Australian federal election, 1928
Encyclopedia
Federal elections were held in Australia on 17 November 1928. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives
, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate
were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia
led by Prime Minister of Australia
Stanley Bruce
in power since 1922 with coalition
partner the Country Party led by Earle Page
defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party
led by Matthew Charlton
.
Independent: William McWilliams
(Franklin
, Tas)
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
were up for election. The incumbent Nationalist Party of Australia
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
led by Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
in power since 1922 with coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
partner the Country Party led by Earle Page
Earle Page
Sir Earle Christmas Grafton Page, GCMG, CH was the 11th Prime Minister of Australia, and is to date the second-longest serving federal parliamentarian in Australian history, with 41 years, 361 days in Parliament.-Early life:...
defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
led by Matthew Charlton
Matthew Charlton
Matthew Charlton was an Australian Labor Party politician.Charlton was born at Linton in rural Victoria but moved to Lambton, New South Wales at the age of five. He worked as a coal miner after only a primary education and then married Martha Rollings in 1889...
.
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
| Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1,158,505 | 44.64 | −0.40 | 31 | +8 | (3 elected unopposed) |
|
| Nationalist Party of Australia Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
1,014,522 | 39.09 | −3.37 | 29 | -8 | (5 elected unopposed) |
|
| Country Party | 271,686 | 10.47 | −0.27 | 13 | −1 | (4 elected unopposed) |
|
| Country Progressive Party Country Progressive Party The Country Progressive Party was a splinter group from the Victorian branch of the Australian Country Party active in the late 1920s. It was formed by federal MP Percy Stewart and future Victorian Premier Albert Dunstan. It was formed in protest over protection of sitting members and state... |
41,713 | 1.61 | * | 1 | 0 | ||
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... s |
108,659 | 4.19 | +2.43 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2,595,085 | 75 | |||||
| Nationalist/Country coalition Coalition (Australia) The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922... |
WIN | 42 | −9 | ||||
| Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
31 | +8 |
Independent: William McWilliams
William McWilliams
William James McWilliams was the inaugural leader of the Country Party of Australia.Born in Bream Creek, near Sorell, Tasmania, the son of Irish immigrants who ran the local school. Originally trained as a teacher, McWilliams became a journalist in 1877, rising to editor of the Launceston...
(Franklin
Division of Franklin
The Division of Franklin is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir John Franklin, the polar explorer who was Lt Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1843-46. It is located in southern Tasmania, including the Hobart suburbs of Bridgewater,...
, Tas)
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats Won | Seats Held | |
| Australian Labor Party Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
1,422,418 | 48.95 | +3.93 | 7 | 7 | |
| Nationalist Party of Australia Nationalist Party of Australia The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime... |
1,141,405 | 39.28 | −6.07 | 10 | 24 | |
| Country Party | 324,918 | 11.18 | +1.73 | 2 | 5 | |
| Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... s |
17,092 | 0.59 | +0.42 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 2,905,833 | 19 | 36 |
Seats changing hands
| Seat | Pre-1928 | Swing | Post-1928 | ||||||
| Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
| Barton, NSW Division of Barton The Division of Barton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of Australia... |
Nationalist | Thomas Ley | 1.0 | 7.3 | 6.3 | James Tully James Tully (Australian politician) James Thomas Tully was an Australian politician. Born in Grafton, New South Wales, he was educated at state schools before becoming a farmer and teacher in Tullamore. In 1919, he unsuccessfully contested the federal seat of New England for the Australian Labor Party. He moved to Sydney in 1922,... |
Labor | ||
| Boothby, SA Division of Boothby The Division of Boothby is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. The division was created in 1903 and is named after William Boothby , the Returning Officer for the first election of Members of the House of Representatives in 1901.... |
Nationalist | Jack Duncan-Hughes | 7.6 | 7.7 | 0.1 | John Price John Price (South Australian politician) John Lloyd Price was an Australian politician. Born in Liverpool, South Australia, the son of future South Australian Premier Thomas Price, he was educated at public schools before entering the state public service in the railways. He was President of the South Australian Trades and Labour Council... |
Labor | ||
| Denison, Tas Division of Denison The Division of Denison is anAustralian Electoral Division in Tasmania.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir William Denison, who was Lt-Governor of Van Diemens Land 1847-55... |
Nationalist | John Gellibrand John Gellibrand Major General Sir John Gellibrand KCB, DSO & Bar was an Australian Army Major General in World War I and member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Tasmanian Division of Denison as a Nationalist Party member from 1925 to 1928.-Early life and career:John "Jack" Gellibrand... |
2.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | Charles Culley Charles Culley Charles Ernest Culley CMG was an Australian politician who was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly and the Australian House of Representatives.... |
Labor | ||
| Franklin, Tas Division of Franklin The Division of Franklin is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir John Franklin, the polar explorer who was Lt Governor of Van Diemen's Land 1843-46. It is located in southern Tasmania, including the Hobart suburbs of Bridgewater,... |
Nationalist | Alfred Seabrook Alfred Seabrook Alfred Charles Seabrook was an Australian politician. Born in Hobart, he was educated in Ireland, after which he became a builder and contractor... |
