Australian federal election, 1934
Encyclopedia
Federal elections were held in Australia on 15 September 1934. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives
, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate
were up for election. The incumbent United Australia Party
led by Prime Minister of Australia
Joseph Lyons
with coalition
partner the Country Party led by Earle Page
defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party
led by James Scullin
. Labor's share of the primary vote fell to an even lower number than in the 1931 election
due to the Lang Labor
split, but it was able to pick up an extra four seats on preferences and therefore improve on its position.
The member for Northern Territory
, Adair Blain
(Independent
), had voting rights only for issues affecting the Territory, and so is not included in this table.
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 18 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 United Australia Party
United Australia Party
The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia...
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...
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
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 James Scullin
James Scullin
James Henry Scullin , Australian Labor politician and the ninth Prime Minister of Australia. Two days after he was sworn in as Prime Minister, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred, marking the beginning of the Great Depression and subsequent Great Depression in Australia.-Early life:Scullin was...
. Labor's share of the primary vote fell to an even lower number than in the 1931 election
Australian federal election, 1931
Federal elections were held in Australia on 19 December 1931. All 75 seats in the House of Representatives, and 18 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
due to the Lang Labor
Lang Labor
Lang Labor was the name commonly used to describe three successive break-away sections of the Australian Labor Party, all led by the New South Wales Labor leader Jack Lang premier of NSW .-Initial opposition to Lang's leadership:...
split, but it was able to pick up an extra four seats on preferences and therefore improve on its position.
Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | ||
United Australia Party United Australia Party The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia... |
1,170,978 | 32.97 | −3.13 | 28 | −6 | ||
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... |
952,251 | 26.81 | −0.28 | 18 | +4 | (1 elected unopposed) |
|
Australian Labor Party (NSW) Australian Labor Party (NSW) The Australian Labor Party , commonly known as Lang Labor, was the name given to a major breakaway of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales that operated from 1931 to 1936.... |
510,480 | 14.37 | +3.80 | 9 | +5 | ||
Country Party | 447,968 | 12.61 | +0.36 | 14 | −2 | ||
Social Credit Party Douglas Credit Party The Douglas Credit Party was an Australian political party based around the social credit theory of monetary reform, first set out by C. H. Douglas. It gained its strongest result in Queensland in 1935, when it gained 7.02% of first preferences. The party's strongest federal result was at the 1934... |
166,589 | 4.69 | * | 0 | 0 | ||
Liberal & Country League Liberal and Country League The Liberal and Country League was a major political party in South Australia throughout its forty year existence. Thirty-four years were spent in government, in part due to the electoral malapportionment known as the Playmander, introduced after coming to power.Created on 9 June 1932 as the... (SA) |
142,583 | 4.01 | * | 5 | +5 | ||
Independents | 113,037 | 3.18 | −5.04 | 0 | −1 | ||
Other | 47,499 | 1.34 | 0 | -6 | |||
Total | 3,551,385 | 74 | −1 | ||||
UAP/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 | -8 | ||||
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... |
18 | +4 |
The member for Northern Territory
Division of Northern Territory
The Division of Northern Territory was an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. Throughout its existence, it was the only Division in the Territory....
, Adair Blain
Adair Blain
Adair Macalister "Chill" Blain was a long serving independent member of the Australian House of Representatives....
(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...
), had voting rights only for issues affecting the Territory, and so is not included in this table.
