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Australian federal election, 1949

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Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1949. All 121 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 42 of the 60 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, where the single transferable vote

Single transferable vote

The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...

was introduced. 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...

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...

was defeated by the opposition Liberal Party of Australia

Liberal Party of Australia

The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...

led by Robert Menzies

Robert Menzies

Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....

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 Arthur Fadden

Arthur Fadden

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

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...

) — 1949–51—Turnout 95.97% (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 1.99%
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...	2,117,088	45.98	−3.73	47	+4
Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...	1,813,794	39.39	+10.81	55	+40
Country Party	500,349	10.87	+0.17	19	+8
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:...	32,870	0.71	−0.88	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	99,368	2.16	+0.33	0	−1
Other	40,941	0.89		0	−4
Total	4,604,410			121	+47
Liberal/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	51.00	*	74	+48
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...		49.00	*	47	+4

Senate (STV
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...

) — 1949–51—Turnout 95.97% (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 10.76%
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...	1,881,956	44.89	−7.18	19	34
Liberal/Country (Joint Ticket)	1,871,849	44.65	+6.53	16	*
Liberal Party of Australia Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...	241,598	5.76	+0.56	7	21
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...	87,958	2.10	*	0	0
Country Party	*	*	*	0	5
Other	109,164	2.60		0	0
Total	4,192,525			42	60

