Australian general election, 1974
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Federal elections were held in Australia on May 18, 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to the a double dissolution. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Gough Whitlam defeated the opposition Liberal Party of Australia led by Billy Snedden and coalition partner the Country Party led by Doug Anthony.
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[edit] Background and Issues
Gough Whitlam had been an active Prime Minister, and his Government had pursued many policies over its first term. Many of these bills, such as one creating the proposed public health system, Medibank, were blocked in the Senate. Following an attempt by Whitlam to create an extra Senate vacancy in Queensland by appointing former DLP Leader, Senator Vince Gair, as Ambasssador to Ireland, Snedden announced that the Opposition would block the government's Supply Bills in the Senate. In response, Whitlam requested and was granted a double dissolution under section 57 of the Constitution. The election focused on Whitlam’s first one and a half years of office, and whether the Australian public was willing to continue with his reforming agenda.
[edit] Results
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Australian Labor Party | 3,644,110 | 49.30 | -0.29 | 66 | -1 | |
| Liberal Party of Australia | 2,582,968 | 34.95 | +2.91 | 40 | +2 | |
| Country Party | 736,252 | 9.96 | +0.53 | 21 | +1 | |
| Australia Party | 172,176 | 2.33 | -0.09 | 0 | 0 | |
| Democratic Labor Party | 104,974 | 1.42 | -3.83 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other | 150,526 | 2.04 | 0 | |||
| Total | 7,391,006 | 127 | +2 | |||
| Australian Labor Party | WIN | 51.70 | -1.00 | 66 | -1 | |
| LPA/NAT coalition | 48.30 | +1.00 | 61 | +3 |
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats Won | Seats Held | |
| Australian Labor Party | 3,127,197 | 47.29 | +5.08 | 29 | 29 | |
| Liberal/National (Joint Ticket) | 2,298,816 | 34.77 | * | 16 | ||
| Liberal Party of Australia | 516,919 | 7.82 | -9.80 | 12 | 23 | |
| Democratic Labor Party | 235,343 | 3.56 | -7.55 | 0 | 0 | |
| Australia Party | 92,107 | 1.39 | -1.51 | 0 | 0 | |
| Country Party | 85,719 | 1.30 | +0.24 | 1 | 6 | |
| Liberal Movement | 63,032 | 0.95 | * | 1 | 1 | |
| Independents | 121,396 | 1.84 | +0.13 | 1 | 1 | |
| Other | 71,856 | 1.09 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6,612,385 | 60 | 60 |
[edit] Significance
The Whitlam Government had been re-elected, but had failed to increase its narrow majority in the House of Representatives, and had failed to win control of the Senate. This, combined with a number of changes to the composition of the Senate over the subsequent year, would allow for the upheavals of the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975.
The Democratic Labor Party lost its remaining Senators in 1974. Its original reason for existence, the fear that the ALP would instigate communist-friendly policies in office, had largely gone.
The election also saw the Liberal Movement, a South Australian group dedicated to Small-l liberalism, gain a Senate seat (Steele Hall). This was one of the groups which would later merge to form the Australian Democrats.
[edit] References
- University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
- AustralianPolitics.com 1974 election details
- AustralianPolitics.com 2PP vote
- Prior to 1984 the AEC did not undertake a full distribution of preferences for statistical purposes. The stored ballot papers for the 1983 election were put through this process prior to their destruction. Therefore the figures from 1983 onwards show the actual result based on full distribution of preferences.
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Australian general elections
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