ID 0271

Commonwealth Parliament, House of Representatives election

Election of 21 August 1943

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General election for the House of Representatives
Commonwealth of Australia
Date of election
21 August 1943

Government in office and parliamentary support before and after the election

Government in office at election

Prime Minister in office at date of election. (check notes to see if change of Prime Minister since previous election)
John Curtin
Prime Minister's party affiliation
Australian Labor Party
House of Representatives support for government at election
Minority
If coalition, coalition partner(s)

Government in office after election

Prime Minister in office after election.
John Curtin
Prime Minister's party affiliation
Australian Labor Party
House of Representatives support for government after election
Majority
If coalition, coalition partner(s)

Enrolment and voting

Total number of voters on the roll
4,466,637
Number of House of Representatives seats
74
Number of uncontested seats
1
If uncontested seats, number of voters on the roll in uncontested seats
59,130
Number of voters on the roll in contested seats
4,407,507
Total ballots cast (may differ from number of votes in multiple voting systems)
4,245,369
Turnout (rate of voting in contested seats)
96.32%
Total valid votes
4,122,491
Rate of informal (invalid) voting
2.89%
Informal (invalid) ballots in multiple voting system
Not applicable
Electoral system
Adult franchise at 21 years; single member districts; preferential voting (AV); compulsory preferences; compulsory voting

House of Representatives votes and seats won, national summary

Display Chart

Election held on 21 August 1943
Criteria for the inclusion of parties in this table are set out in the Glossary under 'listed party'

* to view table drag left or right.
Party Name First preference vote n First preference vote share % Change from previous election % Seats won n Uncontested seats held n Seat share %
Australian Labor Party  2,058,578  49.94  +9.78  49  1  66.22 
United Australia Party  661,750  16.05  -14.17  12  0  16.22 
Independents  501,054  12.15  +4.08  1  0  1.35 
Country Party   287,000  6.96  -6.74  7  0  9.46 
Country - National Party (Qld)  166,419  4.04  *  3  0  4.05 
Liberal Country Party (Vic)  145,665  3.53  *  1  0  1.35 
One Parliament for Australia  87,112  2.11  *  0     
Queensland Country Party  61,196  1.48  *  1  0  1.35 
State Labor Party (NSW)  29,752  0.72  -1.89  0     
Votes for other than listed parties 123,965 3.01 +3.01       
Totals 4,122,491  100.00    74  1  100.00 

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* Party did not contest previous election or did not meet criteria for listing, or contested previous election under a different party name.

Notes

Government in office at election: Fadden became prime minister of a Country Party UAP minority coalition government on 29 August 1941, dependent on the support of Independent Arthur Coles (electoral district of Henty) and Alexander Wilson who had been elected as a member of the Victorian United Country Party against the endorsed official Country Party candidate (electoral district of Wimmera). These two members voted to defeat the Fadden government on a financial measure in the House of Representatives on 7 October 1941. Fadden resigned and Curtin was commissioned as Prime Minister of an Australian Labor Party minority government.

Sources

Colin A Hughes and B D Graham, A Handbook of Australian Government and Politics 1890-1964, (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 1968, SBN 708102700).


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