal William Yates 1.88.76.9 Michael Duffy Labor 
        Hotham, Vic  Liberal Roger Johnston 1.75.74.0 Lewis Kent Labor 
        Isaacs, Vic  Liberal William Burns 7.39.11.8 David Charles Labor 
        Kalgoorlie, WA  Liberal Mick Cotter 8.58.10.6 Graeme Campbell Labor 
        La Trobe, Vic  Liberal Marshall Baillieu 0.83.12.3 Peter Milton Labor 
        Lilley, Qld  Liberal Kevin Cairns 6.06.80.8 Elaine Darling Labor 
        Macquarie, NSW  Liberal Reg Gillard 1.74.52.8 Ross Free Labor 
        McMillan, Vic  Liberal Barry Simon 4.86.21.4 Barry Cunningham Labor 
        Riverina, NSW  Labor John FitzPatrick 0.10.60.5 Noel Hicks National Country 
        St George, NSW  Liberal Maurice Neil 2.08.16.1 Bill Morrison Labor 
        Swan, WA  Liberal John Martyr 0.58.17.6 Kim Beazley Labor 

        Aftermath

        The Gallagher Index result: 8.61 1980 Election Australia Gallagher Index.png
        The Gallagher Index result: 8.61

        In the election, Labor finished only 0.8 percent behind the Coalition on the two-party vote—a four-percent swing from 1977. However, due to the uneven nature of the swing, Labor came up 12 seats short of a majority, giving the Coalition a third term in government. Hayden, however, did manage to regain much of what Labor had lost in the previous two elections. Notably, he managed to more than halve Fraser's majority, from 48 seats at dissolution to 23.

        In the subsequent term, the government delivered budgets significantly in deficit, and Fraser was challenged for the Liberal leadership by Andrew Peacock. The Australian Democrats made further gains, winning the balance of power in the Senate. From July 1981 (when those senators elected at the 1980 election took up their positions) no Federal Government in Australia had a Senate majority until the Howard Government won such a majority in 2004.

        Andrew Peacock Australian politician

        Andrew Sharp Peacock AC GCL is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served twice as leader of the Liberal Party, leading the party to defeat at the 1984 and 1990 elections. He had earlier been a long-serving cabinet minister.

        Australian Democrats Australian political party

        The Australian Democrats was a centrist political party which held many seats in the Australian Senate and several state and territory legislatures between 1977 and 2008. It was Australia's largest minor party from its formation in 1977 through to 2004, and frequently held the balance of power in the Senate during that time. The party's share of the vote collapsed at the 2004 election and was further diminished in 2007 with the last senators leaving office in 2008.

        Howard Government

        The Howard Government refers to the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard between 11 March 1996 and 3 December 2007. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government commenced following victory over the Keating Government at the 1996 federal election. It concluded with its defeat at the 2007 federal election by the Australian Labor Party, whose leader Kevin Rudd then formed the First Rudd Government. It was the second-longest government under a single Prime Minister, with the longest having been the second Menzies Government (1949–1966).

        See also

        This is a list of members of the Australian House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983, as elected at the 1980 federal election.

        This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1 July 1981 to 5 February 1983. Half of the state senators were elected at the December 1977 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1984; the other half of the state senators were elected at the October 1980 election and had terms due to finish on 30 June 1987. The territory senators were elected at the October 1980 election and their terms ended at the dissolution of the House of Representatives, which was March 1983. However, in fact, the Senate was dissolved on 4 February 1983 for a double dissolution election.

        Notes

        1. "australianpolitics.com". australianpolitics.com. Retrieved 2016-07-30.

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        References