Seats changing hands

Seat	Pre-1949				Swing	Post-1949
Seat	Party		Member	Margin	Swing	Margin	Member	Party
Australian Capital Territory, ACT Division of Australian Capital Territory The Division of Australian Capital Territory was an Australian electoral division in the Territory of the same name. The division was created in 1949 and included the whole of the city of Canberra and surrounding rural areas....		new division				3.8	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:...	Independent
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....		Labor	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...	3.1	3.1	0.4	Alan Pittard Alan Pittard Alan Crocker Pittard, OBE was an Australian politician. Born in Ballarat, Victoria, he attended Ballarat Grammar School before becoming a shoe retailer. He served on Ballarat City Council before serving in the military 1939-45. In 1949, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as...	Liberal
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...		Labor	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...	7.0	6.8	0.6	Bruce Kekwick Bruce Kekwick Bruce Huntley Kekwick was an Australian politician. Born in South Australia, he was educated at state schools in Adelaide before becoming a company director. Having moved to Tasmania, he was an insurance executive before serving in the military from 1942-1945...	Liberal
Blaxland, NSW Division of Blaxland The Division of Blaxland is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. It is based in the western suburbs of Sydney, and includes the working-class suburbs of Bass Hill, Birrong, Carramar, Chester Hill, Condell Park, Fairfield East, Georges Hall, Guildford West, Old Guildford,...		Lang Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	53.4	3.4	James Harrison	Labor
Bowman, Qld Division of Bowman The Division of Bowman is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for David Bowman, an early leader of the Australian Labor Party, in Queensland...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	1.4	3.8	Malcolm McColm Malcolm McColm Malcolm Llewellyn McColm was an Australian politician. Born in Cardiff, Wales, he migrated to Australia as a child and was educated at Scotch College, Warwick, Queensland...	Liberal
Corio, Vic Division of Corio The Division of Corio is an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for Corio Bay. It has always been based on the city of Geelong, although in the past it has also included parts of the western...		Labor	John Dedman John Dedman John Dedman was a Minister in the Australian Labor Party governments led by John Curtin and Ben Chifley. He was responsible for organising production during World War II, establishing the Australian National University, reorganising the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ...	7.2	6.7	0.3	Hubert Opperman Hubert Opperman Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE , referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acclaim....	Liberal
Curtin, WA Division of Curtin The Division of Curtin is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1949 and is named for John Curtin, who was Prime Minister of Australia 1941-45. It is located in the wealthy beachside suburbs of Perth, including Claremont, Cottesloe, Mosman Park,...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	13.8	11.2	Paul Hasluck Paul Hasluck Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck KG GCMG GCVO KStJ was an Australian historian, poet, public servant and politician, and the 17th Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...	Liberal
Darling Downs, Qld Division of Darling Downs The Division of Darling Downs was an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created at Federation in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election. It was abolished in 1984 when it was replaced by the Division of Groom...		Country	Arthur Fadden Arthur Fadden Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG was an Australian politician and, briefly, the 13th Prime Minister of Australia.-Introduction:...	N/A	1.9	12.5	Reginald Swartz Reginald Swartz Sir Reginald William Colin Swartz KBE , best known as Reg Swartz, was a Minister during the governments of Sir Robert Menzies, Harold Holt and John Gorton in Australia...	Liberal
Dawson, Qld Division of Dawson The Division of Dawson is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Anderson Dawson, the first Labor Premier of Queensland and leader of the first parliamentary socialist government anywhere in the world...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	9.8	8.6	Charles Davidson Charles Davidson Sir Charles William Davidson KBE was an Australian politician. He attended Townsville Grammar School in 1912 and 1913. He served in World War I and on his return was a dairy farmer and later grew sugar cane. During World War II, he served in the 42nd Battalion of the Australian Army in New...	Country
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...		Labor	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...	7.0	10.9	5.1	Athol Townley Athol Townley Athol Gordon Townley was an Australian politician and Minister for Defence.Townley was born in Hobart and educated at Elizabeth Street State School and Hobart High School, and at Hobart Technical College. He qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist in 1928 and in 1930 found a job looking after...	Liberal
Farrer, NSW Division of Farrer The Division of Farrer is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for William Farrer, agricultural scientist. It is located in the southern rural area of the state and includes Albury, Balranald, Deniliquin and Jerilderie. It has always...		Country	notional - new seat	N/A	58.8	8.8	David Fairbairn David Fairbairn Sir David Eric Fairbairn KBE DFC was an Australian politician and cabinet minister.-Early life:Fairbairn was born in Claygate, Surrey, England...	Liberal
Forrest, WA Division of Forrest The Division of Forrest is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia. The division was created in 1922 and is named for Sir John Forrest, the first Premier of Western Australia and a federal Cabinet minister. It is located in the south-western corner of the state, including the towns of...		Labor	Nelson Lemmon Nelson Lemmon Nelson Lemmon was an Australian politician and government minister. He was responsible for establishing the Snowy Mountains Scheme....	2.3	4.4	2.8	Gordon Freeth Gordon Freeth Sir Gordon Freeth KBE was an Australian politician.Freeth was born in Angaston, South Australia, the son of Robert Freeth and Gladys Mary Snashall...	Liberal
Gwydir, NSW 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...		Labor	William Scully	1.2	9.2	5.1	Thomas Treloar Thomas Treloar Thomas John Treloar was an Australian politician. Born in Tamworth, New South Wales, he was educated at Sydney Grammar School before returning to Tamworth as a shopkeeper. He eventually became a company director before serving in World War I 1915-18 and World War II 1942-46...	Country
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...		Labor	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...	4.2	5.9	1.0	Charles Anderson Charles Groves Wright Anderson Charles Groves Wright Anderson VC, MC was a South African-born, Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, a member of the Australian House of Representatives, and a farmer.-Early life:...	Country
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	John McEwen John McEwen Sir John "Black Jack" McEwen, GCMG, CH , was an Australian politician and the 18th Prime Minister of Australia...	N/A	59.7	9.7	William Bostock William Bostock Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB, DSO, OBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. During World War II he led RAAF Command, the Air Force's main operational formation, with responsibility for the defence of Australia and air offensives against Japanese targets in the...	Liberal