N/A | 7.2 | 1.6 | William McWilliams William McWilliams William James McWilliams was the inaugural leader of the Country Party of Australia.Born in Bream Creek, near Sorell, Tasmania, the son of Irish immigrants who ran the local school. Originally trained as a teacher, McWilliams became a journalist in 1877, rising to editor of the Launceston... |
Independent | ||
| Fremantle, WA Division of Fremantle The Division of Fremantle is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia.The division was created at Federation in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election... |
Independent | William Watson William Watson (Australian politician) William Watson was an Australian politician. Born in Campbells Creek, Victoria, he was educated at public schools before becoming a miner, bricklayer and farmer. In 1893, he left Victoria for Western Australia, where he became a bacon manufacturer in Fremantle, and became known as a local benefactor... |
8.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | John Curtin John Curtin John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority... |
Labor | ||
| Herbert, Qld Division of Herbert The Division of Herbert is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. Eligible voters within the Division elect a single representative, known as the member for Herbert, to the Australian House of Representatives. The division was first contested at the 1901 election... |
Nationalist | Lewis Nott Lewis Nott Lewis Windermere Nott was an Australian politician, medical practitioner and hospital superintendent. He represented two federal electorates, more than 1,000 km and 21 years apart.-Early life and war service:... |
0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | George Martens George Martens George William Martens was an Australian politician. Born in Mount Perry, Queensland, he received a primary education before becoming a bushworker. He was active in the trade union movement, notably the Sugar Workers Union, and was an organiser with the Australian Workers' Union, of which he... |
Labor | ||
| Indi, Vic Division of Indi The Division of Indi is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. It is located in north-eastern Victoria. Its northern border is formed by the Murray River... |
Country | Robert Cook Robert Cook (Australian politician) -Early life:Cook was born at Chiltern, Victoria to English splitter Henry Cook and his Irish wife Mary, née Wilkinson. He received little formal education and was soon a land-owner, owning land at Tallangatta and Porepunkah... |
6.7 | 100.0 | 100.0 | Paul Jones Paul Jones (Australian politician) Paul Jones was an Australian politician. Born in Gaffneys Creek, Victoria, he was educated at South Melbourne College before becoming a goldminer and teacher. He also studied at the University of Melbourne for an MA. In 1928, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives in bizarre... |
Labor | ||
| Lang, NSW Division of Lang The Division of Lang was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and was named after Rev. John Dunmore Lang, a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and advocate of Australian independence... |
Nationalist | Elliot Johnson | 5.9 | 9.4 | 3.5 | William Long William Long (Australian politician) William John Long was an Australian politician. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he received a primary education before becoming a boilermaker with New South Wales Railways. In 1928, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Lang, defeating long-serving... |
Labor | ||
| Macquarie, NSW Division of Macquarie The Division of Macquarie is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for Lachlan Macquarie, who was Governor of New South Wales between 1810 and 1821... |
Nationalist | Arthur Manning Arthur Manning Arthur Gibson Manning was an Australian politician who served in both the Australian House of Representatives and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.... |
1.3 | 6.2 | 4.9 | Ben Chifley Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley , Australian politician, was the 16th Prime Minister of Australia. He took over the Australian Labor Party leadership and Prime Ministership after the death of John Curtin in 1945, and went on to retain government at the 1946 election, before being defeated at the 1949... |
Labor | ||
| Wakefield, SA Division of Wakefield The Division of Wakefield is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of South Australia. It is located north of Adelaide, incorporating the outer northern suburbs of Salisbury and Elizabeth, and extending north as far as Clare. It covers the east coast of the Gulf St Vincent north of... |
Nationalist | Richard Foster | 14.8 | 24.4 | 9.6 | Maurice Collins Maurice Collins Maurice Collins was an Australian politician. Born in Mount Bryan, South Australia, he was educated in that state before becoming a grazier, landowner and sheep breeder. He was involved in local politics, sitting on Terowie Shire Council and Burra Council... |
Country | ||
| Wilmot, Tas Division of Wilmot The Division of Wilmot was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Tasmania. It was located in central Tasmania, and was named after Sir John Eardley-Wilmot, the sixth Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania... |
Country | Llewellyn Atkinson | 7.0 | N/A | 4.6 | Llewellyn Atkinson | Nationalist | ||
- Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1928Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1928This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1928 Australian federal election. The election was held on 17 November 1928.-By-elections and appointments:...
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1928–1929Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1928–1929This is a list of the members of the Australian House of Representatives in the 11th Australian Parliament, which was elected at the 1928 election on 17 November 1928...
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1929–1932Members of the Australian Senate, 1929–1932This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1929 to 1932. Half of its members were elected at the 14 November 1925 election and had terms starting on 1 July 1926 and finishing on 30 June 1932; the other half were elected at the 17 November 1928 election and had terms starting on 1 July...