Australian federal election, 1937
Encyclopedia
Federal elections were held in Australia on 23 October 1937. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives
, and 19 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 John Curtin
.
The election is notable for the highest historical vote by percentage in the lower house for the Country Party (National Party
). At the 1934 election
nine seats in New South Wales
were won by Lang Labor
. Following the reunion of the two Labor parties in February 1936, these were held by their members as ALP seats at the 1937 election. With the party's win in Ballaarat and Gwydir
(initially at a by-election on 8 March 1937), the ALP had a net gain of 11 seats compared with the previous election.
Independent: Alexander Wilson
(Wimmera
, Vic)
The member for Northern Territory
, Adair Blain
(Independent
), had voting rights only for issues relating to the Territory, and so is not included in the 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 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 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 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...
.
The election is notable for the highest historical vote by percentage in the lower house for the Country Party (National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
). At the 1934 election
Australian federal election, 1934
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...
nine seats in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
were won by 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:...
. Following the reunion of the two Labor parties in February 1936, these were held by their members as ALP seats at the 1937 election. With the party's win in Ballaarat and Gwydir
Division of Gwydir
The Division of Gwydir 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...
(initially at a by-election on 8 March 1937), the ALP had a net gain of 11 seats compared with the previous election.
| 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... |
1,555,737 | 43.17 | +16.36 | 29 | +11 | (4 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... |
1,214,526 | 33.71 | +0.73 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Country Party | 560,279 | 15.55 | +2.93 | 16 | +1 | ||
| 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... |
79,432 | 2.20 | −2.49 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independent UAP 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... (NSW) |
25,522 | 0.71 | * | 1 | +1 | ||
| 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... |
150,692 | 4.18 | +1.00 | 1 | +1 | ||
| Other | 17,153 | 0.48 | 0 | −14 | |||
| Total | 3,603,341 | 74 | |||||
| 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 | 44 | +2 | ||||
| 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... |
29 | +11 |
Independent: Alexander Wilson
Alexander Wilson (Australian politician)
Alexander Wilson was an Australian wheat farmer and politician.-Biography:Born in County Down, Ireland, he was educated at Belfast and migrated to Australia in 1908, becoming a farmer at Ultima, Victoria. He was prominent as a leader of Victorian wheatgrowers...
(Wimmera
Division of Wimmera
The Division of Wimmera was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It was named after the Wimmera region in which it was located. It originally encompassed the towns of Mildura, Swan Hill and Warracknabeal, but by the time it was abolished in 1977, it had drifted south and grown...
, Vic)
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 relating to the Territory, and so is not included in the 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... |
1,699,172 | 48.48 | +20.40 | 16 | 16 | |
| UAP/Country (Joint Ticket) | 1,005,247 | 28.68 | +10.44 | 0 | ||
| 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... |
565,161 | 16.13 | −4.54 | 3 | 16 | |
| Country Party | 66,481 | 1.90 | −12.41 | 0 | 4 | |
| 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... |
49,801 | 1.42 | −1.36 | 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... |
118,768 | 3.39 | +2.93 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 3,504,630 | 19 | 36 |
Seats changing hands
| Seat | Pre-1937 | Swing | Post-1937 | ||||||
| Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||||
| Ballaarat, Vic Division of Ballarat The Division of Ballarat is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the provincial city of Ballarat.... |
United Australia | Archibald Fisken Archibald Fisken Archibald Clyde Wanliss Fisken CMG, OBE was an Australian politician. His grandson is Liberal Senator Michael Ronaldson.-Early life:... |
3.9 | 3.5 | 0.6 | Reg Pollard Reg Pollard Reginald Thomas Pollard was an Australian politician.Pollard was born in Castlemaine, Victoria and educated at Woodend State School, West Melbourne Technical School and Workingmen's College. He worked as an agricultural labourer near Werribee and from 1912 to 1915 as a fitter in Melbourne... |
Labor | ||
| Bendigo, Vic Division of Bendigo The Division of Bendigo is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. 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 city of Bendigo... |
United Australia | Eric Harrison Eric Harrison (Australian soldier) Eric Fairweather Harrison was an Australian soldier and politician.Harrison was born in the Sydney suburb of Stanmore, New South Wales and educated at Sydney Church of England Grammar School and Bedford Grammar School in England. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge with a B.A. in 1901... |
N/A | 0.3 | 6.9 | George Rankin George Rankin Major General George James Rankin DSO & Bar was an Australian soldier and politician. He served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, representing the Country Party of Australia.-Early life:... |
Country | ||
| 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 .... |
United Australia | Philip McBride Philip McBride Sir Philip Albert Martin McBride KCMG was an Australian politician.McBride was born into a well-known pastoral family and educated at Burra Public School and Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. In 1931, he was elected as the member for Grey in the Australian House of Representatives, representing... |
N/A | 2.9 | 7.1 | Oliver Badman | Country | ||
| Warringah, NSW Division of Warringah The Division of Warringah is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, and covers most of the land between Middle Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. It extends from Port Jackson in the south to the suburb of Dee Why in the... |
United Australia | Archdale Parkhill Archdale Parkhill Sir Robert Archdale Parkhill KCMG was an Australian politician. He was born at Paddington in Sydney to Robert Parkhill, a stonemason, and Isabella, née Chisholm. He attended Paddington and Waverley Public schools and became known as an excellent sportsman, participating in cricket, fencing, boxing... |
N/A | 29.4 | 1.9 | Percy Spender Percy Spender Sir Percy Claude Spender, KCVO, KBE, QC, , was an Australian politician. diplomat and jurist.Spender was born in Sydney and educated at the prestigious Fort Street High School and later the University of Sydney. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1915... |
Independent UAP | ||
| Wimmera, Vic Division of Wimmera The Division of Wimmera was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It was named after the Wimmera region in which it was located. It originally encompassed the towns of Mildura, Swan Hill and Warracknabeal, but by the time it was abolished in 1977, it had drifted south and grown... |
Country | Hugh McClelland Hugh McClelland -Biography:Born in Smeaton, Victoria, he was educated at state schools before becoming a farmer at Berriwillock. He was also a Wycheproof Shire Councillor. In 1931, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Country Party member for Wimmera. He held the seat until 1937, when... |
N/A | 2.9 | 1.9 | Alexander Wilson Alexander Wilson (Australian politician) Alexander Wilson was an Australian wheat farmer and politician.-Biography:Born in County Down, Ireland, he was educated at Belfast and migrated to Australia in 1908, becoming a farmer at Ultima, Victoria. He was prominent as a leader of Victorian wheatgrowers... |
Independent | ||
- Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1937Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1937This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 1937 Australian federal election. The election was held on 23 October 1937.In 1936, the Lang Labor group had been reabsorbed into the Australian Labor Party...
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1937–1940Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1937–1940This is a list of the members of the Australian House of Representatives in the 15th Australian Parliament, which was elected at the 1937 election on 23 October 1937. The incumbent United Australia Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Joseph Lyons with coalition partner the Country Party led by...
- 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...