Kingston, SA Division of Kingston The Division of Kingston is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia covering the far-south metropolitan area of Adelaide. The division was first proclaimed in 1949....		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	8.4	1.6	Jim Handby Jim Handby Herbert Harry "Jim" Handby OBE was a former Australian rules footballer who played in the SANFL in the 1920s and 1930s, achieving several honours in recognition of his playing skills. He was later a federal Liberal politician and businessman.Born Herbert Harry Handby in Adelaide, South Australia,...	Liberal
Lawson, NSW Division of Lawson The Division of Lawson was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the north-west of the state, and included the towns of Coonabarabran, Dubbo and Mudgee....		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	7.6	5.8	Laurence Failes Laurence Failes Laurence John Failes was an Australian politician. Born in Coonabarabran, New South Wales, he attended state schools and then Hawkesbury Agricultural College before becoming a farmer at Bugaldie and then a businessman at Coonabarabran. He served in World War II 1942-45...	Country
Leichhardt, Qld Division of Leichhardt The Division of Leichhardt is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was first proclaimed in 1949. It is one of Australia's largest electorates, covering an area stretching from Cairns to Cape York and the Torres Strait, including the Torres Strait Islands.-About the...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	9.2	1.7	Tom Gilmore	Country
Lowe, NSW Division of Lowe The Division of Lowe was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the inner western suburbs of Sydney, on the south shore of the Parramatta River...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	9.0	8.5	William McMahon William McMahon Sir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...	Liberal
McMillan, Vic Division of McMillan The Division of McMillan is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the western part of the Gippsland region, which extends for the length of Victoria's eastern Bass Strait coastline. It includes the outer south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Pakenham, and also...		Country	notional - new seat	N/A	6.1	6.9	Geoffrey Brown	Liberal
McPherson, Qld Division of McPherson The Division of McPherson is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1948 and is named for the McPherson Range, which forms one of the divisional boundaries...		Liberal	notional - new seat	N/A	5.1	24.2	Arthur Fadden Arthur Fadden Sir Arthur William Fadden, GCMG was an Australian politician and, briefly, the 13th Prime Minister of Australia.-Introduction:...	Country
Mitchell, NSW Division of Mitchell The Division of Mitchell is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in the north-west suburbs of Sydney, and includes the entire suburbs of Baulkham Hills, Beaumont Hills, Bella Vista, Box Hill, Kellyville, Nelson and Winston Hills...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	12.8	6.9	Roy Wheeler	Liberal
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....		Independent	Adair Blain Adair Blain Adair Macalister "Chill" Blain was a long serving independent member of the Australian House of Representatives....	N/A	8.6	2.7	John Nelson John Nelson (Australian politician) John Norman Nelson , known as Jock Nelson, was an Australian politician. Born in Bundaberg, Queensland, the son of politician Harold Nelson, he was educated at state schools in Darwin before becoming a jackeroo and goldminer, and later a bore contractor at Alice Springs. After serving in the...	Labor
Paterson, NSW Division of Paterson The Division of Paterson is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located just north of Newcastle, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. It extends to the Hunter Valley in the south, the Manning River in the north, and the Great Dividing Range in the west...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	8.6	8.5	Allen Fairhall Allen Fairhall Sir Allen Fairhall KBE was an Australian politician and Member of the Parliament of Australia for the Division of Paterson from 1949 to 1969. During that period he held a number of ministerial portfolios, most notably Supply and Defence.Fairhall was born at Morpeth and attended East Maitland...	Liberal
Riverina, NSW Division of Riverina The Division of Riverina is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located in south-west rural New South Wales, generally following the Murrumbidgee River valley. It includes the cities of Wagga Wagga and Griffith as well as the towns of Junee, West Wyalong, Tumut,...		Labor	Joseph Langtry Joseph Langtry (Australian politician) Joseph Ignatius Langtry was an Australian politician. Born in Kyabram, Victoria, he received a primary education before becoming a teamster. He moved to Barellan in New South Wales and became a wheatfarmer and publican...	0.6	3.8	3.5	Hugh Roberton Hugh Roberton Hugh Stevenson Roberton was an Australian politician.Roberton was born in Glasgow, Scotland, son of Sir Hugh Roberton, a Scottish composer and founder of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir. He was educated at the West of Scotland Agricultural College and Glasgow University and emigrated to Australia in...	Country
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....		Labor	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...	3.8	11.5	4.2	Roger Dean Roger Dean (Australian politician) Roger Levinge Dean, CBE was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he attended Newcastle Boys High School and Newcastle Grammar School before becoming a business executive. He served in World War II, 1942-46...	Liberal
St George, NSW Division of St George The Division of St George was an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It was located in the southern suburbs of Sydney, and covered the suburbs of Hurstville, Rockdale and Arncliffe....		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	16.2	2.0	Bill Graham Bill Graham (Australian politician) Bruce William "Bill" Graham, OBE was an Australian politician. Born in Sydney, he was educated at Sydney Grammar School before becoming an announcer on the ABC. He served in the military from 1939 to 1948 and was a company director before entering politics in 1949 as the Liberal member for St...	Liberal
Sturt, SA Division of Sturt The Division of Sturt is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.First proclaimed for the 1949 election, Sturt was named for Captain Charles Sturt, nineteenth century explorer and the first European to discover the Murray River...		Labor	notional - new seat	N/A	8.9	2.8	Keith Wilson	Liberal
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...		Labor	notional	N/A	10.2	2.4	Bill Grayden Bill Grayden William Leonard "Bill" Grayden AM was an Australian politician. Born in Perth, Western Australia, he was educated at state schools and then at Perth Technical College, becoming a mechanical engineer. He served in the military from 1940-1946...	Liberal
Wannon, Vic Division of Wannon The Division of Wannon is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the south-west of the state, and encompasses most of the Western Region of the state. It adjoins the South Australian border in the west, and the Bass Strait coast in the south. The Division...		Labor	Donald McLeod	1.2	3.8	0.8	Daniel Mackinnon Daniel Mackinnon (Australian politician) Ewen Daniel Mackinnon was an Australian politician. The son of state MLA Donald Mackinnon, he was born in Melbourne and educated at Geelong Grammar School and then attended Oxford University. He returned to Australia as a grazier at Linton before becoming a company director and serving in the...	Liberal
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	Winton Turnbull Winton Turnbull Sir Winton George Turnbull CBE was an Australian politician.-Early life:Turnbull was born at Hamilton, Victoria to farmer Adam Beverly Turnbull and Georgina Agnes, née Drummond. He was mostly educated by his mother, although he did attend state schools for short periods...	N/A	5.6	14.9	William Lawrence William Lawrence (Australian politician) William Robert Lawrence was an Australian politician. Born in Horsham, Victoria, he attended state schools and then the University of Melbourne before returning to Horsham as a dentist; he also sat on Horsham City Council. In 1949, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the...	Liberal

