Electoral results for the Division of Darling Downs

Last updated April 27, 2022

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of Darling Downs in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1901 until its abolition in 1983.

Members

	Party	Term
William Henry Groom	Protectionist	1901–1901
(Sir) Littleton Groom	Protectionist	1901–1909
	Commonwealth Liberal	1909–1916
	Nationalist	1916–1929
	Independent Nationalist	1929–1929
Arthur Morgan	Nationalist	1929–1931
Sir Littleton Groom	Independent	1931–1933
Sir Littleton Groom	United Australia	1933–1936
Arthur Fadden	Country	1936–1949
(Sir) Reginald Swartz	Liberal	1949–1972
Tom McVeigh	Country, National	1972–1984

Election results

Elections in the 1980s

1983

1983 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National	Tom McVeigh	42,627	61.7	-1.6
	Labor	Ronald Cullin	22,524	32.6	+2.7
	Democrats	David Groves	3,960	5.7	+0.2
Total formal votes			69,111	99.0
Informal votes			715	1.0
Turnout			69,826	93.9
Two-party-preferred result
	National	Tom McVeigh		64.0	-1.8
	Labor	Ronald Cullin		36.0	+1.8
	National hold		Swing	-1.8

1980

1980 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Country	Tom McVeigh	41,011	63.3	-4.8
	Labor	Janet Hunt	19,379	29.9	+0.3
	Democrats	Maria Hayboer	3,551	5.5	+5.5
	Progress	David Proud	870	1.3	-1.1
Total formal votes			64,811	98.7
Informal votes			850	1.3
Turnout			65,661	94.8
Two-party-preferred result
	National Country	Tom McVeigh		65.8	-4.5
	Labor	Janet Hunt		34.2	+4.5
	National Country hold		Swing	-4.5

Elections in the 1970s

1977

1977 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Country	Tom McVeigh	42,630	68.1	+1.2
	Labor	Robert Lingard	18,505	29.6	-3.5
	Progress	David Proud	1,482	2.4	+2.4
Total formal votes			62,617	98.9
Informal votes			677	1.1
Turnout			63,294	94.8
Two-party-preferred result
	National Country	Tom McVeigh		70.3	+3.4
	Labor	Robert Lingard		29.7	-3.4
	National Country hold		Swing	+3.4

1975

1975 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	National Country	Tom McVeigh	42,133	69.4	+4.5
	Labor	Peter Wood	18,590	30.6	-3.2
Total formal votes			60,723	99.0
Informal votes			607	1.0
Turnout			61,330	95.8
	National Country hold		Swing	+4.0

1974

1974 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Tom McVeigh	38,078	64.9	+32.6
	Labor	Ronald Madden	19,860	33.8	-2.5
	Australia	William Nobes	733	1.2	+1.2
Total formal votes			58,671	99.1
Informal votes			556	0.9
Turnout			59,227	95.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Tom McVeigh		65.4	+6.6
	Labor	Ronald Madden		34.6	-6.6
	Country hold		Swing	+6.6

1972

1972 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labor	James Thomas	18,866	36.3	+3.8
	Country	Tom McVeigh	16,783	32.3	+32.3
	Liberal	Colin Brimblecombe	11,695	22.5	-35.0
	Democratic Labor	Eugene Connolly	3,341	6.4	-3.6
	Independent	Ronald Alford	1,312	2.5	+2.5
Total formal votes			51,997	98.3
Informal votes			895	1.7
Turnout			52,892	96.5
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Tom McVeigh	31,875	61.3	+61.3
	Labor	James Thomas	20,122	38.7	+3.4
	Country gain from Liberal		Swing	-3.4

Elections in the 1960s

1969

1969 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	29,715	57.5	-2.3
	Labor	Eugene Salas	16,785	32.5	+1.3
	Democratic Labor	Francis Mullins	5,177	10.0	+1.0
Total formal votes			51,677	99.1
Informal votes			480	0.9
Turnout			52,157	95.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		64.7	-3.7
	Labor	Eugene Salas		35.3	+3.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.7

1966

1966 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	26,585	60.5	-0.7
	Labor	Desmond Hare	13,413	30.5	-3.4
	Democratic Labor	Francis Mullins	3,944	9.0	+4.1
Total formal votes			43,942	98.7
Informal votes			573	1.3
Turnout			44,515	96.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		67.7	+2.6
	Labor	Desmond Hare		32.3	-2.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	+2.6