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... |
923,151 | 28.08 | −1.18 | 0 | 3 | |
United Australia Party United Australia Party The United Australia Party was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. It was the political successor to the Nationalist Party of Australia and predecessor to the Liberal Party of Australia... |
679,422 | 20.66 | −4.59 | 10 | 26 | |
UAP/Country (Joint Ticket) | 599,723 | 18.24 | −11.92 | 6 | ||
Country Party | 470,283 | 14.30 | * | 2 | 7 | |
Australian Labor Party (NSW) Australian Labor Party (NSW) The Australian Labor Party , commonly known as Lang Labor, was the name given to a major breakaway of the Australian Labor Party in New South Wales that operated from 1931 to 1936.... |
435,045 | 13.23 | +1.12 | 0 | 0 | |
Social Credit Party Douglas Credit Party The Douglas Credit Party was an Australian political party based around the social credit theory of monetary reform, first set out by C. H. Douglas. It gained its strongest result in Queensland in 1935, when it gained 7.02% of first preferences. The party's strongest federal result was at the 1934... |
91,596 | 2.79 | * | 0 | 0 | |
Communist Party of Australia Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted... |
73,506 | 2.24 | +1.30 | 0 | 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 |
15,105 | 0.46 | −1.81 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 3,287,831 | 18 | 36 |
Seats changing hands
Seat | Pre-1934 | Swing | Post-1934 | ||||||
Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
Barker, SA Division of Barker The Division of Barker is an Australian Electoral Division in the south-east of South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Collet Barker, an early explorer of the region at the mouth of the Murray River... |
United Australia | Malcolm Cameron Malcolm Cameron (Australian politician) Malcolm Duncan Cameron was a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1922 to 1934. From 1922 to 1925 he was a member of the Liberal Party, from 1925 to 1931 he was a member for the Nationalist Party of Australia, and from 1931 to 1934 he was a member for the United Australia Party... |
N/A | 6.4 | 18.7 | Archie Cameron Archie Cameron Archie Galbraith Cameron , was an Australian politician. He was Leader of the Country Party 1939-40, and Speaker of the House of Representatives 1950-56.-Biography:... |
Country | ||
Bass, Tas Division of Bass The Division of Bass is an Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the explorer George Bass. It has always been based on the city of Launceston and surrounding rural areas, and its boundaries have changed very little in the century since its... |
United Australia | Allan Guy Allan Guy James Allan Guy, CBE was an Australian politician who represented the Australian Labor Party in both the Tasmanian House of Assembly and the Federal House of Representatives, before leaving to represent the United Australia Party and then the Liberal Party of Australia in both the House of... |
14.5 | 14.8 | 0.3 | Claude Barnard Claude Barnard Herbert Claude Barnard was an Australian politician and government minister.Barnard was born at Mole Creek, Tasmania and was educated at Invermay State School, but left school at 14. In 1909 he began working for Tasmanian Government Railways, first as an engine cleaner and eventually as a driver... |
Labor | ||
Batman, Vic Division of Batman The Division of Batman is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1906 , and is named after John Batman, one of the founders of the city of Melbourne. When it was created it covered the inner suburbs of Carlton and Fitzroy, but successive boundary changes have... |
United Australia | Samuel Dennis Samuel Dennis Samuel Dennis was an Australian politician. Born in Melbourne, he was educated at state schools before becoming a contractor and company director. He served on Northcote Council for 36 years before his election to the Australian House of Representatives in 1931 as the United Australia Party member... |
14.5 | 14.8 | 0.3 | Frank Brennan Frank Brennan (Australian politician) Francis Brennan was an Australian lawyer and Australian Labor Party politician.Brennan was born at Upper Emu Creek near Bendigo, Victoria and was a younger brother of Tom Brennan, later an assistant minister in the conservative Lyons government. He studied law at the University of Melbourne and... |
Labor | ||
Corangamite, Vic Division of Corangamite The Division of Corangamite is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election... |
Country | William Gibson | N/A | 7.2 | 15.7 | Geoffrey Street Geoffrey Street Geoffrey Austin Street MC was an Australian Cabinet Minister and member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Corangamite from 1934 until his death in 1940.... |
United Australia | ||
Darling, NSW Division of Darling The Division of Darling was 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. From 1901 until 1922 it was based on Bourke, Cobar, Nyngan, Coonamble and Gilgandra. From 1906 it also... |
Labor | Arthur Blakeley Arthur Blakeley Arthur Blakeley was an Australian politician.Blakeley was born in Gilberton, South Australia, and was educated at North Broken Hill Convent School. He left school at 13 to work in the local mining camps... |