Members in italics did not contest their seat at this election.

Electoral reform

As of this election, single transferrable vote with proportional representation

Proportional representation

Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

became the method for electing the Senate. This was to try to prevent the Senate from being dominated by one party, which had often occurred previously. For example, coming into this election the ALP held 33 of the 36 Senate seats, whilst the conservatives at the 1919 election

Australian federal election, 1919

Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1919. 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 Billy Hughes defeated the opposition Australian...

held 35 of the 36 Senate seats. In addition, the House of Representatives

Australian House of Representatives

was enlarged from 74 to 121 seats and the Senate

Australian Senate

from 36 members to 60 members. All 121 lower house seats, and 42 of the 60 upper house seats, were up for election.

Issues

The election hinged on the policies of the Federal Labor Government, especially bank nationalisation. Prime Minister Chifley intended to bring all of the banks under Government control, a socialist policy which the Coalition argued was not in the country's interest. The Coalition promised to end unpopular wartime rationing. The election took place against the background of the 1949 Australian coal strike

1949 Australian coal strike

The 1949 Australian coal strike is the first time that Australian military forces were used during peacetime to break a Trade union strike. The strike by 23,000 coal miners lasted for seven weeks, from 27 June 1949 to 15 August 1949, with troops being sent in by the Ben Chifley Federal Labor...

, the developing Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

and growing fears of communism.

Significance

The Chifley Government was defeated, ending the longest period of Labor Federal Government in Australian history up to that date (1941–49). Labor would not return to office until 1972. Robert Menzies became Prime Minister for the second time, and the Liberal Party of Australia won government federally for the first time.

Australian federal election, 1949

Seats changing hands

Electoral reform

Issues

Significance

See also