1963

1963 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	26,072	61.2	+10.2
	Labor	Cyril Mitchell	14,418	33.9	-7.8
	Democratic Labor	Kenneth Rawle	2,078	4.9	-2.5
Total formal votes			42,568	98.6
Informal votes			589	1.4
Turnout			43,157	97.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		65.1	+8.2
	Labor	Cyril Mitchell		34.9	-8.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+8.2

1961

1961 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	20,971	51.0	-5.5
	Labor	Jack McCafferty	17,153	41.7	+7.4
	Queensland Labor	Margaret Walsh	3,025	7.4	-1.9
Total formal votes			41,149	98.1
Informal votes			803	1.9
Turnout			41,952	97.3
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		56.9	-7.0
	Labor	Jack McCafferty		43.1	+7.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	-7.0

Elections in the 1950s

1958

1958 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	22,469	56.5	-43.5
	Labor	Jack McCafferty	13,623	34.3	+34.3
	Queensland Labor	Margaret Walsh	3,680	9.3	+9.3
Total formal votes			39,772	98.2
Informal votes			737	1.8
Turnout			40,509	95.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		63.9	-36.1
	Labor	Jack McCafferty		36.1	+36.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	-36.1

1955

1955 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

1954

1954 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	24,801	65.0	-35.0
	Labor	William Watson	13,331	35.0	+35.0
Total formal votes			38,132	99.3
Informal votes			267	0.7
Turnout			38,399	96.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	-35.0

1951

1951 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	unopposed
	Liberal hold		Swing

Elections in the 1940s

1949

1949 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz	21,261	58.9	+58.9
	Labor	James Kane	11,281	31.2	-5.0
	Independent	Charles Farquharson	3,041	8.4	+8.4
	Communist	Raymond Mullaly	281	0.8	+0.8
	Independent	Charles Lacaze	260	0.7	+0.7
Total formal votes			36,124	98.4
Informal votes			587	1.6
Turnout			36,711	97.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Liberal	Reginald Swartz		62.5	+62.5
	Labor	James Kane		37.5	-1.9
	Liberal gain from Country		Swing	+1.9

1946

1946 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Fadden	31,550	59.9	+11.3
	Labor	William English	17,902	34.0	-9.3
	Services	Maxwell Owen	3,209	6.1	+6.1
Total formal votes			52,661	98.3
Informal votes			901	1.7
Turnout			53,562	96.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Arthur Fadden		61.9	+9.4
	Labor	William English		38.1	-9.4
	Country hold		Swing	+9.4

1943

1943 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Fadden	26,123	48.6	-9.3
	Labor	Leslie Bailey	23,253	43.3	+1.2
	Independent	Raymond Mullaly	3,398	6.3	+6.3
	One Parliament	Hugh Phair	989	1.8	+1.8
Total formal votes			53,763	98.4
Informal votes			868	1.6
Turnout			54,631	97.9
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Arthur Fadden	28,232	52.5	-5.4
	Labor	Leslie Bailey	25,531	47.5	+5.4
	Country hold		Swing	-5.4

1940

1940 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Fadden	29,365	57.9	-2.8
	Labor	Leslie Bailey	21,316	42.1	+8.0
Total formal votes			50,681	98.7
Informal votes			675	1.3
Turnout			51,356	97.0
	Country hold		Swing	-5.4

Elections in the 1930s

1937

1937 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Fadden	30,747	60.7	+60.7
	Labor	Leslie Bailey	17,264	34.1	-5.1
	Social Credit	Arthur Rushton	2,617	5.2	+5.2
Total formal votes			50,628	98.5
Informal votes			784	1.5
Turnout			51,412	97.7
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Arthur Fadden		63.3	-2.5
	Labor	Leslie Bailey		36.7	+2.5
	Country hold		Swing	-2.5

1936 Darling Downs by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Country	Arthur Fadden	15,235	33.1	+33.1
	Labor	John Buchanan	13,321	29.0	-10.2
	United Australia	James Annand	8,725	19.0	-41.8
	Conservative	Leslie Boyce	5,809	12.6	+12.6
	Social Credit	Denis Hannay	2,929	6.4	+6.4
Total formal votes			46,019	96.9
Informal votes			1,472	3.1
Turnout			47,491	92.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Country	Arthur Fadden	26,380	57.3	+57.3
	Labor	John Buchanan	19,639	42.7	+3.5
	Country gain from United Australia		Swing	+3.5

1934

1934 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	United Australia	Sir Littleton Groom	29,428	60.8	+25.6
	Labor	Phil Alke	18,940	39.2	+39.2
Total formal votes			48,368	98.0
Informal votes			999	2.0
Turnout			49,367	96.8
	United Australia gain from Independent		Swing	+25.6