N/A | 63.5 | 13.5 | Joe Clark Joe Clark (Australian politician) Joseph "Joe" James Clark, CBE was an Australian politician, serving in the Australian House of Representatives as the Member for Darling from 15 September 1934 to 29 September 1969, a term of making him one of the longest-serving members of the House of Representatives.Clark's father was Joseph... |
Labor (NSW) | ||
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... |
United Australia | Arthur Hutchin Arthur Hutchin Arthur William Hutchin was an Australian politician. Born in Bathurst, New South Wales, he was educated in that state before serving in the military 1910-1920. He returned to become a company manager... |
5.0 | 5.3 | 0.3 | Gerald Mahoney Gerald Mahoney Gerald William Mahoney was an Australian politician. Born in Tasmania, he was educated in that state at Latrobe, becoming a painter and an official of the Painters' Union. In 1931 he was elected to the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Labor member for Denison... |
Labor | ||
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,... |
United Australia | Archibald Blacklow Archibald Blacklow Archibald Clifford Blacklow OBE was an Australian politician. Born in Bagdad, Tasmania, he was educated in Hobart at Hutchins School and then at the University of Sydney. He became a pharmacist in Sydney before serving in the military 1916-1919. Returning to Tasmania in 1925, he became a dairy... |
13.0 | 15.4 | 2.4 | Charles Frost Charles Frost Charles William Frost was an Australian politician.Frost was born in Hobart, Tasmania and educated at Koonya and Margate state schools, but left school at 13. He later worked at the Iron Blow mine near Queenstown... |
Labor | ||
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... |
United Australia | 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... |
5.5 | 6.6 | 1.1 | 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 | ||
Maribyrnong, Vic Division of Maribyrnong The Division of Maribyrnong is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. It covers the suburbs of Moonee Ponds, Essendon, Niddrie, Keilor East, Avondale Heights, Tullamarine, Airport West, Sunshine and Brooklyn. Due to... |
United Australia | James Fenton James Fenton (Australian politician) James Edward Fenton CMG was an Australian politician. He is notable for having been appointed a cabinet minister by two governments of different political complexions, but resigning from both governments on matters of principle.Born at Nette Yallock, near Avoca, Victoria, Fenton was educated at a... |
0.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | Arthur Drakeford Arthur Drakeford Arthur Samuel Drakeford was an Australian politician and was the minister responsible for the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II... |
Labor | ||
Northern Territory, NT Division of Northern Territory The Division of Northern Territory was an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. Throughout its existence, it was the only Division in the Territory.... |
Labor | H. G. Nelson | N/A | 7.5 | 1.8 | Adair Blain Adair Blain Adair Macalister "Chill" Blain was a long serving independent member of the Australian House of Representatives.... |
Independent | ||
Werriwa, NSW Division of Werriwa The Division of Werriwa is a Federal Electoral Division for the Australian House of Representatives.The name Werriwa derives from a local Aboriginal name for Lake George, which was located in the division when it was established in 1900. The division was one of the original 75 divisions first... |
Country | Walter McNicoll Walter McNicoll Brigadier General Sir Walter Ramsay McNicoll KBE, CB, CMG, DSO was an Australian teacher, soldier, and colonial administrator.-Early life:... |
1.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | Hubert Lazzarini Hubert Lazzarini Hubert Peter Lazzarini was an Australian politician, holding the division of Werriwa as the Australian Labor Party member for most years from 1919 until his death.... |
Labor (NSW) | ||
- Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1934Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1934This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1934 Australian federal election. The election was held on 15 September 1934.-By-elections and appointments:...
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1934–1937Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1934–1937This is a list of the members of the Australian House of Representatives in the 14th Australian Parliament, which was elected at the 1934 election on 15 September 1934. The incumbent United Australia Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons with coalition partner the Country Party...
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1938–1941Members of the Australian Senate, 1938–1941This is a list of members of the Australian Senate from 1938 to 1941. Half of its members were elected at the 15 September 1934 election and had terms starting on 1 July 1935 and finishing on 30 June 1941; the other half were elected at the 23 October 1937 election and had terms starting on 1 July...