Australian federal election, 1974

Infobox Election
election_name = Australian federal election, 1974
country = Australia
type = parliamentary
ongoing = no
previous_election = Australian federal election, 1972
previous_year = 1972
next_election = Australian federal election, 1975
next_year = 1975
seats_for_election = All 127 seats of the Australian House of Representatives
and all 60 seats of the Australian Senate
election_date = 18 May 1974

leader1 = Gough Whitlam
leader_since1 = 8 February 1967
party1 = Australian Labor Party
leaders_seat1 = Werriwa
last_election1 = 67 seats
seats1 = 66
seat_change1 = -1
popular_vote1 =
percentage1 = 51.70%
swing1 = -1.00

leader2 = Billy Snedden
leader_since2 = 5 December 1972
party2 = Liberal/National coalition
leaders_seat2 = Bruce
last_election2 = 58 seats
seats2 = 61
seat_change2 = +3
popular_vote2 =
percentage2 = 48.30%
swing2 = +1.00

title = PM
before_election = Gough Whitlam
before_party = Australian Labor Party
after_election = Gough Whitlam
after_party = Australian Labor Party

Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to 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.

{| class="wikitable"
+Senate (STV) — 1974-75 — Turnout 95.50% (CV) — Informal 10.77%
style="width:20px" |
style="width:180px" | Party
style="width:70px" align=center | Votes
style="width:40px" align=center| %
style="width:40px" align=center| Swing
style="width:40px" align=center| Seats Won
style="width:40px" align=center| Seats Held
-
bgcolor=red |
Australian Labor Party
align=right| 3,127,197
align=right| 47.29
align=right| +5.08
align=right| 29
align=right| 29
-

Liberal/Country (Joint Ticket)
align=right| 2,298,816
align=right| 34.77
align=right| +15.26
align=right| 16
align=right|
-
bgcolor=blue |
Liberal Party of Australia
align=right| 516,919
align=right| 7.82
align=right| -9.80
align=right| 12
align=right| 23
-
bgcolor=gray |
Democratic Labor Party
align=right| 235,343
align=right| 3.56
align=right| -7.55
align=right| 0
align=right| 0
-
bgcolor=gray |
Australia Party
align=right| 92,107
align=right| 1.39
align=right| -1.51
align=right| 0
align=right| 0
-
bgcolor=green |
Country Party*
align=right| 85,719
align=right| 1.30
align=right| +0.24
align=right| 1
align=right| 6
-
bgcolor=purple |
Liberal Movement
align=right| 63,032
align=right| 0.95
align=right| *
align=right| 1
align=right| 1
-
bgcolor=gray |
Independents
align=right| 121,396
align=right| 1.84
align=right| +0.13
align=right| 1
align=right| 1
-
bgcolor=gray |
Other
align=right| 71,856
align=right| 1.09
align=right|
align=right| 0
align=right| 0
-

Total
align=right| 6,612,385
align=right|
align=right|
align=right| 60
align=right| 60Independents: Michael Townley (Liberal Party from Feb 1975)
*The Country Party (CP) contested the elections in Western Australia as the National Alliance (NA), which was a merger of the CP and the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) in that state. The NA won a single Senate seat in WA, its elected representative being Thomas Drake-Brockman, who represented the CP, on election to parliament.

Background and Issues

Gough Whitlam had been an active prime minister, and his government had pursued many socially progressive reforms and policies over its first term but received a hostile reception from the coalition/DLP-controlled Senate, with the last elections held in 1970. Following an attempt by Whitlam to create an extra Senate vacancy in Queensland by appointing former DLP Leader, Senator Vince Gair, as Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland, Snedden announced that the opposition would block the Government's supply bills in the Senate. Justified by the failure of six (non-supply) bills to pass the Senate, Whitlam requested and was granted by Governor-General Sir Paul Hasluck a double dissolution under section 57 of the Constitution. The election focused on Whitlam’s first one-and-a-half years in office and whether the Australian public was willing to continue with his reform agenda.

The re-elected Whitlam government's failure again to gain a majority in the Senate led to Australia's only joint sitting pursuant to section 57 of the Constitution. It was approved by the new governor-general Sir John Kerr after the bills were presented to the new parliament and were rejected a third time. It was held three months after the election, on 6-7 August, and it enabled the six bills that had been thrice rejected by the Senate to be passed. The Health Insurance bills were both passed on party lines, 95 to 92, the Petroleum and Minerals Authority legislation also passed on party lines, though with one Liberal Party member absent. Liberal Movement Senator Steele Hall supported the three Electoral bills, citing his experience as Liberal Premier of South Australia, where he had fought his own party in an effort to improve unequal electoral arrangements dubbed the Playmander. Northern Territory Country Party Senator, Sam Calder, supported the Territory Senators legislation, though he opposed the ACT being given added representation. [http://wopared.parl.net/Library/pubs/rn/2004-05/05rn07.htm]

enate Numbers

Election Result

The Whitlam Government had been re-elected with a decreased majority in the lower house but an increase in the upper house. The ALP and the coalition each won 29 seats in the 60 member Senate, with the balance of power held by Steele Hall of the Liberal Movement, and Michael Townley, a conservative independent.

The Democratic Labor Party lost all five of its Senate seats.

ubsequent Changes

In February 1975, Townley joined the Liberal party.

Later in 1975, Coalition premiers would break longstanding convention in the replacement of two ALP senators. Lionel Murphy, who had resigned to take up an appointment to the High Court, was replaced by independent Cleaver Bunton; and Bertie Milliner, who had died, was replaced by Albert Field, an ALP member who was opposed to Whitlam. Bunton (along with Hall) refused to vote against supply, but Field was prepared to. This gave the Coalition effectively a majority of 31 seats out of 60 (30 Coalition members plus Field). This allowed them to block supply in the Senate to pave the way for the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975.

References

* [http://australianpolitics.com/elections/1974/ AustralianPolitics.com 1974 election details]
* [http://elections.uwa.edu.au/ University of WA] election results in Australia since 1890
* [http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/House_of_Representative_1949_Present.htm AEC 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.