1931

1931 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Sir Littleton Groom	23,597	54.7	+31.2
	United Australia	Arthur Morgan	15,212	35.2	-11.4
	Independent	Herbert Yeates	4,365	10.1	+10.1
Total formal votes			43,174	98.0
Informal votes			879	2.0
Turnout			44,053	97.0
Two-party-preferred result
	Independent	Sir Littleton Groom		59.8	+59.8
	United Australia	Arthur Morgan		40.2	-17.7
	Independent gain from United Australia		Swing	+17.7

Elections in the 1920s

1929

1929 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Arthur Morgan	19,238	46.6	-53.4
	Labor	Evan Llewelyn	12,738	30.9	+30.9
	Ind. Nationalist	Sir Littleton Groom	9,290	22.5	+22.5
Total formal votes			41,266	97.9
Informal votes			864	2.1
Turnout			42,130	97.2
Two-party-preferred result
	Nationalist	Arthur Morgan	23,873	57.9	-42.1
	Labor	Evan Llewelyn	17,393	42.1	+42.1
	Nationalist hold		Swing	-42.1

1928

1928 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Sir Littleton Groom	unopposed
	Nationalist hold		Swing

1925

1925 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Sir Littleton Groom	23,648	63.1	+4.5
	Labor	Duncan McInnes	13,803	36.9	-4.5
Total formal votes			37,451	97.2
Informal votes			1,063	2.8
Turnout			38,514	93.1
	Nationalist hold		Swing	+4.5

1922

1922 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Littleton Groom	19,592	58.6	-0.9
	Labor	James MacDougall	13,857	41.4	+0.9
Total formal votes			33,449	96.8
Informal votes			1,092	3.2
Turnout			34,541	85.2
	Nationalist hold		Swing	-0.9

Elections in the 1910s

1919

1919 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Littleton Groom	17,974	57.7	+1.6
	Labor	Phil Alke	13,180	42.3	-1.6
Total formal votes			31,154	98.2
Informal votes			569	1.8
Turnout			31,723	87.1
	Nationalist hold		Swing	+1.6

1917

1917 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Nationalist	Littleton Groom	17,815	56.1	-0.8
	Labor	John Wilson	13,937	43.9	+0.8
Total formal votes			31,752	98.3
Informal votes			544	1.7
Turnout			32,296	90.5
	Nationalist hold		Swing	-0.8

1914

1914 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Littleton Groom	15,148	56.9	-3.1
	Labor	Paul Bauers	11,495	43.1	+3.1
Total formal votes			26,643	96.7
Informal votes			914	3.3
Turnout			27,557	78.0
	Liberal hold		Swing	-3.1

1913

1913 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Littleton Groom	15,648	60.0	-8.8
	Labor	Barnett Allen	10,451	40.0	+8.8
Total formal votes			26,099	97.2
Informal votes			741	2.8
Turnout			26,840	74.6
	Liberal hold		Swing	-8.8

1910

1910 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Littleton Groom	13,010	69.9	+4.8
	Labour	Morris Harland	5,609	30.1	-4.8
Total formal votes			18,619	97.2
Informal votes			540	2.8
Turnout			19,159	57.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+4.8

Elections in the 1900s

1906

1906 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protectionist	Littleton Groom	7,440	65.1	-34.9
	Labour	Horace Ransome	3,991	34.9	+34.9
Total formal votes			11,431	95.9
Informal votes			488	4.1
Turnout			11,919	37.8
	Protectionist hold		Swing	-34.9

1903

1903 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protectionist	Littleton Groom	unopposed
	Protectionist hold		Swing

1901 Darling Downs by-election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protectionist	Littleton Groom	4,532	62.8	-15.7
	Independent	Joshua Bell	2,687	37.2	+37.2
Total formal votes			7,219
	Protectionist hold		Swing	-15.7

1901

1901 Australian federal election: Darling Downs
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Protectionist	William Groom	4,685	78.5	+78.5
	Protectionist	Horace Ransome	1,283	21.5	+21.5
Total formal votes			5,968	96.4
Informal votes			224	3.6
Turnout			6,192	56.0
	Protectionist win		(new seat)

Related Research Articles

The Division of Higgins is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria for the Australian House of Representatives. The division covers 41 km² (16 sq mi) in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. The main suburbs include Armadale, Ashburton, Carnegie, Glen Iris, Kooyong, Malvern, Malvern East, Murrumbeena, Prahran and Toorak; along with parts of Camberwell, Ormond and South Yarra. Though historically a safe conservative seat, Higgins was won by the Liberal Party by a margin of just 3.9 percent over the Labor Party at the 2019 election, the closest result in the seat’s history.

