Australian federal election, 1943 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives

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 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 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...

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...

easily defeated the opposition Country Party led by Arthur Fadden

Arthur Fadden

Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG was an Australian politician and, briefly, the 13th Prime Minister of Australia.-Introduction:...

, 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 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 Billy Hughes

Billy Hughes

William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....

. Fadden had also served as Prime Minister for six weeks in 1941 as leader of the coalition, before independents switched their support to Curtin, giving him a majority in the lower house, thus taking government.

This election was significant in the fact that it resulted in the election of the first female member of the House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

, Enid Lyons

Enid Lyons

Dame Enid Muriel Lyons, AD, GBE was an Australian politician and the first woman to be elected to the Australian House of Representatives as well as the first woman appointed to the federal Cabinet...

, and the first female Senator, Dorothy Tangney

Dorothy Tangney

Dame Dorothy Margaret Tangney DBE was an Australian politician and the first woman member of the Australian Senate.Dorothy Tangney started her career as a school teacher in Western Australia...

. The election remains Labor's greatest federal victory in terms of proportion of seats and two party preferred votes in the lower house, and primary vote in the Senate.

House of Reps (IRV
Instant-runoff voting
Instant-runoff voting , also known as preferential voting, the alternative vote and ranked choice voting, is a voting system used to elect one winner. Voters rank candidates in order of preference, and their ballots are counted as one vote for their first choice candidate. If a candidate secures a...

) — 1943–46 — Turnout 96.32% (CV
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...

) — Informal 2.89%
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...	2,058,578	49.94	+9.78	49	+17	^{(1 elected} _unopposed)
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...	661,750	16.05	−14.17	12	−11
Country Party	287,000	6.96	−6.74	7	−7
Country-National Party (QLD)	166,419	4.04	*	3	+3
Liberal Country Party (VIC)	145,665	3.53	*	1	+1
One Parliament for Australia One Parliament for Australia One Parliament for Australia was a minor Australian political party that contested several elections in 1943, including the federal, New South Wales, and Queensland elections. It was founded by butcher and company owner Alfred Anderson....	87,112	2.11	*	0	0
Country Party (QLD)	61,196	1.48	*	1	+1
State Labor Party State Labor Party The State Labor Party , was an Australian political party which operated exclusively in the state of New South Wales in the early 1940s. The party was initially a far-left faction of the Australian Labor Party, strongly opposed to the right-wing faction of the party dominated by Jack Lang, former...	29,752	0.72	−1.89	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	501,054	12.15	+4.08	1	0
Other	123,965	3.01		0	−4
Total	4,122,491			74
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...	WIN	58.20	+7.90	49	+17
Country/UAP 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...		41.80	−7.90	19	−17

Independent: Arthur Coles

Arthur Coles

Sir Arthur William Coles was a prominent Australian businessman and philanthropist.With his brothers Coles founded the Coles Variety Stores in the 1920s, which were to become one of the two largest supermarket chains in Australia now known as Coles Group...

(Henty

Division of Henty

The Division of Henty was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1913 and abolished in 1990. It was named for the Henty family of Portland, the first European settlers in Victoria. It was located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, including at various times...

, Vic)

Senate (P
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...

BV
Preferential block voting
Preferential block voting is a majoritarian voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember constituency. Unlike the single transferable vote, preferential block voting is not a method for obtaining proportional representation, and instead produces similar results to...

) — 1943–46 — Turnout 96.31% (CV
Compulsory voting
Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...

) — Informal 9.73%
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...	2,139,164	55.09	+17.57	19	22
Country/UAP (Joint Ticket)	995,910	25.65	−18.05	0
Country-National Party (QLD)	184,181	4.74	*	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)	148,419	3.82	*	0	0
Nationalist Country Party (WA)	101,738	2.62	*	0	0
Christian New Order (NSW)	101,247	2.61	*	0	0
Country Party	37,350	0.96	*	0	2
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...	*	*	−6.71	0	12
Other	175,161	4.51		0	0
Total	3,883,170			19	36

