Australian federal election, 1946

Australian federal election, 1946

28 September 1946

All 76 seats of the Australian House of Representatives 39 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats of the Australian Senate   First party Second party   Leader Ben Chifley Robert Menzies Party Labor Liberal/Country coalition Leader since 13 July 1945 23 September 1943 Leader's seat Macquarie Kooyong Last election 49 seats 19 seats Seats won 43 seats 26 seats Seat change 6 7 Percentage 54.10% 45.90% Swing 4.10 4.10

Prime Minister before election Ben Chifley Labor Elected Prime Minister Ben Chifley Labor

Federal elections were held in Australia on 28 September 1946. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia Ben Chifley defeated the newly formed opposition Liberal Party of Australia (descended from the United Australia Party) led by its founder Robert Menzies with coalition partner the Country Party led by Arthur Fadden, with Labor also retaining control of the Senate.

The election was held in conjunction with three referendum questions, one of which was carried.

The radical reforming nature of Chifley's government was such that between 1946 and 1949, the Australian Parliament passed 299 Acts, a record up until then, well beyond Labor's Andrew Fisher's 113 Acts from 1910 to 1913.

Independent: Doris Blackburn

Seats changing hands

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

See also

• Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1946
• Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1946–1949
• Members of the Australian Senate, 1947–1950

References

• University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
• Two-party-preferred vote since 1937

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