In Australia, electoral districts for the Australian House of Representatives are called divisions or more commonly referred to as electorates or seats. There are currently 151 single-member electorates for the Australian House of Representatives.

The Division of Corangamite is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for Lake Corangamite, although the lake no longer falls within the division's boundaries.

The Division of Swan is an Australian electoral division located in Western Australia.

The Division of Ballarat is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It was named for the provincial city of the same name by Scottish squatter Archibald Yuille, who established the first settlement − his sheep run called Ballaarat − in 1837, with the name derived from a local Wathawurrung word for the area, balla arat, thought to mean "resting place".

The Division of Batman was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It took its name from John Batman, one of the founders of the city of Melbourne. The division was created in 1906, replacing the Division of Northern Melbourne, and was abolished in 2019 and replaced by the Division of Cooper.

The Division of Bendigo is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was proclaimed in 1900, and was one of the original 65 divisions to be contested at the first federal election. It is named for the city of Bendigo.

The Division of Casey is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division was created in 1969 and is named for Richard Casey, who was Governor-General of Australia 1965–69.

The Division of Braddon is an Australian electoral division in the state of Tasmania. The current MP is Gavin Pearce of the Liberal Party, who was elected at the 2019 federal election.

The Division of Maranoa is an Australian electoral division in Queensland.

The Division of Indi is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria. The division is located in the north-east of the state, adjoining the border with New South Wales. The largest settlements in the division are the regional cities of Wodonga, Wangaratta, and Benalla. Other towns in the electorate include Rutherglen, Mansfield, Beechworth, Myrtleford, Bright, Alexandra, Tallangatta, Corryong and a number of other small villages. While Indi is one of the largest electorates in Victoria, much of it is located within the largely uninhabited Australian Alps. While Wodonga serves as a regional hub for much of the more heavily populated northern part of the electorate, the southern part is closer to Melbourne than Wodonga.

The Division of Page is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.

The Division of Wakefield was an Australian electoral division in the state of South Australia. The seat was a hybrid rural-urban electorate that stretched from Salisbury in the outer northern suburbs of Adelaide at the south of the seat right through to the Clare Valley at the north of the seat, 135 km from Adelaide. It included the suburbs of Elizabeth, Craigmore, Munno Para, and part of Salisbury, and the towns of Balaklava, Clare, Freeling, Gawler, Kapunda, Mallala, Riverton, Tarlee, Virginia, Williamstown, and part of Port Wakefield.

The Australian People's Party was a registered political party in Australia. It was registered by the Australian Electoral Commission in March 2017. It was formed in 2014. The party recruited enough members to gain registration in March 2017. The party says its aim is to improve standards of living and rights for all Australians through commonsense policies. The party describes itself as a centrist party. The party was de-registered in November 2021 by the Australian Electoral Commission for not having 500 members.

In Australia, a redistribution is the process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral divisions for the House of Representatives arising from changes in population and changes in the number of representatives. There is no redistribution for the Senate as each State constitutes a division, though with multiple members. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), an independent statutory authority, oversees the apportionment and redistribution process for federal divisions, taking into account a number of factors. Politicians, political parties and the public may make submissions to the AEC on proposed new boundaries, but any interference with their deliberations is considered a serious offence.

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of Banks in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1949 until the present.

This is a list of electoral results for the Division of New England in Australian federal elections from the division's creation in 1901 until the present.

The 2019 Australian federal election was held on Saturday 18 May 2019 to elect members of the 46th Parliament of Australia. The election had been called following the dissolution of the 45th Parliament as elected at the 2016 double dissolution federal election. All 151 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate were up for election.

The Division of Cooper is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It takes in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. The division was contested for the first time at the 2019 federal election, with Ged Kearney of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) elected as its inaugural member of parliament. She had previously represented the Division of Batman since the 2018 by-election.

The Division of Fraser is an Australian electoral division in the state of Victoria, which was contested for the first time at the 2019 federal election.

References

Australian Electoral Commission. Federal election results
Carr, Adam. Psephos

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

v t e Electoral results for the divisions of the Australian House of Representatives in Queensland
Blair Bonner Bowman Brisbane Capricornia Dawson Dickson Fadden Fairfax Fisher Flynn Forde Griffith Groom Herbert Hinkler Kennedy Leichhardt Lilley Longman Maranoa McPherson Moncrieff Moreton Oxley Petrie Rankin Ryan Wide Bay Wright Abolished: Darling Downs Oxley (1901–1934)
Divisions in: New South Wales Victoria Queensland Western Australia South Australia Tasmania Australian Capital and Northern Territories