Seats changing hands

Seat	Pre-1943				Swing	Post-1943
Seat	Party		Member	Margin	Swing	Margin	Member	Party
Adelaide, SA Division of Adelaide The Division of Adelaide is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia. The division was created in 1903 and is named for the city of Adelaide, South Australia's capital. The seat has always been based in the inner suburbs of Adelaide...		United Australia	Fred Stacey Fred Stacey Fred Hurtle Stacey was a member of the Australian House of Representatives.Born in Carey Gully, South Australia, the fourth son of Henry and Anne Stacey. Stacey was educated at Uraidla...	4.7	20.3	15.6	Cyril Chambers Cyril Chambers Cyril Chambers CBE was an Australian and Minister for the Army.Chambers was born in the Adelaide suburb of Thebarton and educated at St John the Baptist's School, Thebarton, and Hayward's Academy, Adelaide. In 1919 he became a dentist. He was mayor of Henley and Grange from 1932 to 1934. In...	Labor
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...		Country	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:... *	N/A	14.2	1.7	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:...	United Australia
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....		United Australia	Grenfell Price Grenfell Price Sir Archibald Grenfell Price CMG FRGS was an Australian geographer, historian and educationist.-Life:Price was born at North Adelaide and was the only surviving son of Henry Archibald Price, banker and businessman, and his wife Elizabeth Jane, née Harris. He was educated at the Queen's School,...	6.6	16.1	0.9	Thomas Sheehy Thomas Sheehy Thomas Neil Sheehy was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1943 to 1949, representing the Division of Boothby, South Australia.-Notes:...	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...		United Australia	Arthur Beck Arthur Beck Arthur James Beck was an Australian politician. Born in Launceston, Tasmania, he was educated at Launceston Grammar School before becoming a boot importer. He sat on Hobart City Council before undertaking military service 1914-1918...	1.1	10.1	9.0	John Gaha John Gaha John Francis Gaha , known as Frank, was an Australian politician. Born in Narrabri, New South Wales, he was educated at St Joseph's College in Sydney and the National University of Ireland, becoming a doctor and a house surgeon in Dublin...	Labor
Eden-Monaro, NSW Division of Eden-Monaro The Division of Eden-Monaro is anAustralian 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 the town of Eden and the Monaro district of southern New South Wales...		United Australia	John Perkins John Perkins (Australian politician) John Arthur Perkins was an Australian politician and journalist.Perkins was born at Gocup near Tumut, New South Wales and educated at public schools in Tumut and Cooma. He was a member of the Cooma Municipal Council from 1902 to 1909 and mayor in 1904 and 1908...	4.8	10.8	5.4	Allan Fraser Allan Fraser (Australian politician) Allan Duncan Fraser CMG was an Australian politician and journalist.Fraser was in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton and brought up in Tasmania. He left State High School, Hobart at 17 to become a journalist on the Hobart Mercury. He worked for the Argus in Melbourne from 1922 to 1929 when he...	Labor
Grey, SA Division of Grey The Division of Grey is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia 1841-45 ....		Country	Oliver Badman*	7.7	10.2	2.5	Edgar Russell Edgar Russell Edgar Hughes Degenaart Russell was an Australian politician. Born at Booleroo Centre in South Australia, he was educated at public schools, where he became a bank clerk and manager, and later a private accountant...	Labor
Hume, NSW Division of Hume The Division of Hume is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. The Division is located in the central part of the state, just north of the Australian Capital Territory. The Division covers a predominantly rural area, with agriculture and coal mining the main industries...		Country	Thomas Collins Thomas Collins (Australian politician) Thomas Joseph "Tom" Collins was an Australian politician and stock and station agent, born at Yass, New South Wales to storekeeper John Collins and Mary, née Hartigan. In 1902, having attended the local Catholic school, he enlisted in the 5th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse, to fight in...	0.9	7.2	6.3	Arthur Fuller Arthur Fuller Arthur Nieberding Fuller was a long serving member of the Australian House of Representatives.Born in Gundagai to a goldminer and his wife, Fuller spent his childhood in the New South Wales goldfields. He later managed a clothing store in Cobar before moving to Tumut in 1919 to open a clothing...	Labor
