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1940 Australian federal election
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| Field | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| election_name | 1940 Australian federal election | ||
| country | Australia | ||
| type | parliamentary | ||
| ongoing | no | ||
| previous_election | 1937 Australian federal election | ||
| previous_year | 1937 | ||
| next_election | 1943 Australian federal election | ||
| next_year | 1943 | ||
| outgoing_members | Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1937–1940 | ||
| elected_members | Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1940–1943 | ||
| registered | 4,239,346 3.90% | ||
| turnout | 3,979,009 (94.82%) | ||
| (1.31 pp) | |||
| seats_for_election | All 75 seats of the House of Representatives | ||
| 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House | |||
| 19 (of the 36) seats of the Senate | |||
| election_date | 21 September 1940 | ||
| <!-- UAP/Country coalition --> | image1 | Image:Robert Menzies in 1939.jpg | |
| image_size | 190x190px | ||
| leader1 | Robert Menzies | ||
| leader_since1 | [26 April 1939](1939-united-australia-party-leadership-election) | ||
| party1 | United AustraliaCountry Coalition | ||
| leaders_seat1 | Kooyong (Vic.) | ||
| last_election1 | 44 seats | ||
| seats1 | **36** | ||
| seat_change1 | 8 | ||
| popular_vote1 | **1,703,185** | ||
| percentage1 | **43.93%** | ||
| swing1 | 4.65 | ||
| 1data1 | 49.70% | ||
| 2data1 | 0.90 | ||
| <!-- Labor --> | image2 | Image:JohnCurtin.jpg | |
| leader2 | John Curtin | ||
| leader_since2 | [1 October 1935](1935-australian-labor-party-leadership-election) | ||
| party2 | Australian Labor Party | ||
| leaders_seat2 | Fremantle (WA) | ||
| last_election2 | 29 seats | ||
| seats2 | 32 | ||
| seat_change2 | 3 | ||
| popular_vote2 | 1,556,941 | ||
| percentage2 | 40.16% | ||
| swing2 | 3.01 | ||
| 1data2 | **50.30%** | ||
| 2data2 | 0.90 | ||
| 1blank | TPP | ||
| 2blank | TPP swing | ||
| image3 | [[File:JackLang.jpg | x150px]] | |
| leader3 | Jack Lang | ||
| leader_since3 | 1940 | ||
| colour3 | E2725B | ||
| party3 | Lang Labor | ||
| leaders_seat3 | *Did not run* | ||
| last_election3 | *new party* | ||
| seats3 | 4 | ||
| seat_change3 | 4 | ||
| popular_vote3 | -- | ||
| <!-- Lang Labor --> | image4 | [[File:JackLang.jpg | 200x200px]] |
| colour4 | E2725B | ||
| leader4 | Jack Lang | ||
| party4 | Labor (Non-Communist) | ||
| leaders_seat4 | *Did not run* | ||
| last_election4 | new party | ||
| seats4 | 4 seats | ||
| seat_change4 | 4 | ||
| popular_vote4 | 202,721 | ||
| percentage4 | 5.23% | ||
| swing4 | 0.87 | ||
| <!-- Independents --> | image5 | ||
| leader5 | *N/A* | ||
| leader_since5 | *N/A* | ||
| party5 | Independents | ||
| leaders_seat5 | *N/A* | ||
| popular_vote5 | 289,335 | ||
| percentage5 | 7.46% | ||
| swing5 | 1.90 | ||
| last_election5 | 3 seats | ||
| seats5 | 3 seats | ||
| seat_change5 | |||
| colour5 | |||
| title | Prime Minister | ||
| before_election | Robert Menzies | ||
| before_party | UAP/Country coalition | ||
| posttitle | Subsequent Prime Minister | ||
| after_election | Robert Menzies | ||
| after_party | UAP/Country coalition | ||
| map_image | 1940_Australian_federal_election.svg | ||
| map_caption | Results by division for the House of Representatives, shaded by winning party's margin of victory. | ||
| vote_type | Primary |
(1.31 pp) 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats of the Senate
A federal election was held in Australia on 21 September 1940. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Coalition, consisting of the United Australia Party led by Prime Minister Robert Menzies and the Country Party led by Archie Cameron, defeated the opposition Labor Party under John Curtin despite losing the overall two-party-preferred vote.
The Coalition won 36 seats, two short of a majority, but formed a government on 28 October 1940 with the support of both independent crossbenchers, Alexander Wilson and Arthur Coles. The four MPs elected to Lang Labor's successor, the Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist), officially re-joined the ALP just months after the election in February 1941, bringing the ALP to 36 seats. The UAP–Country minority government lasted only until October 1941, when the two independents crossed the floor and allowed the ALP to form a minority government with Curtin as prime minister. It remains the only time since the 1910 introduction of the two-party system where the government has changed as the result of a parliamentary confidence vote.
Future opposition leaders H.V. Evatt and Arthur Calwell both entered parliament at this election.
Background
The 15th parliament elected in the 1937 election first sat on 30 November 1937. Under the constitution, the parliament would expire in November 1940 and a general election would have to held by January 1941. Throughout 1940, there were debates on whether the general election should be held or postponed in the midst of a world war. Throughout July and August 1940, Prime Minister Robert Menzies contemplated the prospect of an early election. The loss of three Cabinet ministers in the 1940 Canberra air disaster on 13 August also meant that three by-elections would have been required, followed within a few short months by a general election.
Both the Coalition and Labor supported Australia's ongoing participation in World War II. The Coalition's advertisements asked Australians to "Cast Your Vote for Unity and an All-in War Effort / Back the Government that's Backing Churchill", with a large picture of the British Prime Minister. Labor promised "A New Deal / for the Soldier / for the Soldier's wife / Widows, the Aged and Infirm / the Taxpayer / the Working Man / the Primary Producer".
