Australian federal election, 1940
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All 74 seats of the Australian House of Representatives 38 seats were needed for a majority in the House 19 (of the 36) seats of the Australian Senate |
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3Federal elections were 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 of Australia Robert Menzies and the Country Party led by Archie Cameron, defeated the opposition Australian Labor Party led by John Curtin. The Coalition won 36 seats, two short of a majority, but formed a government on 28 October 1940 with the support of two independent MPs,[1]:{{{3}}} Alex Wilson and Arthur Coles.
A year later in October 1941 the two independents switched their support to Labor, bringing Curtin to power.
Results
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change | |
| Australian Labor Party | 1,556,941 | 40.16 | −3.02 | 32 | +3 | |
| United Australia Party | 1,171,788 | 30.22 | −3.48 | 23 | -5 | |
| Country Party | 531,397 | 13.71 | −1.84 | 13 | -3 | |
| Australian Labor Party (Non-Communist) | 202,721 | 5.23 | * | 4 | +4 | |
| State Labor Party | 101,191 | 2.61 | * | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 312,948 | 8.07 | +3.89 | 2 | +1 | |
| Total | 3,876,986 | 74 | ||||
| UAP/Country coalition | 49.70 | −0.90 | 36 | −8 | ||
| Australian Labor Party | 50.30 | +0.90 | 32 | +3 |
Independents: Arthur Coles (Henty, Vic), Alexander Wilson (Wimmera, Vic)
Note that the Victorian Country Party at this election was split into two factions, the United Country Party, which was loyal to the state party, and the Liberal Country Party, loyal to the federal party and formed following John McEwen's expulsion from the UCP. The UCP elected one member and the LCP two.
| Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats Won | Seats Held | Change | |
| UAP/Country (Joint Ticket) | 1,587,541 | 43.70 | +15.02 | 10 | |||
| Australian Labor Party | 1,363,072 | 37.52 | −10.96 | 3 | 17 | +1 | |
| Non-Communist Labor Party | 274,861 | 7.57 | * | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| United Australia Party | 243,597 | 6.71 | −9.42 | 6 | 15 | −1 | |
| Country Party | * | * | −1.90 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Independents | 71,760 | 1.98 | −1.41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other | 91,986 | 2.53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 4,097,326 | 19 | 36 |
Background
Until the 1940 Canberra air disaster on 13 August, Menzies was not planning an election so early, as it was not due until December 1940 or even as late as January 1941. However, the loss of three Cabinet ministers meant that three by-elections would have been required, followed within a few short months by a general election. Bringing the general election on earlier than planned was the preferred solution.
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".[1]
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 in italics did not contest their seat at this election.
See also
- Candidates of the Australian federal election, 1940
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1940–1943
- Members of the Australian Senate, 1941–1944
Notes
References
- University of WA election results in Australia since 1890
- Two-party-preferred vote since 1937