Lilley, Qld Division of Lilley The Division of Lilley is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1913. The division is named after Sir Charles Lilley, a former Premier of Queensland and a former Chief Justice in the Supreme Court of Queensland....		United Australia	William Jolly William Jolly William Alfred Jolly CMG was the Mayor of Windsor Town Council from 1918 to 1923, and the first Lord Mayor of the Greater Brisbane City Council from 1925 to 1931.-Public life:...	9.6	9.9	0.4	James Hadley James Hadley (Australian politician) James William Hadley was an Australian politician. Born in Brisbane, he received a primary education before becoming a timber worker, after which he worked with the railways. He was also an organiser with the Australian Workers' Union...	Labor
Maranoa, Qld Division of Maranoa The Division of Maranoa is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the Maranoa River, which runs through the division...		Labor	Frank Baker Francis Patrick Baker Francis Patrick Baker was an Australian politician. Educated in private schools in Queensland, Baker was a state school teacher and Inspector for Schools for 30 years before running for parliament in 1940...	1.6	2.6	1.0	Charles Adermann Charles Adermann Sir Charles Frederick Adermann KBE was an Australian federal politician and government minister.Adermann was born at Vernor Siding, near Lowood, Queensland, the son of German immigrants and educated at Lowood and Wooroolin State schools until he was 13...	Country
Martin, NSW Division of Martin The Division of Martin was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, and initially included the suburbs of Concord and Mortlake, although by the time it was abolished in 1955, it had moved to cover Abbotsford, Balmain...		United Australia	William McCall William McCall (Australian politician) William Victor "Bill" McCall was an Australian politician.-Early life:McCall was born on 24 May 1908 at Chatswood in Sydney to bank officer William James McCall and Hilda Mary, née Bowman. He attended Sydney Grammar School, but left in 1924 to support his family after his father's death...	2.6	8.3	5.7	Fred Daly	Labor
Parkes, NSW Division of Parkes (1901-69) The Division of Parkes was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the south-west of Sydney, and originally included the suburbs of Canterbury, Burwood and Ashfield...		United Australia	Charles Marr	7.4	10.3	2.9	Les Haylen	Labor
Perth, WA Division of Perth The Division of Perth is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It is named after Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, where the Division is located...		United Australia	Walter Nairn Walter Nairn Walter Maxwell Nairn was a Nationalist and United Australia member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1929 to 1943, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia. He was with the Nationalist Party from 1929 to 1931 and spent the remainder of his term with the United Australia...	14.5	20.5	6.0	Tom Burke	Labor
Robertson, NSW Division of Robertson The Division of Robertson is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. The Division is located on the Central Coast, immediately north of the Hawkesbury River. It encompasses the towns of Woy Woy, Gosford and Terrigal....		United Australia	Eric Spooner Eric Spooner Eric Sydney Spooner was an Australian politician.Spooner was born in the Sydney suburb of Waterloo and educated at Christ Church St Laurence School. At 14 he became a telegraph messenger and studied at night at the University of Sydney to gain a diploma in economics and commerce. He married...	0.3	9.2	8.9	Thomas Williams Thomas Williams (Australian politician) Thomas Francis Williams was an Australian politician.Born in Young, New South Wales, he was educated at Catholic schools and then the University of Sydney. He became a barrister in 1923. In 1943 he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Robertson, defeating...	Labor
Swan, WA Division of Swan The Division of Swan is an Australian Electoral Division located in Western Australia. The division is named after the Swan River.For several decades, it has been a marginal seat, extending along the Swan and Canning Rivers from the affluent suburbs in the City of South Perth to the west, which...		Country	Thomas Marwick Thomas Marwick Thomas William Marwick was an Australian politician.Born in York, Western Australia, he was educated at Catholic schools and at Perth Technical College before becoming an engineer. He farmed at Brookton and at York before entering politics. In 1936, he was appointed to the Australian Senate to... *	7.5	10.5	3.0	Donald Mountjoy Donald Mountjoy Donald Alfred Mountjoy was an Australian politician. Born in Middle Swan, Western Australia, he was educated at state schools before becoming a labourer and railwayman, as well as an official with the Australian Railways Union...	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...		United Australia	Jack Duncan-Hughes	3.4	4.6	1.2	Albert Smith Albert Smith (Australian politician) Albert Edward Smith was an Australian politician. Born in Kent, England, he migrated to Australia as a child and was educated at Clare in South Australia. He became a service station proprietor and served on Clare Council...	Labor

*Oliver Badman and Archie Cameron ran as candidates for the UAP, Thomas Marwick ran as an independent.

Seats changing hands

See also