Results
House of Representatives
Main article: Results of the 1940 Australian federal election (House of Representatives)
| Party | First preference votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | Two-party-preferred (estimated) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAP–Country coalition | 1,703,185 | 43.93 | –4.65 | 36 | –8 | ||
| United Australia | *1,171,788* | *30.22* | *–3.49* | *23* | *–5* | ||
| Country | *531,397* | *13.71* | *–1.84* | *13* | *–3* | ||
| Labor | 1,556,941 | 40.16 | −3.01 | 32 | +3 | ||
| Labor (Non-Communist) | 202,721 | 5.23 | +5.23 | 4 | +4 | ||
| State Labor | 101,191 | 2.61 | +2.61 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Defence Movement | 15,313 | 0.40 | +0.40 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Protestant Labor | 8,300 | 0.21 | +0.21 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independents | 289,335 | 7.46 | +1.90 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3,876,986 | **75** | |||||
| **UAP–Country coalition** | **49.70** | −0.90 | **36** | −8 | |||
| Labor | 50.30 | +0.90 | 32 | +3 |
Notes
- Independents: Arthur Coles (Henty, Vic) (see below), Alexander Wilson (Wimmera, Vic)
- The Country Party in Victoria was split over membership of the Coalition, with the state party opposing its members taking office. The official United Country Party elected two members, one of whom, George Rankin, sat in the federal Country Party room and the other, Alexander Wilson, sat as an Independent. A breakaway faction, the Liberal Country Party, was formed to support sitting ministers and elected two members, John McEwen and Thomas Paterson, who both sat in the federal Country Party room.
Senate
| Party | First preference votes | % | Swing | Seats won | Seats held | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAP–Country coalition | 1,831,138 | 50.41 | +3.70 | 16 | 19 | ||
| UAP–Country joint ticket | *1,649,241* | *45.40* | *+16.72* | *10* | *N/A* | ||
| United Australia | *181,897* | *5.01* | –11.12 | 6 | 15 | ||
| Country | *N/A* | *N/A* | *N/A* | *0* | *4* | ||
| Labor | 1,363,072 | 37.52 | –10.96 | 3 | 17 | ||
| Non-Communist Labor | 274,861 | 7.57 | +7.57 | 0 | 0 | ||
| State Labor | 70,091 | 1.93 | +1.93 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Defence Movement | 9,536 | 0.26 | +0.26 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independents | 84,119 | 2.32 | –1.07 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 3,632,817 | 19 | 36 |
Notes
- Of the ten senators elected on UAP–Country joint tickets, seven were UAP members and three were Country Party members.
Seats changing hands
| Seat | Pre-1940 | Swing | Post-1940 | Party | Member | Margin | Margin | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton, NSW | United Australia | Albert Lane | 1.8 | 13.9 | 12.1 | H. V. Evatt | Labor | ||||
| Calare, NSW | Country | Harold Thorby | 2.2 | 5.6 | 3.4 | John Breen | Labor | ||||
| Cook, NSW | Labor | Tom Sheehan | N/A | 33.9 | 13.6 | Tom Sheehan | Labor (N-C) | ||||
| Dalley, NSW | Labor | Sol Rosevear | N/A | 14.9 | 7.2 | Sol Rosevear | Labor (N-C) | ||||
| Denison, Tas | Labor | Gerald Mahoney | 3.9 | 5.0 | 1.1 | Arthur Beck | United Australia | ||||
| Henty, Vic | United Australia | *Henry Gullett* | N/A | 3.2 | 13.5 | Arthur Coles | Independent | ||||
| Lang, NSW | Labor | Dan Mulcahy | N/A | 13.4 | 16.0 | Dan Mulcahy | Labor (N-C) | ||||
| Macquarie, NSW | United Australia | John Lawson | 2.1 | 10.2 | 8.1 | Ben Chifley | Labor | ||||
| Maranoa, Qld | Country | *James Hunter* | 4.3 | 5.9 | 1.6 | Frank Baker | Labor | ||||
| Riverina, NSW | Country | Horace Nock | 7.2 | 8.8 | 1.6 | Joe Langtry | Labor | ||||
| Wakefield, SA | Labor | Sydney McHugh | 6.7 | 10.0 | 3.4 | Jack Duncan-Hughes | United Australia | ||||
| Wannon, Vic | United Australia | Thomas Scholfield | 1.3 | 5.0 | 3.7 | Don McLeod | Labor | ||||
| Warringah, NSW | Independent | Percy Spender | 1.9 | 23.6 | 25.5 | Percy Spender | United Australia | ||||
| Watson, NSW | United Australia | John Jennings | 3.8 | 5.8 | 2.0 | Max Falstein | Labor | ||||
| West Sydney, NSW | Labor | Jack Beasley | 100.0 | 64.3 | 14.3 | Jack Beasley | Labor (N-C) | ||||
| Wilmot, Tas | Labor | Lancelot Spurr | 0.2 | 5.2 | 5.0 | Allan Guy | United Australia |
- Members listed in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
Notes
References
References
- (16 November 1937). "Parliament". The Canberra Times.
- (19 August 1940). "War Time Elections". The Daily News.
- (9 July 1940). "Election during the war". The Daily News.
- (10 July 1940). "Federal Election Question". The Advocate.
- (12 August 1940). "A forced election". The Advertiser.
- Hasluck, Paul. (1965). "Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 4 – Civil – Volume 1, The Government and the People, 1939–1941". Australian War Memorial.
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